Before we know it, we’ll be bundled up at apple orchards and costume parades. (Friendly tip: have you bookmarked our new fall fun guide that came out earlier this week?) Until we transition to all things pumpkin, it’s time to finish our summer bucket lists. We’re hanging on to outdoor movies, visits to the splash pad, and summer festivals. It will be a beautiful weekend to enjoy a hiking trail or a trip to a nearby waterfall.
As you’re out and about soaking up the final days of summer, don’t forget to tag us using #sharekidlist so we can see all the fun you’re having!
This weekend planner is sponsored by Venardos Circus, which is in town through September 1!
Venardos Circus
Venardos Circus
August 22 – September 1, 2024
Benedictine University
5700 College Road
Lisle, IL, 60532
It’s time to celebrate the arrival of the Venardos Circus, a Broadway-style animal-free circus, coming to Lisle. The show will be held at Benedictine University, 5700 College Rd., Lisle, IL, 60532 with its 10th Anniversary edition from August 22 – September 1, 2024.
This edition of the awe-inspiring Venardos Circus cast will celebrate a Decade of Dreams under the big top with a magical, exhilarating, and all-new experience for guests. The show features acrobats, jugglers, comedy in a reimagined showcase.
The 2024 Venardos Circus is travels with a custom-crafted, Italian-made red-and-white striped tent that offers expansive seating for an immersive experience and higher views where artists fly high. Buy tickets at https://venardoscircus.com/lisle-il/
Things to Do with Kids This Weekend: Western Suburbs
Please check the details before you go to these events to ensure you know about registration requirements and additional info to maximize your family’s fun. While we do our best to keep the most up-to-date information in our calendar, last minute location or time changes do happen. Want to find “weekend events near me”? We have you covered!
Friday
Drop by the Family Bingo Night in Glen Ellyn, or don’t forget to register for the Family Back to School Bingo Bash in North Riverside. Visit the Riverwalk Music Nights in Winfield for an outdoor concert on a beautiful summer night.
Community Partner Playdate (Wheaton Public Library)
August 23, 2024 | 9:30am – 11:30am
WIC Mobile Clinic (Helen Plum Library, Lombard)
August 23, 2024 | 9:30am – 4:00pm
Make reservations in advance. Walk-ins accepted as space allows.
Fridays in the Field (Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, Willow Springs)
August 23, 2024 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Register in advance.
Playdough Fun (Downers Grove Public Library)
August 23, 2024 | 10:00am – 11:30am
Storytime in the Garden (Proksa Park, Berwyn)
August 23, 2024 | 10:30am – 11:00am
Exploration Station (Geneva Public Library)
August 23, 2024 | 10:30am – 11:15am
Sensory Play: Farmyard Friends (Batavia Public Library)
August 23, 2024 | 10:30am – 11:30am
Register in advance.
Family Back to School Bingo Bash (North Riverside)
August 23, 2024 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Register in advance.
Roselle Cruise Nights
August 23, 2024 | 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Skyline Sessions (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 23, 2024 | 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Family Bingo Night (Glen Ellyn)
August 23, 2024 | 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Moose Cruise Night and Friday Night Live (Downtown Downers Grove)
August 23, 2024 | 5:30pm – 8:00pm
North Aurora Cruise Night
August 23, 2024 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Riverwalk Music Nights (Riverwalk Park, Winfield)
August 23, 2024 | 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Friday Night Concert Series (Kiwanis Park, Brookfield)
August 23, 2024 | 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Movies in the Park: Migration (Robbins Park, Hinsdale)
August 23, 2024 | 7:30pm – 9:30pm
A Night at the Movies: Elemental (95th Street Community Plaza, Naperville)
August 23, 2024 | 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Wood Dale Movie Night: Super Mario Brothers (Central Park)
August 23, 2024 | 8:30pm – 10:30pm
Moonlit Movies in the Park: Migration (Cantigny Park, Wheaton)
August 23, 2024 | 8:30pm – 10:00pm
Included in parking.
Saturday
Celebrate STEAM Fest with the Brookfield Public Library, Museum Campus Exploration Day at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville, or Woodridge’s Youth Fishing Derby. It will be a gorgeous day for the Berwyn Route 66 Car Show or the River Forest Food Truck Rally, too!
Hodgkins Fest
August 24, 2024 | 8:00am – 9:00pm
Girls Build Day (Chicago Architecture Center)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Registration required.
