Izzy Fernandez, Staff Reporter

Hello, Tigers! Welcome to my last article! Who else is ready for summer…because I definitely know I am! I’m done with this cold weather. You know what I’m looking forward to? The Elmwood Park Taste! If you’re new around town and have no idea what the Taste of Elmwood Park is, then you came to the right place.

About

Picture of the stage in Central Park during The Taste. There are hundreds of people watching.

Since 1985 to 2025, Elmwood Park has been hosting this yearly festival, making this year the 40th anniversary. This annual Taste is at Central Park on 75th Avenue and Fullerton. The Taste includes some of our finest restaurants as well as games, rides, musical entertainment, and arts & crafts. Features include The Mayor’s Cup Bocce Tournament, The Taste Lounge, Yoga in the Park, and the newest 75th Avenue Market, featuring seafood and Italian favorites. The event dates and time are below:

Thursday

Date: August 7th

Time: 5PM – 11PM

Friday

Date: August 8th

Time: 5:00 PM – 11 PM

Saturday

Date: August 9th

Time: 12 PM – 11:00 PM

Sunday

Date: August 10th

Time: 12 AM – 10 PM

Food Vendors

A good festival needs good food, which means plenty of vendors! Here is what The Taste offers. (My personal favorite and what I’m looking forward to the most are the strawberry slushies.)

Picture of The 2024 Taste’s vendors. (This list is outdated, so expect some changes.)

Arts & Crafts

On to arts & crafts! Once you’ve gotten some food and a drink, make sure you visit the arts & crafts section. This section of the festival is at the northwest end of Central Park. You can find a variety of vendors that offer homemade crafts, jewelry, sunglasses, clothing, bedsheets, wind chimes, purses, face painting for kids, puppets, and more! Come visit and support some of our small businesses!

Friendly Activities

Picture of three kids on the ride ‘Frog Hopper’. This ride goes up and down gently and repeatedly.

Do you want to make sure your kids or siblings are having fun at this family festival? You’re in luck because we have carnival games, carnival rides, and kid items in The Craft Corner (for purchase). The ticket booth will be near the carnival games and rides.

Bocce Cup Tournament

Quickly becoming a staple in the Village, Bocce Ball is part of The Taste with the Annual Mayor’s Cup Bocce Tournament. Whoever the winning team is gets a Team Trophy and bragging rights for the year. The top 4 teams receive player medals and bragging rights as well.

Conclusion

I wanted this article to be something about our community since this is my last article. I really had fun writing these articles and researching different topics. This really was a great experience. You know what else is a really good experience? The Elmwood Park Taste! Thank you for reading!

Work Cited

Home. Taste of Elmwood Park. (2024, August 2). https://tasteofelmwoodpark.com/

Elmwood Park, IL: Official Website. Elmwood Park, IL | Official Website. (n.d.). https://www.elmwoodpark.org/