Festivals Aug. 27-Sept. 2: Color Aloft Balloon Fest, Palatine Street Fest, Windmill City Fest & more

This week

Sunflower Fest: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 25-29, at Richardson Farm, 909 English Prairie Road, Spring Grove. Explore a sunflower maze, plus food trucks, a beer and wine tent, outdoor games, a carousel and more. $10 for ages 4 and older, free for kids 3 and younger, which includes a single stem sunflower to take home. Additional flowers will be $1 for a single-flowered stem and $4 for a multi-flowered stem. richardsonfarm.com.

Chalk Howard Street: Virtually at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27. Featuring 3-D chalk artist Nate Baranowski, the festival will demonstrate the creation of 3-D chalk art for the virtual sessions, which will be released via Howard Street's Instagram page, @HowardStreetChicago, and will culminate in an in-person live chalk art drawing session on Saturday, Oct. 16. howardstreetchicago.com.

Mount Prospect Downtown Block Party: 4-11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the corner of Emerson Street and Busse Avenue, Mount Prospect. Live music, food, rides, children's activities and a business expo. Music from 16 Candles at 9 p.m. Friday and 7th heaven at 4 p.m. and Underwater People at 9 p.m. Saturday. Sponsored by the village and the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce. Free. mpblockparty.com.

Downtown Palatine Street Fest: 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, Aug. 27; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 28; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Brockway and Slade streets, Palatine. Music from Tom Petty Tribute band Southern Accents at 10 p.m. Friday, Modern Day Romeos at 7:45 p.m. and Hairbangers Ball at 10 p.m. Saturday and Mr. Blotto at 4 p.m. Sunday. Plus, food and drinks for sale. www.palatinestreetfest.com.

Windmill City Festival: 5-11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28; and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday Aug. 29, along the Batavia Riverwalk, 151 Island Ave. and 18 E. Wilson St., Batavia. 18 bands on two stages, food, Fire Hose Challenge on Saturday and Sunday, pet competition on Saturday, craft and vintage market from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and more. Bands include Mr. Blotto at 8 p.m. and Lounge Puppets at 9 p.m. Friday, Mike & Joe at 9 p.m. and 7th heaven at 9 p.m. Saturday, and Hillbilly Rockstarz at 4 p.m. and Too Hype Crew at 4 p.m. Sunday. www.windmillcityfest.org.

Brothers' Field Havana Nights: 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, at Brothers' Field, 344 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove. DJ Jazzy Aaron will supply the music for Havana Latin Night. www.brothersfieldlonggrove.com.

CycleFest: 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Towne Square, Smith and Slade streets, Palatine. Sponsored by the Bike Palatine Club, CycleFest offers routes of 9, 15, 23 and 33 miles for riders of various skill levels. Cyclists must wear helmets and those younger than 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Register online or at Mikes Bike Shop at 155 N. Northwest Hwy., Palatine. Or register the day of the event starting at 8:30 a.m. at Towne Square. $15. www.bikepalatine.com.

Bristol Renaissance Faire: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (and Labor Day) through Sept. 6, off I-94 at 12550 120th Ave., Kenosha, Wisconsin. Step back to the 16th century for period food, music, dancing, rides, a marketplace of wares, shows and more. $29.95 for adults, $11.50 for kids, and free for kids 4 and younger. (847) 395-7773 or renfair.com/bristol.

DuPage Comic Con: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. Vendors, artists, writers and more. $8, free for kids younger than 12. mightyconshows.com/show/dupage.

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at McCormick Place, 2301 S. King Drive, Chicago. More than 150 local and national vendors showcase taxidermy, original horror and Halloween-inspired artwork, antiques, handcrafted oddities, creepy clothing and more. Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 at the door. odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com.

Port Clinton Art Festival: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28-29, at 600 Central Ave., Highland Park. Shop from 250 juried artists, plus food and beverages. Reservations suggested. amdurproductions.com.

Tylerman Film Festival: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Filmmakers will host Q&As after their film presentation. Cantigny admission is $5. tylermanfilms.com.

West Chicago Food Festival: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at 132 Main St., West Chicago. Food trucks and vendors, music, glitter tattooist, balloonist and more. Musical from White Saddle Band at 2 p.m. Free. westchicago.org/city-events/west-chicago-food-festival/.

