Northwest Fourth-Fest returning to Hoffman Estates’ Now Arena

Northwest Fourth-Fest, the region’s largest free-admission Fourth of July celebration, returns to Hoffman Estates outside the Now Arena at 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, with the carnival running Wednesday, July 1, through Sunday, July 5.

The full festival will take place on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4, with a jam-packed lineup of events and activities. In addition to the carnival, the fest features the popular free Kids’ Zone with a petting zoo, face painting, a roaming entertainer, inflatable slides, musical shows and more.

Entertainment includes live music Friday night from Hello Weekend starting at 5:30 p.m. and 7th heaven at 8:30 p.m., with a break at 9:30 p.m. for the region’s largest fireworks show.

Saturday night entertainment includes live music from David’s House at 5:30 p.m. and Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press at 8:30 p.m., with a break at 9:30 p.m. for a state-of-the-art drone light show.