Summer Bash—A Guide to the Hottest Summer Events in the Naperville Area
By Mark Zonca
June 2013 View more Featured
Get out your calendars and grab your digital schedulers—this summer is packed with sizzlin’ summer events you won’t want to miss. Naperville Magazine has compiled a list of some of the must-see events for you and your family.
JUNE
NAPERVILLE MUNICIPAL BAND SUMMER CONCERTS *FREE*
- Naperville Community Concert Center, Central Park
- 7:30 p.m.
- Every Thursday from June 6 to August 15
- Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Bench seating is available.
VINTAGE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT *FREE*
- Cantigny Park, Wheaton
- June 1
- Noon
- Enjoy baseball as it was played during the American Civil War. Visit beautiful Cantigny Park and enjoy a spirited tournament of skill and good sportsmanship.
- Free event but parking fee applies.
FRONTIER KITE FLY FESTIVAL *FREE*
- Frontier Park, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive
- June 2
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Enjoy gigantic kites, exciting demonstrations, stunts, hands-on activities, plus live music and giveaways.
ATHLETA ESPIRIT de SHE TRIATHLON NAPERVILLE
- Centennial Beach
- June 9
- 7 a.m.
- SheROX Naperville is now Athleta Espirit de She Triathlon Naperville.
- Sprint .75K (.5 mile), swim, 22.8K (14.2 mile,) bike, 5K (3.1 mile) run
(Sub)URBAN ART WALK *FREE*
- Downtown Naperville
- June 15
- Noon
- (sub)URBAN ART WALK brings together regional artists, both experienced and new, to showcase their work which will be featured in local businesses throughout downtown Naperville.
CARILLON CONCERT *FREE*
- Millennium Carillon, Rotary Hill
- Tuesday’s at 7 p.m.
- From June 4 to August 20
- •Enjoy performances by guest Carillonneurs from all over the world. These performances are held rain or shine.
NAPER NIGHTS: COMMUNITY CONCERT SERIES
- Naper Settlement
- 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Naperville Heritage Society presents its annual outdoor concert series featuring national and local entertainment. No outside food or beverages allowed. All proceeds benefit the Naperville Heritage Society, administrators of Naper Settlement.
- June 21 – American English
- June 22 – Heartache Tonight
- July 26 – Kashmir
- July 27 – ARRA
- August 23 – Michael McDermott and the Duke Street Band
- August 24 – Trippin Billies
Friday Concerts:
- $10 adult/senior (13+)
- $5 youth (ages 4-12)
- Under 4 years of age, Season Pass holders, and Naperville Heritage Society Sustaining Members are free
Saturday Concerts:
- $15 adult/senior (13+)
- $10 youth (ages 4-12)
- Under 4 years of age, Season Pass holders, and Naperville Heritage Society Sustaining Members are free
ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER CONCERT SERIES *FREE*
- Riverwalk Free Speech Pavilion
- Jackson Avenue and Webster Street
- Friday’s from June 14 to August 2
- 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- June 14 – Youth Ambassadors Battle of the Bands second and third place finishers
- June 21 – Gecko Club (guitar-pop)
- June 28 – School of Rock Naperville (rock)
- July 12 – Rock It!(hip hop)
- July 19 – Andrew D. Huber (acoustic folk rock)
- July 26 – Sinister Finch (rock)
- August 2 – Elizabeth Carol K. (acoustic folk indie)
- Join the Naperville Park District for live music all summer long.
STEP UP FOR AUTISM WALK
- June 23
- 8:30 a.m.
- Downtown Naperville—Riverwalk
- Benefiting Little Friends and the Little Friends Center for Autism. This family-friendly event promises to be a morning of fun for walkers and runners of all ages. Festivities will include a 2.5-mile walk and fun run and a one-mile kid-friendly route. This year will also feature a kids area complete with moon jumps and entertainment.
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT THE MORTON ARBORETUM
- June 27 – CSO Salutes John Williams 7:30 p.m.
- June 29 –Tchaikovsky Spectacular 7:30 p.m.
- June 29 – Once Upon a Symphony 11 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.
- June 30 – CSO Family Concert 3 p.m.
- The world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform a series of concerts for children, adults, and families. Tickets are $30 for the CSO evening concerts and $20 for CSO Family and Once Upon a Symphony concerts.
SUMMER PLACE THEATRE
- Naperville Central High School Auditorium
- “Legally Blonde: The Musical”
- June 28 to 30, July 12 to 14
- Tickets: $17 Adults, $14 Students/Seniors, $10 Children ages 5 to 12.
- A recent hit on Broadway, this musical follows the tale of sorority girl Elle Woods, who follows her boyfriend to law school and proves she has the right stuff to become a top notch, fashion-savvy attorney.