Museum Campus Exploration Day (Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 4:00pm
Local Author Fair (Elmhurst Public Library)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 2:00pm
STEAM Fest (Brookfield Public Library)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 2:00pm
Youth Fishing Derby (Woodridge)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Summer Soccer with Chicago Fire FC (Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Berwyn Route 66 Car Show
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 4:00pm
Festival of the Arts (Lake Ellyn Park, Glen Ellyn)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Budding Botanists (Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 10:30am – 2:30pm
Tiny Great Performances (DuPage Children’s Museum, Naperville)
August 24, 2024 | 11:00am – 12:30pm
Included in general admission.
La Hora de Cuentos (Nichols Library, Naperville)
August 24, 2024 | 11:00am – 11:30am
Nature Center Open House (Lake View Nature Center, Oakbrook Terrace)
August 24, 2024 | 11:00am – 2:00pm
Chinese Storytime (95th Street Library, Naperville)
August 24, 2024 | 11:30am – 12:00pm
Peace In The Streets Summer Block Party at St. Sabina (Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Summer Drop-In Days (Cantigny Park, Wheaton)
August 24, 2024 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Included in general admission.
Live on the Lake (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 2:00pm – 11:00pm
Pokemon Fun (Downers Grove Public Library)
August 24, 2024 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Food Truck Rally (River Forest)
August 24, 2024 | 4:00pm – 9:00pm
Wave Wall Moves (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Cruise Nights and Summer Concert Series (Downtown Lombard)
August 24, 2024 | 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Summer Bonfire (Camp Shabbona Woods, South Holland)
August 24, 2024 | 6:30pm – 10:00pm
Summer Fireworks (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00pm – 10:30pm
Sunday
Stroll the Festival of the Arts at Lake Ellyn Park in Glen Ellyn, visit Summer Sunday Series: Coffee + Music at Wonder Works Children’s Museum in Oak Park, or listen to Oak Park’s Concerts in the Park.
Bartlett Lions Day Dash
August 25, 2024 | 8:00am – 10:00am
Wonder Works for Everyone (Wonder Works Children’s Museum, Oak Park)
August 25, 2024 | 9:00am – 10:00am
Register in advance.
Summer Sunday Series: Coffee + Music (Wonder Works Children’s Museum, Oak Park)
August 25, 2024 | 10:00am – 11:00am
Included in general admission.
Festival of the Arts (Lake Ellyn Park, Glen Ellyn)
August 25, 2024 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Bubble and Chalk Day at The Wildflower Farm (Monee)
August 25, 2024 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Budding Botanists (Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago)
August 25, 2024 | 10:30am – 2:30pm
Plant Market (Skeleton Key Brewery, Woodridge)
August 25, 2024 | 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Girl Power Songs: A Children’s Show About Black Women Who Changed the World (Muse Coffee Shop, Chicago)
August 25, 2024 | 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Live on the Lake (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 25, 2024 | 2:00pm – 11:00pm
Summer Concert Series (Cantigny Park, Wheaton)
August 25, 2024 | 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Included in general admission.
Summer in the Park (Cicero)
August 25, 2024 | 5:00pm – 8:30pm
Concerts in the Park (Scoville Park, Oak Park)
August 25, 2024 | 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Things to Do with Kids This Weekend: Northwest Suburbs
We strive to answer the question “Where can I find weekend events near me?” Our team takes care to stock the calendar full of kid-friendly fun, but please keep in mind that last minute changes to events do happen. We recommend clicking through to the event details to double check if there has been a change in registration requirements and to get additional information before you go. Have fun!
Friday
Visit Hoffman Estates’ Fun Day In The Park in the morning, register for a spot at Mount Prospect Public Library’s Build and Watch: Cars or watch Des Plaines’ Movies in the Park: “The Goonies” for a night of family-friendly fun.
Stay and Play (Arlington Heights Memorial Library)
August 23, 2024 | 9:30am – 11:00am
Cuentos en Español/Spanish Storytime (Elmwood Park Public Library)
August 23, 2024 | 10:00am – 10:45am
Register in advance.
Fun Day In The Park (Hoffman Estates)
August 23, 2024 | 10:00am – 11:00am
Scales-N-Tales Storytime (Franklin Park Public Library)
August 23, 2024 | 11:00am – 11:30am
Register in advance.
Friday Fun Day (Wood Dale Public Library)
August 23, 2024 | 11:00am – 4:30pm
Harvest Craft and Vendor Fair (Bartlett)
August 23, 2024 | 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Skyline Sessions (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 23, 2024 | 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Build and Watch: Cars (Mount Prospect Public Library – South Branch)
August 23, 2024 | 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Registration recommended to ensure participation.
