Saturday, October 17 is the fullest day of Westmont's 2026 Wicked West Fest. Downtown events start with costume contest sign-up at 10 a.m. Haunted Forest ticket sales close at 9 p.m. Two downtown businesses that opened in the last six weeks now cover both ends of that day. Beauty and the Baker opens on Cass Avenue an hour before the costume contest line forms. Rail & Rye on Quincy Street stays open until 1 a.m. on Saturdays, more than three hours after the Haunted Forest's last wagon heads into Smith Woods.
The Village of Westmont calls Wicked West Fest a month-long celebration of fall and Halloween. Most of October gets a library program or a weekend family event. October 17 holds the costume contest, the Trick or Treat Trail, the Pumpkin Smash, the Caskets on Cass race and the Haunted Forest, all in one day. Here is how the day runs, in order, and where the two new doors fit.
9 a.m. on Cass: A bakery that was four years in the making
Beauty and the Baker opened at 204 N. Cass Ave. after two soft openings and held its grand opening on August 25. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the shop is closed Mondays.
The owners, Mikayla Machlet and Marco Navarrate, are high school sweethearts. They ran a Homer Glen location, a wholesale business and a wedding-cake business before the Westmont storefront opened. Navarrate grew up in Westmont and Machlet grew up nearby in the Woodridge and Downers Grove area. The bakery sits directly across the street from Navarrate's old elementary school. In a Westmont Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau profile published September 25, Navarrate described how fast word of mouth built:
"Lots of communities say that their town needs a bakery. The community of Westmont showed they deserve one, and I'm grateful for that."
The same profile says pastries sell out often enough that the owners have gotten used to telling customers. That matters on a festival morning. The almond croissant is the item that first got the business noticed, and it is still one of the top sellers. The cinnamon rolls, including a peanut butter chocolate version, are close behind. Machlet's daily order is a vanilla or tiramisu latte. The case also carries maple pecan scones, miniature cheesecake bites, kolaczki and cake pops. Seasonal items like cookie trees and mini eclair wreaths are on the menu as the year goes on.
On the 17th, the 9 a.m. opening leaves a family one hour to get pastries and coffee before costume contest sign-up. The pastel pink storefront also makes an easy place to meet up in costume.
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Downtown's four-event stretch
From mid-morning to early afternoon, the festival stays within a few blocks around Cass Avenue and Irving Street. The Village's September 3 release lays out the order:
- 10 a.m., Wicked West Fest Halloween Costume Contest. Sign-up is on East Irving Street near Cass Avenue. The contest has six categories and is run by Westmont Special Events.
- 11 a.m., Pumpkin Smash Extravaganza on West Irving Street near Cass. Village departments and public agencies ride a Fire Department bucket truck 20 feet up and throw pumpkins at a target below.
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Trick or Treat Trail along Cass Avenue. Kids in costume trick-or-treat at participating downtown businesses. The Westmont Chamber organizes it.
- 12:30 p.m., Caskets on Cass Race. Teams race homemade caskets on foot down Cass Avenue. Community organizations, businesses and residents sponsor the entries, and sign-up runs through the Chamber.
Two earlier Wicked West Fest projects may add to the scenery downtown. The Chamber and the Historical Society's Scarecrow Decorating Contest puts decorated scarecrows on display throughout downtown Westmont, with voting online. The Fall & Halloween Window Mural Program pairs businesses with local artists from the Creative Arts Network, who paint seasonal murals on storefront windows. Sign-ups for both closed September 25.
The Pumpkin Smash also promotes a later event. The Village stages it to advertise the November 7 pumpkin compost collection, where carved and decorated pumpkins can be dropped off instead of going to a landfill.
3 p.m.: Where the day moves out of downtown
Beauty and the Baker closes at 3 p.m. on Saturdays. The Westmont Park District's Haunted Forest opens at that same hour at Diane Main Park, 200 W. 59th St., so the first Haunted Forest wagons leave at the moment the bakery closes.
