DuPage County is getting ready to hold a first-of-its-kind festival that officials hope can make the county a destination for lovers of the arts.
The inaugural DuPage Community Arts Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. May 28 at the county fairgrounds in Wheaton.
“The potential to grow the arts and DuPage County is limitless,” said Lynn LaPlante, a DuPage County Board member from Glen Ellyn who helped spearhead the event. “And this is just the beginning.”
The event will feature a variety of musicians, dancers and visual artists showcasing their work, giving the community a chance to gather and celebrate the arts, which took a big hit during the pandemic, LaPlante said.
Rock band The Ides of March will headline the festival, which will also feature jazz group the Orbert Davis Quintet, guitarist Muriel Anderson, local musician Ralph Covert and Ralph’s World, Latin folk fusion ensemble Son Monarcas, the DuPage Symphony Ensembles, the Chicago Jazz Academy, doctor-led band Vital Signs, the Road Show Inc. Show Choir from Naperville, Old Town School of Folk Music, Elmhurst Symphony Chamber groups, and visual artist Lewis Achenbach.
The event will have food trucks, a beer tent and other refreshments, and local artists selling their work. Other activities include mural painting for kids, a live mural painting, African drummers, traditional Aztec dancers, a capella singers, and information about art therapy.
“I would really like to encourage people to think of this as sort of a Ravinia-esque experience, meaning bring your lawn chairs, bring a picnic blanket, set up for the day, hang out and just listen to music and experience art all day and be be in community surrounded by art,” LaPlante said.
A professional violinist, LaPlante started a county board fine arts committee after being elected in 2020 and realizing there wasn’t dedicated funding for the arts in the county budget.
“I just believe that you need to have a thriving and robust artistic community in order to have a thriving and robust economy and community,” she said. “If we are known as a community that values the arts, we’re going to drive people to live here, to move here, and businesses will follow. I really believe that we can use the arts to drive economic development and DuPage County and this is just the start.”
Presale tickets are on sale now for $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 3 to 12, and $50 for family passes. Those prices increase to $25, $12 and $60 at the gate, respectively. Kids under 3 are free.
Funds raised from the event will support future arts-related endeavors in the county. To purchase tickets or for more information visit dupagecountyfair.org.
Giles Bruce is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
More Top Picks Best King Mattresses