Family Craft Fridays (Indian Trails Public Library – Indian Trails Branch, Prospect Heights)
August 23, 2024 | 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Summer in the Circle (Elmwood Park)
August 23, 2024 | 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Rob Roy’s Live on the Deck (Prospect Heights)
August 23, 2024 | 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Movies in the Park: The Goonies (Des Plaines)
August 23, 2024 | 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday
Enjoy the Family Concert: Nanny Nikki at Barrington Area Library, the Mount Prospect Celebration of Cultures or Schaumburg’s German Beer Gardens and Summer Concerts on this beautiful Saturday.
Harvest Craft and Vendor Fair (Bartlett)
August 24, 2024 | 9:00am – 3:00pm
Girls Build Day (Chicago Architecture Center)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Registration required.
Port Clinton Art Festival (Highland Park)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Summer Soccer with Chicago Fire FC (Chicago Children’s Museum, Navy Pier)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Budding Botanists (Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 10:30am – 2:30pm
Family Concert: Nanny Nikki (Barrington Area Library)
August 24, 2024 | 10:30am – 11:15am
Science at the Library (Rolling Meadows Library)
August 24, 2024 | 10:30am – 12:00pm
Mount Prospect Celebration of Cultures (Kopp Park, Mount Prospect)
August 24, 2024 | 11:00am – 4:00pm
Environmental Resource Fair (Rahlfs Woods, Streamwood)
August 24, 2024 | 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Peace In The Streets Summer Block Party at St. Sabina (Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Live on the Lake (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 2:00pm – 11:00pm
Bluesmobile Cruise Nights (Downtown Mount Prospect)
August 24, 2024 | 2:00pm – 9:00pm
What’s On The Menu? (Crabtree Nature Center, Barrington)
August 24, 2024 | 3:00pm – 3:30pm
Wave Wall Moves (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm
German Beer Gardens and Summer Concerts (Schaumburg)
August 24, 2024 | 4:00pm – 7:30pm
Summer Fireworks (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 24, 2024 | 10:00pm – 10:30pm
Sunday
Dive into the Last Splash Bash at Woodland Trails Pool in Mount Prospect, watch the Medinah Shriners Parade in Addison, or support local artists at the Port Clinton Art Festival in Highland Park.
Port Clinton Art Festival (Highland Park)
August 25, 2024 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Budding Botanists (Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago)
August 25, 2024 | 10:30am – 2:30pm
Last Splash Bash (Woodland Trails Pool, Mount Prospect)
August 25, 2024 | 11:00am – 3:00pm
Included in general admission.
Trinity Lutheran Community Block Party (Des Plaines)
August 25, 2024 | 11:30am – 2:30pm
Block Party (Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Palatine)
August 25, 2024 | 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Girl Power Songs: A Children’s Show About Black Women Who Changed the World (Muse Coffee Shop, Chicago)
August 25, 2024 | 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Live on the Lake (Navy Pier, Chicago)
August 25, 2024 | 2:00pm – 11:00pm
What’s On The Menu? (Crabtree Nature Center, Barrington)
August 25, 2024 | 3:00pm – 3:30pm
Addison – Medinah Shriners Parade (Addison)
August 25, 2024 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Want to look ahead to next week?
Check out all the family-friendly events happening in your neighborhood and beyond on our events calendar. You can filter the calendar by day by clicking the date on top, so if you are looking for things to do on a specific day, it’s easy to find!
You might also be interested in…
We hope you found some family-friendly fun in our list of things to do with kids this weekend in the west and northwest suburbs of Chicago! This list is updated every week and sent out in the Kidlist emails. (Click here to sign up if you haven’t already.)
We love local businesses, libraries, park districts, villages, and organizations — they plan great events for all of us to enjoy. If you are hosting an event or know of an event that should be on our list, click here to submit it to the Kidlist calendar!
We strive to be the most comprehensive source for family fun, which is why you’ll always see so many weekend events listed. It would definitely be easier to just list the details for a few events and call them “the best weekend events for families”, but we recognize that everyone has different interests. Not to mention, sometimes I’m in the mood to go to a huge festival, and sometimes I’d rather go to a low-key storytime at the library. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way. That’s why we work hard and spend a lot of time to find everything going on in our area so you don’t have to!
We hope you find it helpful and we are open to suggestions. The Kidlist Team always talks about how we can improve and evolve to meet your needs, so let us know!
