Festival also has games, rides and a parade

Lake Zurich’s huge annual party returns for its 71st edition Friday.

Sponsored by the Lake Zurich Lions Club, which serves the visually impaired and blind, Alpine Fest will run Friday through Sunday at Lion Fred Blau Park, 81 E. Main St. in downtown Lake Zurich. Admission is free.

Highlights include carnival rides, food, beer, crafts, family games, entertainment, vendor booths and what’s billed as Lake County’s largest parade.

Firefighter water battles are set at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by the official park opening and rides at 6 p.m. Cover band Friction, which is known for crowd favorites and a deep playlist, is scheduled to take the stage from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Friday.

Alpine Fest will resume at noon Saturday. Music will start at 3 p.m., with the Blues Mavericks jamming for two hours.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, it’ll be Soul Patch Monkey providing the entertainment with classic rock covers from the 1960s and ’70s.

Saturday’s headliner will be Wedding Banned, set to appear from 9 to 11:30 p.m. Wedding Banned is known for playing hits from the 1980s and a few from the ’90s.

Alpine Fest’s parade will step off at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Whitney Road and Route 22. It’ll move east on Route 22 and swing down Main Street and end at Lions Drive in downtown Lake Zurich.

Three bands are lined up for Sunday, including the final group Déjà Vu — known for covers of everything from Frank Sinatra to Sister Sledge — from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Lion Fred Blau Park will close at midnight Friday and Saturday, and 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Alpine Fest visitors may participate in open houses Saturday and Sunday hosted by Ela Historical Society and Museum, 95 E. Main St. Exhibits include those of Ela Township veterans of the Civil War.

Last year’s Alpine Fest drew an estimated 25,000 over the three days. The festival began in 1942.