Get Out Of The City & Cast Your 'Eyes To The Skies' At This Fest

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 1, 2015 6:25PM

Chicago is hitting critical mass when it comes to the summer festival season. On any given weekend there are a ridiculous number of street fests going on. And at this point, with the line-ups and food offerings becoming largely homogenized, we often wonder whether there's any point in attending. What if we want a more unique summer activity?

If you're willing to get outside our city limits, here's an event you'll remember long after your fifth Chicago neighborhood street fest of the year has faded from your mind.

Lisle's Eyes To The Skies Festival features a panoply of events suitable for all ages, including a carnival and impressive food and drink selection. But the real treat is the "Skies" component, located in a field dominated by hot air balloons. Attendees can view the balloons up close, take them up for tethered rides in the evening and marvel as they glow in the sky during the twilight hours.

Elsewhere on the grounds are local and regional crafters selling their wares, numerous bands performing, including everything from national acts like 10,000 Maniacs to popular locals like Wedding Banned. With the wide breadth of activities available for everyone to engage in, we have a hard time believing anyone can get bored at this thing.

The carnival opens today at 5 p.m., and the festival opens, with all attractions available to the public, starting Thursday. You can see the general schedule of events here but we strongly recommend perusing the whole website.

Eyes To The Skies runs July 2 through July 5, and is located in Lisle Community Park on Short St. just west of Rt. 53. There is parking available, but if you're coming from the city we suggest taking the BNSF Metra line to Lisle, since the festival grounds are within walking-distance.