Downtown Hinsdale's own Prime Steak will be serving alongside nearly 20 vendors at the Taste of Oak Brook on Friday, July 3, kicking off a stretch of food-and-drink festivals within a short drive of the village.
The annual event at the Sports Core Fields (700 Oak Brook Road) opens at 2 p.m. this year, an hour earlier than in the past. Admission is free.
"We heard interest from some residents about starting a little earlier," said Michael Manzo, an Oak Brook Village Board liaison to the Sports Core Committee. "I think it's especially something some of our seniors like, and we know the vendors like it, too."
Manzo told the Chicago Tribune the festival expects 17 to 19 food vendors, which he called the most in the event's history. Hinsdale Prime Steak, the USDA Prime steakhouse that Antonio Monroy and Ignacio Martinez opened at 42 E. Hinsdale Ave. in September 2024, is among the confirmed participants. Other vendors include Labriola Ristorante, Fogo de Chao, Fat Rosie's, Coa, STK, and Stan's Donut. Alter Brewing + Kitchen will run a beer garden.
Live music starts at 4 p.m. on a larger stage with a video screen: Whiskey Friends: The Morgan Wallen Experience plays from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by Sixteen Candles from 7:30 to 9 p.m. A drone show launches at 9:30 p.m. with fireworks to close the night.
New this year: a golf simulator with a $2,500 hole-in-one prize and a closest-to-the-hole contest offering a round of golf for four at Oak Brook Golf Club plus a 2027 Bath & Tennis Club membership. Chances cost $10. Kids can get their faces painted or pose with a stilts walker decked out in red, white, and blue.
Personal tents and canopies are prohibited. Private group spaces with a 10x10 tent, picnic table, fenced area, air-conditioned restrooms, and two preferred parking passes run $850. Advance parking is available at oak-brook.org.
The following week: Taste of Westmont
The Taste of Westmont takes over Cass Avenue in downtown Westmont from Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12. The four-day festival features two music stages, two beer tents, a food court with local restaurants, an all-ages carnival, crafters, and commercial vendors.
Hours: Thursday 5–9:30 p.m.; Friday 5–10:30 p.m.; Saturday noon–10:30 p.m.; Sunday noon–8 p.m.
Headline acts include former Grand Funk Railroad lead singer Mark Farner at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 11, and country artist Alli Walker at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 12. Tribute bands Dancing Queen (ABBA) and Tennessee Whiskey (Chris Stapleton) are also on the bill, along with a Muddy Waters Tribute & Blues Jam from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Hinsdale Week Ahead
Friday, July 3 — Taste of Oak Brook. 2–10 p.m., Sports Core Fields, 700 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook. Free admission. Live music, drone show at 9:30 p.m., fireworks at dusk. Hinsdale Prime Steak among vendors. Advance parking at oak-brook.org.
Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12 — Taste of Westmont. Cass Avenue, downtown Westmont. Two stages, carnival, beer tents. Mark Farner headlines Saturday; Alli Walker headlines Sunday.
Saturday, July 18 — Lombard Brewfest. 1–4 p.m., 150 W. Parkside Ave., Lombard (between Lilacia Park and the Metra line). 21+. General admission $55 (20 three-oz. samples, souvenir glass); VIP $75 (noon entry, pub glass, shaded seating, snacks); Designated Driver $25. Food trucks on-site.
