After 30-plus years in Naperville, Ribfest set to get grilling at DuPage fairgrounds
Wheaton is now the keeper of the Ribfest flame.
Festival organizers confirmed Monday they've found a new home for their annual ode to prizewinning barbecue.
After 32 years in Naperville and then a pandemic pause, Ribfest will move to the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. The four-day event also will be held over Father's Day weekend, just like the very first Ribfest in 1987.
Organizers with the Exchange Club of Naperville said the fairgrounds site gives barbecue hounds plenty of parking and space to enjoy an aromatic blend of pitmaster cook-offs, carnival rides and concerts.
The sizzling news first surfaced when a county board committee last month endorsed the proposal for the fairgrounds to host Ribfest in June. The county leases the 42-acre property to the nonprofit DuPage County Fair Association.
"The on-site parking is very important and a big plus for us," Ribfest Chairwoman Beverly Schafman said. "We're also excited to work with another nonprofit that has the space and the parking, so I think it'll be a really good experience for our patrons."
The fairgrounds also will give organizers more room for a meatier version of Ribfest.
"We're hoping to have additional ribbers this year and concerts similar to what we've had in the past," Schafman told the Daily Herald.
Past performers were as varied as barbecue techniques. Hootie & the Blowfish, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, country legend Loretta Lynn, the "Club Can't Handle Me" rapper Flo Rida, and Pitbull have all taken the stage at Ribfest.
While organizers are working to finalize this year's headliners, a proposed layout shows the main stage would be set up on the northern corner of the fairgrounds. Entry to the concert area will require tickets.
"There will be free entry to the actual event," Schafman said. "So you can enjoy the carnival and the ribbers and the family fun area without any entry fee."
Over the more than 30 years in Naperville, Ribfest was the granddaddy of suburban summer festivals. A winning recipe of barbecue, entertainment and charitable causes made the grassy lawns of the city's Knoch Park a carnivore's playground.
But park renovations forced organizers to look for another festival home after a final hurrah in Naperville in 2019. Organizers at the time considered about 10 other sites.
"That particular committee was charged with finding an alternative location for Ribfest on July 4," Schafman said. "When the committee approached the fairgrounds, July 4 weekend was not an option, as it wasn't this year."
Then COVID-19 derailed what was supposed to be the first Ribfest in Romeoville. Logistically, hosting Ribfest at the village hall and recreation center in Romeoville was "going to be challenging for several reasons, date-wise and traffic-wise," Schafman said.
"It was proving to be more challenging than either one of us anticipated on that footprint," she said.
Last August, the Naperville Park District board of commissioners declined a request from the Exchange Club to have Ribfest return to the city as a two-day event at the Frontier Sports Complex on Naperville's south side. At the time, park district officials cited wear and tear on the grounds, among other reasons.
With the earlier start date, the four-day festival will now coincide with Juneteenth, a paid state holiday in Illinois.
"That gave us another day where people aren't at work and, hopefully, they'll want to come out and listen to some music and have a rib dinner," Schafman said.
Traffic is expected to enter and exit from County Farm Road through the DuPage government campus to keep cars off residential streets around the fairgrounds. Continuous shuttle service will run from parking areas to the gates.
The civic club has raised more than $18 million through Ribfest for local charities supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic violence.