April 29, 2025
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End of Summer Fest starts Friday in Joliet

Live bands and food vendors on Friday followed by two days of carnival at Memorial Stadium

By Bob Okon

A ferris wheel has been set up for the carnival that is part of the End of Summer Fest that starts at 4 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium in Joliet. (Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com/Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawm)

Joliet can celebrate summer with a smaller taste of music and food than usual on Friday when End of Joliet Fest begins at Memorial Stadium.

The three-day event held in lieu of Taste of Joliet this year features live bands, food vendors, beer tent and a carnival from 4 to 10:30 p.m. on Friday. It will be followed by two days of carnival only, although Windy City Amusements will have carnival food, from 1 to 8 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

The carnival from Windy City Amusements will run Friday through Sunday at Memorial Stadium. (Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com/Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawm)

That’s not quite the three-day extravaganza that the Joliet Park District typically stages for Taste of Joliet.

Joliet Park District Executive Director Brad Staab said Taste of Joliet will return in 2022 after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We fully intend to have the full Taste of Joliet in 2022,” Staab said Friday.

Staab has been cautioning for months not to view the August event as a delayed version of the usual Taste of Joliet held in late June. The event was canceled a second year because of the remaining uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resurgence of COVID-19 may be creating uncertainty again, but Staab said the park district is “100% planning for Taste 2022.”

Meanwhile, interest is building in the End of Summer Fest.

“The carnival started going up on Jefferson Street on Tuesday,” Staab said. “We started getting calls when the carnival started going up. People are interested, and they’re asking questions.”

Joliet Park District Executive Director Brad Staab said interest in the End of Summer Fest began perking up as soon as carnival set-up began this week, (Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com/Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawm)

Here are some things that will be helpful to know about End of Summer Fest.

• The bands: the line-up is New Orleans Beau at 4 p.m., 7th Heaven at 6 p.m., and ARRA at 8:30 p.m.

• The food: seven vendors include Cemeno’s Pizza, La Joliet (Supermercado), BabyQ’s Ribs, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Flourish Juice Co., TCBY and the Joliet Fire Department sweet corn tent, which also has been a staple at Taste of Joliet.

• The beer: there will be a beer tent.

• The tickets: prices on Friday are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, and children 12 and under get in free; for the Saturday and Sunday carnival, $5 for adults while seniors and children 12 and under get in free.

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