Lakeside Festival returns to Crystal Lake with live music, rides, food
The Lakeside Festival returns July 1-4 to The Dole in Crystal Lake featuring live music with 15 bands over 4 days on two outdoor stages.
Held on the grounds of the historic Dole Mansion and Lakeside Arts Park over Independence Day weekend, it is one of the largest and longest-running summer festivals in McHenry County.
There will be midway games, unlimited carnival rides for all ages, Taste By the Lake, and a beer and tropical drinks garden.
Festival hours are 3 to 11 p.m. Thursday, July 1; noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 2-3; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 4, at the Dole, 401 Country Club Road.
Tickets are $5 at the gate; $2 for seniors, age 65 or older and free for kids, age 12 or younger. Admission is free for active military with a valid ID. From noon to 4 p.m. for Kids Day Friday, kids 12 or younger are free and admission is $2 for all others.
No online tickets sold. Purchase your tickets at the entrance booth on the days of the Lakeside Festival.
The Crystal Lake Independence Day Parade steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 4, at the municipal complex, 100 W. Woodstock St. The parade, with Paul Leech as grand marshal, will head down Dole Avenue to Lakeside Festival grounds. Recent Prairie Ridge High School graduate Marie Adkins will sing the national anthem at this year's parade.
Windy City Amusements will offer unlimited carnival rides with a $25 wristband from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, and noon to 4 p.m. Friday to Sunday.
In addition to magician Joe Diamond, kids activities include face painting, balloon twister, stilt walker, team mascots, and more.
At 1 p.m. Friday, there will be a Kids Ice Cream Eating Contest sponsored by the Barton's.
On Friday and Saturday, take a tour of Dole Mansion between 3 and 5 p.m.
Got a competitive streak? Anyone 18 or older is invited to join the Baggo tournament at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 3. Registration and warm-up will be from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
Team day-of registration fee is $45. There will be cash prizes with amounts based on total teams entered with a minimum 32 teams. It will be first place, $500; second place, $250; and third place, $100. The consolation bracket will be played for a second chance.
Lakeside Festival is the largest fundraiser for Lakeside Legacy Foundation's year-round arts, education, history, and community programs. The festival collaborates with the City of Crystal Lake to coordinate Lakeside Festival activities with the Independence Day parade and fireworks displays.
The festival will open Thursday, July 1, with The Special Consensus at 3:30 p.m. on the Northwest Herald Stage. A four-person acoustic bluegrass band that formed in the Chicago area in 1975, the band has released 19 recordings. Rivers And Roads (Compass Records) was released in March 2018 and received IBMA awards for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year and Album of the Year, in addition to a Grammy nomination for the Best Bluegrass Album award.
Generation will follow at 6:15 p.m. on the Pabst Stage. The band puts on a rock show of iconic, popular hits by artists such as the Beatles, Stones, Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Aretha, Sly Stone and more.
The Blooze Brothers will close out the evening at 8:30 p.m. on the Pabst Stage. This high-powered choreographed 12-piece show band covers music from the 40s to Top 10, Swing, Motown, Soul, R&B, Classic Rock, and, of course, the music and crazy antics of the famous original Blues Brothers.
On Friday, July 2, Dangerous Joes will perform at 2 and 6:15 p.m. on the Northwest Herald Stage. The Crystal Lake band plays the music of the 1970s to now, including alternative, rock and country.
7th Heaven, famous for “30 songs in 30 minutes” melody of songs from the 1970s to '80s, will perform at 4:15 p.m. on the Pabst Stage.
Hi Infidelity, performing the hits from Journey to REO to Styx and many others, will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on the Pabst Stage.
On Saturday, July 3, The Wayouts will kick off the day's musical entertainment at 3 p.m. on the Northwest Herald Stage. Veterans of the Chicago music scene, the band members have diverse musical resumes including signed, original indie rock projects, solo singer/songwriters and high-profile cover bands. They bring to the stage garage rock from the 1960s.
At 5:30 p.m. on the Pabst Stage, it will be LAVA Rock, an acronym that spells four of the rock legends Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and AC/DC.
Modern Day Romeos will rock the crowd with covers such as “Black Betty,” “Honky Talk Women,” “Centerfold” and more at 8:30 p.m. on the Pabst Stage.
On Sunday, July 4, the festival will wrap up with four bands. Wild Daisy, a female-fronted country band plays current, upbeat country, with a few pop/rock songs thrown in at noon on the Northwest Herald Stage.
Boy Band Night performs the music and signature choreography from Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, New Kids on the Block, One Direction and Jonas Brothers at 3:30 p.m. on the Pabst Stage.
Jody's House, a yacht rock-centric band, will perform at 5:30 p.m. on the Northwest Herald Stage. The band, featuring the smooth vocal harmonies of the late 1970s, covers artists like Steely Dan, Toto, Stevie Wonder, Ambrosia, Bee Gees, Hall & Oats, Supertramp, Kenny Loggins, and Doobie Brothers.
Before the fireworks on the lake at dusk, the festival will wrap up at 7 p.m. with Nashville Electric on the Pabst Stage. The band brings the Nashville experience with modern country hits as well as favorite country classics.
For festival information, visit thedole.org.