Downtown Block Party, Celebration of Cultures return to Mount Prospect Aug. 27-29
The village of Mount Prospect will hold two festivals this weekend — the Downtown Block Party and the Celebration of Cultures. Both events take place at the corner of Emerson Street and Busse Avenue, next to the village hall on Centennial Green, 50 S. Emerson St. Admission to both events is free.
Downtown Block Party
• 4-11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28
The village and the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce welcome residents and visitors downtown to enjoy a weekend's worth of great live musical performances, food and beverages, and the return of the business expo.
Bring the kids for free activities from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. Kids will enjoy the various rides, face painting and crafts.
The entertainment lineup for the event includes:
Friday
• 4:30 p.m. No Age Statement
• 6:30 p.m. One of the Boyzz
• 9 p.m. 16 Candles
Saturday
• Noon The Difference
• 2 p.m. Six on Friday
• 4 p.m. 7th heaven
• 6:30 p.m. Exit 147
• 9 p.m. Underwater People
No party is complete without food. Indulge in Mount Prospect's local favorites from pizza, tacos, gyros, and hot dogs to ice cream and cakes. Beer, wine and specialty beverages will be available.
Food and beverage vendors include: Mia's Cantina, Olympus Gyros, Brick's Wood Fired Pizza & Café, The Red Barn Restaurant and Brewery, Capannari Ice Cream and Mount Prospect Junior Women's Club.
Rides and activities in the Kids Zone will include a mini Ferris wheel, mini carousel, giant slide, climbing wall, pony rides and, from 2-6 p.m., crafts. All are free.
For up-to-date restaurant listings, band information and more, visit mpblockparty.com, like the Downtown Block Party Facebook page, or call (847) 392-6000.
Celebration of Cultures
• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29
On the day after the Downtown Block Party, the third annual Celebration of Cultures will take place in the same downtown location.
Once again it will feature cultural booths, ethnic entertainment, fair trade crafts from Ten Thousand Villages and food from around the world.
The opening ceremonies will take place at 11 a.m. Mount Prospect residents are invited to participate in the ceremonies and represent their country of origin; contact (847) 506-4930 to participate.
Scheduled entertainment includes:
• 11:30 a.m. KalKrit Indian Dance Company (Indian)
• Noon Bulgarica and Vivanov (Bulgarian traditional dances)
• 12:45 p.m. Na Kupuna Ukulele Club (Hawaiian/Pacific islands)
• 1:30 p.m. Mariachi Ameca (Mexican)
• 3 p.m. Maxwell Street Klezmer Band (Eastern European)
Participating restaurants and food vendors include Mia's Cantina, KD Market, Pupuseria El Salvadoreño, La Michoacana Premium Paleta Cart, Mediterranean Stop Food Truck, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Amante Bakery.
There will also be plenty of kids' activities, including a kids' zone and an arts and crafts tent.
Information, costumes, artifacts and other cultural items can be found at the cultural booths. In 2019, 15 cultures were represented.
The village will offer a free shuttle to and from the festival between 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. The shuttle pickup location will be the Community Connections Center, 1711 W. Algonquin Road.
Visit www.mountprospect.org/CelebrationofCultures for details.