JULY
2025

Red, white and blue? More like fun, fun and fun! The suburbs due west of Chicago do July in style. Fourth of July parades, live theater, vintage baseball and softball games and more are all on deck. 

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July 4
FOURTH of july

Fourth of July

Parades and the Fourth of July go together like peanut butter and jelly, an American classic! Click "learn more" to see all the parades and Fourth of July community events happening in Chicago's western suburbs.

 

Location: Oak Park, Brookfield, La Grange, North Riverside, Riverside, Westchester

July 5 - Aug. 16
Twelfth Night

Oak Park Festival Theatre Presents "Twelfth Night"

Enjoy the classic Shakespeare comedy "Twelfth Night" as performed by Oak Park Festival Theatre under the stars in the beautiful Austin Gardens. 

 

Location: Oak Park 

July 5
Riverside Regatta

Riverside Regatta

Celebrate Riverside's 150th anniversary with the 9th annual Riverside Regatta. Paddle along the Des Plaines River or spectate from nearby bridges. It's a beautiful way to get outside and enjoy community and nature.

 

Location: Riverside 

July 11
bramsen tropical forests

Brookfield Zoo Chicago's Bramsen Tropical Forests Opening Day

Spanning nearly three acres, Bramsen Tropical Forests is one of the largest primate habitats in any accredited U.S. zoo, emulating the natural homes of gorillas, orangutans and monkeys. Featuring four dynamic habitats and micro-climates modeled after Africa, Asia and South America, Bramsen Tropical Forests is designed with the latest advancements in primate care and welfare to meet the unique needs of Brookfield Zoo Chicago's primates.  

 

Location: Brookfield 

July 11
street dance (1)

Franklin Park Street Dance

You don’t want to miss this unforgettable annual summer event! Live music, local food vendors, children’s activities and more will fill Franklin Avenue. Come out and enjoy a fun-filled summer night with your family, friends and neighbors.

 

Location: Franklin Park

July 11
In Ernie's Footsteps: A Walking Tour of  Young Hemingway's Oak Park

In Ernie's Footsteps: A Walking Tour of Young Hemingway's Oak Park

Enjoy this 90-minute outdoor tour exploring Ernest Hemingway’s connections to Oak Park, visiting such sites as Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum, the author's boyhood home, Oak Park & River Forest High School, Oak Park Public Library, Congregational Church and the WWI memorial in Scoville Park.

 

Location: Oak Park

July 11
movie in the park

Movies in the Park

Join the Park District of Forest Park for the ultimate cinema experience under the stars. Watch the hilarious and family-friendly "Monsters University." Don't forget your picnic blanket! 

 

Location: Forest Park

July 12
reptile road show

Reptile Road Show

Crosstown Exotics returns to North Riverside Park Mall with their crew of prehistoric amphibians and reptiles for an up-close encounter with all kinds animals that have survived since the dinosaur ages.

Everyone gets to interact with the animals for an entertaining, educational event.

 

Location: North Riverside

July 12-13
la grange craft fair

La Grange Craft Fair

The 51st Annual La Grange Craft Fair features over 200 booths of crafts in lovely downtown La Grange. This long-running show is a crowd favorite, offering a broad range of wares, from original paintings and yard art to handmade clothing, jewelry, soaps and accessories.

 

Location: La Grange 

July 12
touch a truck (1)

La Grange Touch-a-Truck

Join us the Park District of La Grange for a hands-on adventure at its Touch-a-Truck event! Kids and families can explore a variety of vehicles, honk horns and meet the heroes who operate them —all while embracing the benefits of unplugging from screens and enjoying outdoor fun! Please note that this will be sensory friendly from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

 

Location: La Grange 

July 12
ridgeland ramble sidewalk tour

Ridgeland Ramble Sidewalk Tour

Stroll with Oak Park and River Forest Museum guides on this walking tour of Lake Street and surrounding blocks and learn about the history, buildings, activities, and people of this east side neighborhood. 

 

Location: Oak Park

July 12
garden walk (1)

"Groovin' in the Garden" Garden Walk

Join the Historical Society of Forest Park for our Annual Garden Walk July 12 and help celebrate the society's 50th anniversary in style— 1975 style, the year the society started.

With its "Groovin’ in the Garden" theme, enjoy live musicians performing in select gardens. Stroll through Forest Park’s most beautiful outdoor spaces while enjoying music, history, and summer vibes.

