More than 80 artists will set up along the shores of Lake Ellyn Park on Aug. 22-23 for the 57th Annual Festival of the Arts, a free two-day show the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn bills as one of the top fine art events in DuPage County.
The festival runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at 645 Lenox Rd.
Admission is free.
Artists will display work spanning glass, wood, pottery, oil painting, jewelry, acrylic, mixed media, photography and fiber arts, according to the festival's event page. Among them is Greg Orlando, the 2024 Best in Show 3D winner, a luthier who hand-crafts stringed instruments from scratch at Booth #13.
"I make functional art that looks beautiful and sounds wonderful in the hands of musicians," Orlando wrote in his artist statement.
Other returning artists include Clive Jachnik, a classically trained painter in the Scottish Colorist tradition with a 30-year international career, and Beth Forst, an award-winning artist who has shown in festivals and galleries nationwide for more than three decades. A booth dedicated to local student artwork rounds out the lineup.
Beyond the art, food trucks will serve tacos, empanadas, sliders, burgers, corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, gelato and sweet potato waffles. Craft beer and wine will also be available.
Families with younger kids can head to the Children's Area, where children can paint outdoors in the park.
The festival weekend also overlaps with Glen Ellyn's Summer of the Monarch programming at the same location. Visitors can explore Monarch Lifecycle Learning Stations, a Monarch Storybook Path and live butterfly exhibits from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days, according to the village's events page. A butterfly release is scheduled for 2 p.m., and guided garden walks at the Boathouse gardens run at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The event caps a packed stretch of late-August activities in Glen Ellyn. The Glen Ellyn Carnival runs Aug. 20-23 at the Glenwood Station Parking Lot, overlapping with the festival's opening weekend.
Upcoming community events
- Aug. 20-23: Glen Ellyn Carnival, Glenwood Station Parking Lot, 551 Crescent Blvd.
- Aug. 22-23: 57th Annual Festival of the Arts, Lake Ellyn Park, 645 Lenox Rd., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.