JULY
RIBFEST
- Knoch Park
- July 3 to July 7
- Enjoy food, music, and lots of fun at one of the Naperville’s most popular summer events! Organized by the Naperville Exchange Club, proceeds go to help eliminate child abuse and domestic violence. Enjoy live music by STYX, Slash, Rick Springfield, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Casey James and Love & Theft. All tickets will be available only on-line or at the gate. Children 11 and under are free every day with a paying adult. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m. on July 4.
CAVALCADE OF BRASS
- Benedictine University
- Sports Complex
- 5700 College Road, Lisle
- July 7
- 7 p.m.
- Get your heart pounding with world-class brass and drum corps performing at this popular annual event presented by the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.
- Tickets $25.
DOWNTOWN SUMMER SIZZLIN’ SIDEWALK SALE
- Downtown Naperville
- July 11 -13
- Get some cool deals on the hottest styles at the annual sidewalk sale.
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK *FREE*
- Central Park, 104 E. Benton Avenue
- July 12
- 7 p.m.
- Shakespeare in the Park provides audience members of all ages with a unique, outdoor theater experience in a beautiful park setting. This year’s performance by the Naperville Park District and Midsummer Theatre Troupe is Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors”.
NAPERVILLE WOMAN’S CLUB 54th ANNUAL FINE ART FAIR *FREE*
- Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster Street
- July 13 and 14
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Children’s activity tent, entertainment and food available. More than 100 local and national artists will be displaying original artwork in clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, metal, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood. Ribbons and cash prizes are awarded to winning artists by local judges and NWC. The Naperville Woman’s Club Art Fair is the longest continuously running art fair in Illinois. Admission and parking are free.
NAPERVILLE ALE FEST
- Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster Street
- July 20
- Noon to 5 p.m.
- The inaugural Naperville Ale Fest will take place on the grounds of Naper Settlement, with downtown Naperville as a backdrop. It is the ideal setting to experience craft beer. The festival will feature more than 180 unique beers from craft breweries around the country along with food, music, and home brewing seminars. Money raised will benefit Naper Settlement and Naperville Heritage Society.
ROCKIN FOR THE TROOPS CONCERT FEATURING RONNIE DUNN
- Cantigny Park
- July 20
- 12 p.m.
- Tickets $25
- Grammy Award winner Ronnie Dunn is the headlining act for the annual fundraising event for Operation Support Our Troops. The Ravinia-like atmosphere will take place in Cantigny Park.
DUPAGE COUNTY FAIR
- DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 West Manchester Road
- Wheaton
- July 24 to 28
- Daily 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- There’s no better way to celebrate summer in the Midwest than a trip to the county fair.
FIFTH ANNUAL BEST OF NAPERVILLE MAGAZINE AWARDS
- Hotel Arista
- July 25
- 5:30 p.m.
- Winners of this year’s Best of Naperville Magazine Awards will be announced during this evening of fun, food, and celebration. Voting continues through June 15. To vote and purchase tickets to the best party of the summer, visit www.napervillemagazine.com
SUMMER PLACE THEATRE
- “Oklahoma!”
- Naperville Central High School Auditorium
- July 26 to August 4
- The first collaboration of Rodgers and Hammerstein celebrates its 70th anniversary. Showtimes: Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m. Tickets $17 adults, $14 for students and seniors and $10 for children ages 5 to 12.
AUGUST
NAPERVILLE SPRINT TRIATHLON
- Centennial Beach
- August 4
- 7 a.m.
- The 400-meter swim will be held at Centennial Beach and the 20K bike and 5K run will take athletes through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Naperville area.
TORONZO CANNON WITH BMR4
- Cantigny Park–Band Shell
- August 4
- 3 p.m.
- Toronzo Cannon puts on a musical show featuring blues music backed up by Chicago’s own BMR4. All concerts feature lawn seating. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or a lawn chair. Concerts are free with regular parking fee admission.
WALK TO END LUPUS NOW
- Naperville Riverwalk
- August 10
- 9 a.m. to Noon
- Join walkers from the western suburbs for a one-mile or three-mile route an help raise money and build awareness to end Lupus.
NAPERVILLE WINE FESTIVAL
- CityGate Centre, 2135 City Gate Lane
- August 23: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- August 24: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- The 11th annual Naperville Wine Festival is a celebration of wine, food, music and friends and is a “don’t miss” celebration of summer. The event takes place at the CityGate Centre. Adult wine tasting ticket is $29 in advance and $35 at the door and includes a souvenir wine glass, ten tastings, food and wine seminars, cooking demonstrations, musical entertainment and the opportunity to purchase wine at a discount.
www.napervillewinefestival.com
LAST FLING 2013
- Riverwalk
- August 30 to September 2
- Bring the whole family for this end of summer bash with a weekend of food, carnival rides, music and fun. The Naperville Jaycees host this finale to summer 2013.