The Haunted Forest is the festival's one evening event, and the Park District runs it in two blocks with firm cutoffs:
- Little Monsters, 3 to 6:30 p.m. This block is recommended for younger kids. Ticket sales end at 6 p.m. so every group finishes by 6:30.
- Sheer Terror, 7 to 9:30 p.m. This block is recommended for ages 10 and up. You can arrive early to buy Sheer Terror tickets and wait in a separate line while the last Little Monsters groups finish. Ticket sales end at 9 p.m.
- Tickets cost $9, cash or credit, and are sold at the event. The Park District also sells Fast Pass tickets on its event page. Some walking is required.
A wagon carries each group from Diane Main Park along the wooded path into Smith Woods. Then everyone walks through the "wicked woods," where costumed characters wait along the route.
The same afternoon, the Village and Net Game are hosting a Wicked West Fest Pickleball Tournament at Net Game, 145 Plaza Drive, from 1 to 6 p.m. An open house follows from 6 to 9 p.m. The Village announced it on October 2, so it was the last event added to the day.
After 9:30 p.m.: Rail & Rye stays open
Rail & Rye opened at 7 W. Quincy St. in early September as a downtown tavern focused on bourbon and rye whiskey. Bryan's American Grille lists Rail & Rye as a sister restaurant, alongside Dolce Restaurant & Wine Bar. Bryan's site gave September 8 as the opening date.
Its Friday and Saturday hours run from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. The Haunted Forest ends at 9:30 p.m., which leaves three and a half hours for a late dinner or a nightcap on Quincy Street. From Tuesday through Thursday it closes at 11 p.m., and on Sundays and Mondays at 9 p.m.
According to the restaurant's website, the kitchen uses no seed oils. It cooks with butter, avocado oil, olive oil and 100 percent beef tallow. Appetizers on the Rail & Rye menu include Wisconsin cheese curds, saganaki, bourbon-glazed meatballs and warm whipped feta dip. Wings come in Guinness BBQ, Railyard Bourbon, garlic parmesan or Cajun. Mains include half-pound burgers, pulled pork, grilled salmon and char-broiled skirt steak, and the bar pours bourbon, rye and craft cocktails.
Rail & Rye also opens at 11 a.m., the same time the Trick or Treat Trail starts on Cass. A family with young kids could stop in for lunch between the Caskets on Cass race and the 3 p.m. Little Monsters start. A family with older kids could come back after Sheer Terror lets out.
What the rest of the calendar asks of the same blocks
Downtown Westmont gets busy again on several dates before the end of the year:
- Friday, October 30, 5 to 7 p.m.: The Park District's Spooktacular Fun Night offers indoor trick-or-treating, crafts and games at the Community Center, 75 E. Richmond St.
- Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to noon: Pumpkin compost drop-off at the Village Hall commuter parking lot, 31 W. Quincy Ave., on the same street as Rail & Rye. Pumpkins must be free of candles and decorations.
- November 3 to December 3: The Holly Days Giving Tree runs at the Westmont Community Center. The Holly Days Food Drive runs through December 18 and takes donations at the Community Center or the Westmont Public Library.
- Friday, December 4, 5 to 8 p.m.: Snow Much Fun at Veterans Memorial Park, 55 E. Richmond St., with a holiday walkway, wagon rides, hot chocolate, a dog-sled demonstration and Santa.
- Saturday, December 5, 5 to 6 p.m.: The Frosty and Friends Parade kicks off Holly Days. It steps off at 5 p.m. and runs down Cass Avenue from Chicago Avenue to Quincy Street. The Park District says the night also includes visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus and open houses at downtown businesses.
The parade starts at 5 p.m., two hours after Beauty and the Baker's Saturday close, while Rail & Rye's Saturday hours run until 1 a.m. Our Cruisin' Nights guide covered how Cass Avenue restaurants fit around a summer evening event. The fall and holiday calendar now has a breakfast stop and a late-night stop to build around too. For more on the village, see our Westmont neighborhood page.
If you own a home within walking distance of Cass Avenue and want to know what it's worth now that downtown's day runs from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., Shanon Tully and our team can walk you through it, block by block. Get your free home valuation, and we'll start with the streets you know best.
