‘Building bridges’: Halal Fest connects businesses with burgeoning market

Naperville’s growing Halal Fest is attracting more businesses from across Northern Illinois seeking to cater to the burgeoning demand for halal food and products.

Now in its third year, the two-day festival is expected to draw roughly 20,000 attendees this weekend to Naperville’s Frontier Park, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive, according to organizers.

What was a free, one-day festival in the first year, when roughly 8,000 people attended, has grown in attendance and the number of participating vendors, and also will run over two days — from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3.

Organizers say the festival, now a ticketed event, is one of the largest platforms for supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs featuring cultural merchandise.

“This year, we are expecting 120 businesses,” said Halal Fest organizer Shafeek Abubaker of Naperville.

Vendors come from as far away as Rockford and from throughout DuPage, Cook and Kane counties to sell their halal merchandise at the festival’s booths.

“(About) 20% to 30% of attendees are people from other faiths and other communities. That shows the interest the larger community has to attend an event like this,” said Abubaker, president of the Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the festival.

The chamber, established in 2019, has more than 400 members. It launched the festival in 2023 primarily to help energize the local business community post-pandemic using seed money from the city of Naperville and the help of sponsors.

“Right now, with the ticketed event, it is a moneymaker,” Abubaker said. “At the same time … it is giving significant exposure to our businesses and our community. We want to use this platform (for) building bridges and to connect with the larger community, and, of course, contributing back to the local economy.”

Organizers have courted non-Muslim businesses to be part of the mix, particularly those that cater to the Muslim community and offer products that adhere to Islamic guidelines for what is halal. In simple terms, “halal” stands for what is permissible or lawful in Islam, used typically with reference to food and drink that is allowed for consumption and is ethically sourced and grown. Halal also is about more than avoiding certain foods such as pork and alcohol.

“Halal is not all about meat,” Abubaker said. “Anything vegetarian is halal.”

Among the festival’s food vendor offerings is Simply South, a newly opened 100% vegetarian restaurant in Warrenville; Peak Thai of Aurora and Lombard; and La Charanga Mexican Restaurant in Rolling Meadows, which serves halal tacos.

“You are seeing more and more halal options in restaurants opening up in the area,” Abubaker said.

This year’s festival theme, “Whirling Flavors and Cultural Rhythms,” offers attendees a taste of flavors from more than 30 countries and features traditional and ethnic musical performances. That includes Qawwali — spiritual Indian and Pakistani devotional music performed by young American-born artists; Sufi whirling dervish performances; Dabke, a traditional Levantine folk dance popular in Palestine; energetic Arabic drum music (Dabke-style rhythms with tabla and darbuka); and folk and contemporary dance from the Muslim world.

“The Qawwali is a new addition to our event,” Abubaker said. “We are bringing in a family friendly Muslim comedian, Preacher Moss.”

And for the first time, there will be a Muslim Talent Show.

Other family friendly attractions include a cultural bazaar, an open-air market filled with handmade items, traditional clothing, Islamic art and accessories, and local vendors; camel rides; a kids’ zone; and The Dhaba Experience — a special food court designed to feel like a traditional South Asian roadside eatery, according to organizers.

Abubaker said with the growth and success of the event, a venue change is warranted.

“Next year, we are planning to move it from Naperville to DuPage Fairgrounds,” he said adding, the decision to move is partially because organizers need more space and the fairgrounds has existing infrastructure that will make it easier to put on the festival.

“The support we are getting from the city of Naperville and the police and fire department is amazing,” Abubaker said.

Fry Family YMCA, Wheatland Salem Church and Naperville Public Library also are allowing use of their parking lots to festivalgoers.

Admission is $8, $25 for four or $60 for a group of 10. Children under 15 and seniors over 70 are admitted free. For tickets and a list of vendors, visit https://ilmchamber.org/halal-fest-2025/.