Taste of Westmont blends music, food and community spirit

The Taste of Westmont on July 10-13 provides fun for all ages including two music stages, Muddy Waters tribute & blues jam, two beer tents, food court featuring local restaurants, an all-ages carnival, crafters, commercial vendors, and more.

“Westmont is well known for its incredible community events,” said Mayor Steve Nero. “One of the highlights of our summer schedule is definitely the Taste of Westmont. I’ll be there volunteering and I encourage everyone to get involved and come out to support this great event.”

“This event literally needs hundreds of volunteer shifts to be filled,” said Steve Golembiewski, president of the Westmont Special Events Corporation. “We ask everyone in the community to consider signing up for a volunteer shift to help out with this great event that provides so much fun and excitement for our community.”

Individuals can sign up via the online volunteer signup form via westmont.illinois.gov. Each volunteer receives a free T-shirt and two beverage tickets. For questions, contact Westmont Special Events Executive Director Kristina Kaniauskaite at wsec@westmontevents.com or (630) 829-9378.

The four-day festival will be 5 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 10; 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 11; noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 12; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 13, on Cass Avenue, from Burlington Avenue to Naperville Road, in Westmont. Parking is available in public parking lots as well as residential side streets. Accessible parking is available near the Bank of America property at Linden and Norfolk. For everybody’s safety, pets are not allowed at this event.

South Stage

For many years, the Taste of Westmont has provided an opportunity for local and original music artists to showcase their talents.

Starting Thursday through Sunday, more than 100 musicians will perform on the South Stage & Beer Tent, located near the intersection of Cass Avenue and Irving Street.

The South Stage also serves as a steppingstone for artists who are hoping to perform on the Taste of Westmont Main Stage and other Westmont Special Events celebrations such as Cruisin’ Nights and more. A complete list of South Stage performers is available via westmontevents.com/taste-of-westmont.

Main Stage

The main stage near NEAT Kitchen + Bar at 246 N. Cass Ave. will open on Friday with the country band Prairie Station at 6 p.m., followed by the “15 Minutes of Fame Mainstage Spotlight” on Destiny Conrad at 7:45 p.m. and the Westmont Special Events Spotlight at 8:25 p.m. Tennessee Whiskey, a Chris Stapleton tribute band, will be the headliners at 8:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the kids rock band The Mighty Vikings will take the stage at 2 p.m., followed by “Local Legends” Tomorrow’s Alliance at 3:30 p.m. and Nostalgia, TY’s Personal Mixtape, at 4:15 p.m.

The 1985 will be re-creating 1980s pop and beyond at 6 p.m., followed by the “15 Minutes of Fame Mainstage Spotlight” on Jules Giampaolo at 7:45 p.m. and the Westmont Special Events Spotlight at 8:25 p.m. Headliners Hairbangers Ball will bring back the 1980s Big Hair Rock and more at 8:30 p.m.

On Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m., it will be the annual Muddy Waters Tribute & Blues Jam with a Nick Alexander tribute to Linsey “Hoochie Coochie Man” Alexander at 3 p.m.

West Side Divas, the “Local Divas Belting the Classics,” will be at 4 p.m., followed by the Westmont Special Events Spotlight at 5:55 p.m. The popular local rockstars, 7th Heaven will take the stage at 6 p.m.

Taste of Westmont

The Taste of Westmont food court at Cass Avenue and Norfolk Street will feature: Baisi Thai, J. Fleming's, La Michoacana, Rita's Sno on the Go, Taqueria El Ranchito, Taste Greek Street Food, TQLA Mexican Kitchen & Cantina, Uncle Bub's BBQ, Westmont Lions Club, and Zazzo's Pizza.

Carnival

Alpine Amusements will once again provide carnival attractions for kids of all ages. There will be various wristband specials throughout the event. The carnival will be open at all times during event hours.

The wristband specials will be 5 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday for $25 or noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for $30.

During the Taste of Westmont, Cass Avenue will be closed from Burlington Avenue to Naperville Road. There will be detours in place to direct traffic.

Note: The weekly Cruisin’ Night will not be held this week. For additional information, visit westmontevents.com, email wsec@westmontevents.com, or call 630-829-9378.