Alley Art Festival: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, on Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora. Outdoor art festival featuring music and art. Stop by 1 E. Benton St. for a festival map. Free. www.alleyartaurora.com.

Back to School Block Party: Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Harbert Payne Park, 1231 McDaniel St., Evanston. The Evanston Haitian Community Festival will host a Kids Going Back to School Block Party. Community members can drop off school supplies or donate electronically. cityofevanston.org/.

Naperville Ale Fest: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Eighth annual Naperville Ale Fest will feature over 100 craft beers and food from food trucks. Tickets are $55 and include 18 drink tickets. napervillealefest.com.

ZooBrew: Noon to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St., Brookfield. Enjoy samples of more than 80 beers, lagers and ales. The half session, which runs from noon to 2 p.m., costs $40. The full-day and VIP sessions are sold out. CZS.org/ZooBrew2021.

Chamberfest: 2-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Jack & Lidia's Resort, 38610 N. Edgewood, Lake Villa. Raffles, bounce house, row boat races, bags tournament and more. All-you-can-eat pig roast for $15 for ages 13 and older, $10 for kids 5-12, and free for kids 4 and younger. $6 craft beer tickets. Register in advance at www.llrchamber.com/chamberfest.

Prospect Heights Block Party: 3-10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, on Elm Street and West Camp McDonald Road, Prospect Heights. Food trucks, beer and wine garden, Kidz Zone, Got Talent contest, pet pageant, music and more. phparks.org/.

Illinois Moose Fest: 2-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28-29, at McHenry Moose Lodge, 3535 N. Richmond Road, Johnsburg. Bands, food, beer and a silent auction. Tickets start at $10; free for kids 12 and younger. visitmchenrycounty.com.

Rotary Food Truck Rally: 3:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at 401 Thatcher Ave., Keystone Park Depot, River Forest. Nine food trucks, beer tent, music and inflatables. Music from Sons of Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Free. eventbrite.com/.

Color Aloft Balloon Festival: 4-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Central Park, 250 Library Lane, Grayslake. Live and interactive drumming circle from Medusa Drums, music from the Bird and Bloom Duo, camel and pony rides, carnival games and more. Hot air balloon launch at dusk, weather permitting. Free. grayslakechamber.com.

Cruise Night Car Show and Summer Concert Series: 6-10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, on St. Charles Road and Park Avenue, Lombard. Cruise night and a performance by Heartache Tonight. www.villageoflombard.org.

Our Folk Song Heritage: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, outside the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. The DuPage Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Barbara Schubert, presents "Our Folk Song Heritage," featuring an array of folk songs from the British Isles and America. Bring blankets or lawn chairs. Food and drink concessions available. Free with paid $10 parking. Cantigny.org.

Feet Fest: 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Towne Square, 150 W. Palatine Road, Palatine. Two, 2-mile routes: a standard "easy road" run and the "hard road," with several optional exercise stations. Participants receive a drawstring race goody bag, event T-shirt, medal and post-race refreshments. Registration is at 8 a.m. Entrance fee $25-$30, family discount available. palatineparks.org/rccms/feetfest/.

A Walk in the Park Fine Art Show: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at North School Park, 410 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights. View and buy works in oils, watercolor, colored pencil, woodworking, photography, jewelry, ceramics, fabric art and more. Plus, music from Bach to Rock Music School, food and drinks. Sponsored by the Arlington Heights Art Guild. Free. arlingtonheightsartguild.com/art-fair.

Celebration of Cultures: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at the corner of Emerson Street and Busse Avenue, Mount Prospect. Third annual event features cultural booths, ethnic entertainment, fair trade crafts and food from around the world. Opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. Free. www.mountprospect.org/CelebrationofCultures.

Edgewater Arts Festival 2021: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at 1000 W. Granville to 1200 W. Granville, Chicago. Features a multicultural, multigenerational lineup of artists, live music, craft beer, School of Rock interactive children's area and more. Free. www.edgewaterartists.com.

Sundays on State: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, on State Street between Lake and Madison, 175 N. State St., Chicago. State Street will close to traffic for a free, interactive block party. loopchicago.com.

