How is your summer bucket list looking? From summertime festivals and outdoor concerts to hands-on workshops, storytimes, and community celebrations, there are family-friendly events happening all across Chicagoland that will help you mark a few more items off your list before the new school year.
Back-to-school time also means its time to start looking into extra-curricular fun. We recently published guides for kids classes, which outlines options from football to tennis, STEM to cooking, and everything in between. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out, head to our 2026-27 Guide to Kids Classes and Teams to start planning after-school activities.
Foam Fun Fest at Wonder Works Children's Museum
Get ready for one of the most anticipated events of the summer! Foam Fun Fest returns to Wonder Works Children's Museum for just one day, Sunday, August 16 from 9am to 2pm, and you won't want to miss it.
Steve's Spectacular Bubble Show takes over the sky for 30 minutes at the top of every hour, with giant bubbles, cloud bubbles, solid bubbles, and even bubbles that shoot straight out of a pipe. In between shows, the Foam Daddy cannon fills a pit with chest high foam for the kids to dive into, splash through, and play in until the next bubble show begins.
Food trucks will be on site too, including Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck, Kona Shaved Ice, and Alsie's Ice Cream Truck.
Admission is free for museum members, $5 for non-members, or grab the $20 combo ticket to add on Wonder Bubbles inside the museum. Tickets tend to sell out, so reserve yours soon!
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
Picnic in the Park in La Grange Park, SJC Fest in Western Springs, and Carol Stream’s Back To School Bash at Coral Cove Water Park are a small sample of family-friendly fun happening on Friday.
Saturday
Options for family-friendly fun feel endless on Saturday! It will be a beautiful morning for a stroll through local farmers markets, along with Hummingbird Fest in Lemont, Rusty Rodeo in North Aurora, and Willow Fest in Willow Springs.
Sunday
Get ready for fun at Wonder Works Children’s Museum’s Foam Fun Fest, Montgomery Fest, and Berwyn’s Back to School Picnic.
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
Register for a spot at Vernon Area Public Library’s Family Concert: Todd Downing or take advantage of Students Get Free Gold Passes at Volo Museum. Our readers will enjoy one of the many movies in the park happening on Friday night!
Saturday
Stop by your local Lowe’s Kids’ Workshops or Barrington Family Fest, then end the night with Roselle’s Independence Day Celebration, complete with fireworks!
Sunday
It will be a beautiful Sunday for Schaumburg’s Honey Fest, Palatine Street Feast or Bensenville’s Family Golf Night.
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…
- Ultimate Summer Guide for Local Family Fun in Chicagoland
- 2025-26 Guide to Kids Classes and Teams
- Where to Have the Best Kids Birthday Party + Entertainers, Rentals, Decor, Food and More
- Find the Right Preschool and Daycare for Your Family
- Your Local Guide to Kids Eat Free
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!
3 Comments. Leave new
This is a wonderful site. Thank you.
Love this Katie! Good job! Always looking for different healthy activities for the kiddos!
Awesome job, we struggle each week to find things to do with our grandchildren. Thank you so much.