For years, the end of summer in downtown Glen Ellyn meant three separate reasons to leave the house: the carnival, the Festival of the Arts, and Taste of Glen Ellyn. This year the Chamber of Commerce settled the question of whether Taste would return with a flat answer on its own event page: not in 2026. That leaves two anchor events instead of three, and they land on the same Saturday and Sunday. Add three new restaurants that have opened within a few blocks of each other on Main Street since February, and the four days of August 20 through 23 carry more of downtown's yearly energy than any single weekend has in recent memory.
That's the thing worth knowing before you plan your weekend. It's not that there's a carnival and an art fair. It's that the town quietly consolidated its late-summer calendar into fewer, bigger blocks, right as Main Street's restaurant lineup changed more than it has in years. If you're deciding how to spend Thursday through Sunday, that trade matters more than any single listing of "things to do."
The event that didn't come back
Taste of Glen Ellyn used to be part of the same late-August stretch as the carnival, historically drawing crowds to sample food from local restaurants alongside live entertainment and a business expo. The Chamber's current carnival FAQ addresses it directly, confirming there's no Taste event on the 2026 calendar. No replacement has been announced for this year.
That leaves the Glen Ellyn Carnival and the Festival of the Arts as the two fixed points of the season's final weekend. Both were already scheduled to overlap this year, which means the choice isn't whether to go to one or the other. It's how to sequence both without wasting a Saturday driving back and forth.
What's actually running, and when
The carnival sets up at the Crescent/Glenwood Lot, 505 Crescent Blvd, a stone's throw from Glenwood Station, the apartment building that opened downtown last year. The Festival of the Arts sets up about a mile away along the shoreline path at Lake Ellyn Park, 645 Lenox Rd. Here's how the four days actually line up:
| Day | Glen Ellyn Carnival (Crescent/Glenwood Lot) | Festival of the Arts (Lake Ellyn Park) |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Aug 20 | 5:00 to 10:00 PM | Not running |
| Friday, Aug 21 | 5:00 to 10:00 PM | Not running |
| Saturday, Aug 22 | 1:00 to 10:00 PM | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Sunday, Aug 23 | 1:00 to 5:00 PM | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
Saturday is the only day both events run at the same time for a full stretch, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. That window is your best shot at doing the art fair in the morning, grabbing lunch downtown, then walking or driving over to the carnival before it gets dark. Sunday afternoon works the same way but ends earlier for both.
The carnival itself has grown past a couple of kiddie rides. This year's lineup includes Mini Helicopters, the Dizzy Dragon, a Zipper, a Ferris Wheel, slides, the Predator, the Freak Out, and giant swings, more than 15 rides total, plus a fun house and the usual games and concessions. There's no advance online ticketing. Wristbands and ride tickets are sold at the gate, with ATM and ticket machines on site, so bring a card or plan to hit the ATM before you're standing in line with restless kids.
The Festival of the Arts is in its 57th year, which makes it older than most of the businesses currently open on Main Street. More than 60 artists set up along the concrete path that winds through the park's century-old oaks, working in acrylic, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, photography, pottery and wood. There's live music, food trucks, and a children's activity area for the kids who've had enough of looking at pottery. Parking is at the Glenbard West High School lot, which is a short walk from the park entrance and a better bet than circling Lenox Road on a day when the lot fills early.
Three new reasons to make a night of Main Street
The restaurant scene has moved faster than the events calendar this year. A Tavola by Mancini opened February 10 on Main Street, run by Gina Mancini, whose menu draws on the Italian recipes she grew up with as the daughter of Italian immigrants. It's the kind of opening that gives downtown a family-run Italian option it didn't have at the start of the year.
A few blocks over, at the corner of Main and Hillside across from Blackberry Market, MK STK + Bar opened this summer. The project comes from Joe Marino and John Kutrubis, two restaurant industry veterans building a multi-room concept with a raw bar and lounge feel. Early menu previews leaned into scallops dejonge and a jumbo lump crab cake, and the owners were fielding requests for vegetarian dishes on social media before the doors even opened. It sits two blocks from the Metra station, which puts it in easy reach for anyone stepping off an evening train.
Neither of those openings happened in a vacuum. Main Street already had Maize + Mash at 430 N Main, known locally for its cocktail list and a short rib poutine that regulars mention more than almost anything else on the menu. And downtown Glen Ellyn has a longer connection to the current dining boom than most residents realize: fire + wine, now a multi-location concept from BG Hospitality Group with restaurants across the suburbs, opened its very first location right here on Main Street. The group's newest restaurant just opened this spring in St. Charles, a full circle moment the company itself has pointed to as it marks close to 15 years in business.
Put together, that's four kitchens within easy walking distance of each other, two of them brand new this year, in a downtown small enough to cross on foot in ten minutes.
How to actually use the weekend
The smartest plan isn't complicated, but it does require sequencing. Saturday gives you the only real overlap window, so if you want both events in one day, start at Lake Ellyn in the morning while the art fair is fresh and the lot at Glenbard West still has spots. Walk the shoreline path, browse the booths, let the kids loose in the activity area, then head toward Main Street for lunch or an early dinner before the carnival opens at 1:00 PM.
If you're only doing one thing this weekend, do it Saturday. It's the only day both events are running with enough daylight left to walk Main Street in between.
Sunday works if you'd rather take things slower. Both events wrap by 5:00 PM, which leaves the evening open for whichever restaurant you haven't tried yet.
Parking is the one detail that trips people up every year. The carnival lot itself isn't for general parking once the rides are running, and Main Street's public spaces fill fast on event weekends. Glenbard West's lot solves the Lake Ellyn side of the problem. For the Main Street stretch, plan to park once and walk rather than moving your car between stops.
Why the smaller calendar is actually good news
Cutting Taste of Glen Ellyn from the schedule might read as downtown losing something. In practice, it means the two events that remain get more of the town's attention, and this year that attention lands on a Main Street with more open kitchens than it's had in a while. A calendar with fewer big draws but more places to eat afterward is a different kind of downtown than the one built around three separate weekends. It's worth treating this one like the main event it's become, because right now, it is one.
Whether you're grabbing a wristband for the Zipper or a table at MK STK, this is the weekend downtown Glen Ellyn built its whole late summer around. For more on what's changing in the neighborhoods around DuPage County, from the restaurant scene to the market itself, Natalie Weber keeps a close eye on the towns she works in every day.