 

Location: Forest Park

July 17
Franklin Park Park Party

Franklin Park Park Party

Spend an evening with friends and the Park District of Franklin Park enjoying free food and fun with the family! These casual gatherings are part of a six-year park tour where park district officials visit every park in the district and they can’t wait to see you this summer!

 

Location: Franklin Park

July 17-20
Oak Park Sidewalk Sales

Oak Park Sidewalk Sales

Shop locally in Oak Park and snag great finds during sidewalk sales across three Oak Park districts: Downtown Oak Park, Hemingway District and Oak Park Arts District. The Arts District's sale is July 19, while Downtown Oak Park's lasts from July 17 through July 20.

 

Location: Oak Park

July 18
Hemingway's Readings: In Our Time

Hemingway's Readings: In Our Time

Take a casual stroll through Oak Park's Hemingway District as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of a strikingly original collection of short stories and accompanying vignettes marking Ernest Hemingway's American debut in 1925, called "In Our Time." Read and reflect upon this classic story collection and join the district for refreshments and engaging discussions at various location.

 

Location: Oak Park

July 19
hemingway district

Kids "Running of the Bulls" Parade

The Hemingway Foundation in collaboration with the Hemingway Business District and the Collaboration for Early Childhood (CEC) is hosting a kids running of the bulls event, where children (3+) can decorate their own bull and parade them around Scoville Park.

 

Location: Oak Park

July 19
hemingway foundation

Hemingway Birthday Lecture

Celebrate Ernest Hemingway's birthday and the 100th anniversary of the publishing of his "In Our Time" short story collection with a lecture by Professor J. Gerald Kennedy, the editor of the Norton Critical Edition of "In Our Time." 

 

Location: Oak Park

July 19
hemingway short story contest

Hemingway Birthday Porch Concerts

Celebrate Ernest Hemingway's 125th birthday with a concert on the porch of the home he was born in featuring local musical talents Local Memory and Lydia Cash. Don't forget your lawn chairs!

 

Location: Oak Park

July 23
Cycle Brookfield Criterium 2025 (1)

Chicago Grit: Cycle Brookfield Criterium

Professional bike racing returns to Brookfield for the third year in a row! You won't want to miss the speed, the energy and the party in Brookfield this summer! Join the fun at the Cycle Brookfield Criterium on July 23 and participate in the family fun run between professional races.

 

Location: Brookfield 

July 25
Uncorked (1)

Uncorked

Celebrate summertime with an enjoyable evening of music and drinks at the Oak Park Conservatory's Rubinstein Garden.

 

Location: Oak Park

July 25-27
No Gloves Nationals (1)

No Gloves Nationals 16-inch Softball Tournament

You won't want to miss this beloved annual 16-inch softball tournament in Forest Park! Watch teams vie for the championship playing this uniquely Chicago sport. 

 

Location: Forest Park

July 26

"West Side Stories" Sidewalk Tour

Take a stroll through scenic, historic River Forest and see firsthand why the streets of Edgewood Place and Thatcher Avenue are a living outdoor museum of architecture and history and learn about the notable figures that lived on them.

 

Location: River Forest

July 27
Vintage baseball game

Vintage Baseball Game

Bring the whole family to Riverside's Big Ball Park for an exciting afternoon of vintage baseball! This free event will transport you back in time to when baseball was played in Frederick Law Olmsted’s era. Expect old-fashioned uniforms, wooden bats, unique rules and a special song during the seventh inning stretch. 

 

Location: Riverside

July 27
riverside walking tour

Frederick Law Olmsted Society of Riverside Walking Tour

Explore Riverside's flowing landscape, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, America’s first and most famous landscape architect; its more than 150 years of rich architectural history, with homes by famous architects Frank Lloyd Wright, William LeBaron Jenney and Howard Van Doren Shaw; and its fascinating, sometimes notorious, residents down through the years on this walking tour!

 

Location: Riverside 

July 28
rOARING NIGHTS

Roaring Nights: Third Eye Blind

Get ready to turn up the volume for unforgettable nights of live music, dancing and good vibes featuring live music from Third Eye Blind, the 1990s hit machine that has recorded 10 best-selling studio recordings, two live releases and assembled one career retrospective selling 12 million records worldwide.

Location: Brookfield 

July 28
Chalk the Park

Chalk the Park

Get ready to unleash your creativity at Chalk the Park, a new art event in Franklin Park! Decorate sidewalks, paths and open spaces with vibrant chalk art. The artist that best captures the theme will win a prize.

 

Location: Franklin Park