Glendale Heights Fest returns with four days of music, food and rides
The annual Glendale Heights Fest returns on July 10-13, with 13 bands, about 20 food vendors, carnival rides, and the popular fireworks display.
Opening on Thursday at 4 p.m. will be Abby Kay Band, mixing rock, country, blues, and pop. They will be followed by the Wayne Messmer Quartet at 6 p.m. with the opening ceremony at 6:45 p.m. Down/Pour, an AC/DC tribute band, will headline Thursday, taking the stage at 8:30 p.m.
On Friday, Glendale Heights own Spanish rock band, Los Corb, will open the music stage at 4:30 p.m., followed by Big City Nights, a tribute band celebrating the hard rock music of the Scorpions, at 6:30 p.m. Headliner The Keith Semple Band will be taking the stage at 9 p.m.
On Saturday, singer-songwriter Dina Bach will open the music stage at 2:30 p.m. The Mambo All-Stars will bring on the Latin dance rhythms with salsa, merengue, cumbia, cha-cha, and boleros at 4:30 p.m. Chicago Rockhouse will be mixing classic rock gems with interesting deep cuts at 6:30 p.m. before festival favorite Hi Infidelity takes the stage at 8:30 p.m.
The Moods will bring their smooth sound to open the final day of the festival at 3 p.m. Sunday, followed by a dancing class at 4:30 p.m.
Hillbilly Rockstarz will play your favorite country hits from yesterday and today at 5 p.m., followed by the party band Good Clean Fun at 7:30 p.m. The four-day fest will go out with a bang with the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m.
Fireworks
With crowds over 15,000 expected to head to Camera Park for the display, parking lots fill up fast starting early in the day so arrive early to grab a good seat.
Fullerton Avenue will be closed between President Street and Bloomingdale Road on Sunday from 7 to 11 p.m. Vehicles in the parking lots along Fullerton Avenue will not be allowed to exit until the roadways are clear of pedestrian traffic.
Carnival rides
Purchasing ride tickets at the kiosks, located just inside of the main entrance on Fullerton Avenue, with a second kiosk positioned on the opposite side of the festival grounds. Present your ride wristband, and the operator will scan it and the appropriate number of credits will be deducted from your balance. You can reload your wristband at any time the carnival is open.
Kiosks will accept cash, credit or debit cards, and will give you change back. Patrons also can get instructions for using the kiosk in either Spanish or English.
The carnival will be open 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Want unlimited rides? Get a wristband good for one day, or get a Mega Pass to ride all four days.
Purchase a carnival wristband before opening day for $25 or $30 during the fest. Advanced daily presale wristband vouchers are available at Glendale Heights Village Hall, 300 Civic Centre Plaza; Linda Jackson Center for Senior Citizens, 260 Civic Centre Plaza; or the Sports Hub, 250 Civic Center Plaza. The Mega Pass for $75 is only available at the Sports Hub.
Food vendors
There will be an array of food vendors, offering barbecue, hamburgers, pizza, gyros, burritos, tacos, fries, and more. Looking for something sweet? Pick from ice cream, churros, funnel cakes, and more.
Food vendors include: Amigas Restaurant, Antojitos Mexicanas Landa; Blackhawk BBQ & Seafood; Coopers Concessions; Crumbl; Daisy's Ice Cream; Dark Horse Grill; Doggie Diner Concessions; Gaby's Funnel Cakes; Genoa Italian Concession; Johnny G’s; Kernal Dan's Kettle Corn; Kona Ice; Norma's Tacos; North American Pizzas; Suzie's Fun Foods; Taco Gyro; Tank Vietnamese Kitchen; and Dippin' Dots & Doc Popcorn.
The Glendale Heights Foundation and Kiwanis Club of Glendale Heights will be selling drink wristbands for $1 to individuals age 21 or older.
Ki's Steak and Seafood Restaurant will be providing alcoholic drinks for sale with a variety of beers and seltzers available. The carnival will have lemonade available, and various food vendors will have refreshments as well. The pricing for non-alcoholic drinks will be $3 for 13-24 oz. pop or 16 oz. sports drink, $2 for 12 oz. pop or $1 for 16 oz. water.
Glendale Heights Fest
When: 4 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, July 10; 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 11; 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 12; and 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 13
Where: Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton Ave., Glendale Heights
Admission: Entrance to the fest area is free. Parking is available on-site every day for a free, but plan ahead as the parking lot tends to fill up quickly. Additional parking is available around town and only a short walk to Camera Park.