Evanston Taste of Armenia Festival: Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at St. James Armenian Church, 816 Clark St., Evanston. Food including homemade specialties, folk music and dancing, and a selection of Armenian specialty items and wines. Free. bit.ly/facebook-tasteofarmenia2021.

Taste of Greektown: Noon to 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Greektown Chicago, Halsted Street from Adams to Van Buren, Chicago. Celebration of Hellenic cuisine and culture featuring the neighborhood's Greek restaurants along with live music and entertainment, Greek dancing, shopping, family-friendly activities and more. Free admission; suggested $5 donation. www.greektownchicago.org/taste-of-greektown.

Global Arts Sundays: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Banbury Fair, 211 W. Railroad Ave., Bartlett. Fareed Haque will perform jazz and classical guitar and a String Quartet will perform with three solo musicians. Hosted by Arts in Bartlett. Free. www.artsinbartlett.org/events.

Addison-Medinah Shriners Parade: 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, from Addison Trail High School, east along Army Trail Boulevard to Kennedy Drive, Addison. Features community and youth groups, nonprofit organizations and businesses. www.ithappensinaddison.com.

After Party: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at 1 Friendship Plaza, Addison. Food and a free concert following the Shriners parade. Strung Out will perform at 5:30 p.m. www.ithappensinaddison.com.

This week

Sonic Pavilion Festival: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, at Jay Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago. A series of 30-channel sound installations for the spatialized overhead trellis loudspeaker array. Compositions use the entire surface of the system, resulting in an immersive canopy of sound. Featured artists include Whitney Johnson, Kioto Aoki, Natalie Chami, I Gusti Ngurah Kertayuda with Bill Parod, Kitundu, and Stephan Moore. ess.org/sonic-pavilion-fest.

Cantigny Cruise Night: 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, in the south parking lot of Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Bring your classic or restored vehicle to the park and mingle with fellow car enthusiasts. No fee to participate, but $5 per car parking fee applies. cantigny.org.

Food Truck Social on Main Street: 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the Lake Zurich Promenade, 173 W. Main St., Lake Zurich. Weekly rotation of food trucks. www.lakezurich.org.

Ravinia District Food Truck Thursday: 4:30 p.m. to dusk Thursday, Sept. 2, on Dean Avenue and in Jens Jensen Park, 486 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park. Food and drinks from more than a dozen food trucks and live music. A local guest opener will perform followed by The Acoustic Generation: Matt Cantlon Aloha Ukulele's Band. cityhpil.com/thingstodo.

Yorkville Hometown Days Festival: 4:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2; 5-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4; and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, at Beecher Community Park, 908 Game Farm Road, Yorkville. Barbecue on Thursday; carnival and Ultimate Air Dogs Friday through Sunday; Touch A Truck Saturday; Mobile Escape Room Saturday and Sunday; and more. Music includes Trippin' Billies at 7 p.m. Saturday and American English at 2 p.m. and Hi Infidelity at 8 p.m. Sunday. yorkville.il.us/459/Hometown-Days-Festival.

Arbor Evenings: 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at Morton Arboretum, Lisle. Live music from Second Hand Soul Band on Frost Hill. $13 or $8 for members; $5 for nonmember children. For tickets, see mortonarb.org.

Buffalo Grove Days: Carnival runs 6-10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2; 6-11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3; 1-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4-5; and 12:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 6, at Mike Rylko Park, 951 McHenry Road, Buffalo Grove. Carnival rides; buy drinks and food from food trucks. Music Friday through Sunday, including Wedding Banned at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7th heaven at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Gone 2 Paradise at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Carnival rides will have accommodations for residents with disabilities on Monday. Free. bgdays.com.

Rockin' in the Park: 7-10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at Parkway Bank Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont. Elton Rohn will re-create the feeling of seeing a 1970s Elton John concert, followed by fireworks. Free. rosemont.com/thepark/events-calendar.

Sonny Acres Summer Concert Series: 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at Sonny Acres Farm, 29W310 North Ave., West Chicago. Music, food and drinks. Serendipity and 7th heaven will perform. $10 per person. sonnyacres.com.