The biggest Halloween party in Western Springs this year happens a week before Halloween. Rain postponed Harvest Fest on September 19. The Western Springs Park District then took the new date, Saturday, October 24, and combined it with the Halloween Bash & Chili Cook-Off, which had been scheduled on its own for October 31. That makes it one event at Spring Rock Park, running from noon to 10 p.m.
The other events didn't move. Village True Value Hardware holds its grand reopening on Burlington Avenue that same weekend, and the Theatre of Western Springs opens "Working" two days before. Together they pack the last full week of October. Halloween itself is left with trick-or-treat hours and a few smaller programs.
Two events on the calendar became one
In August, the Park District had two separate events on the fall calendar. Its August 11 board report listed Harvest Fest for September 19 with a carnival, activities, the D101 3K Run, food, live music and fireworks, and it asked for volunteers to staff the beer and wine tents. The same report put the annual Halloween Bash and Chili Cook-Off on October 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Both are long-running traditions. The Park District's October 2025 board packet described Harvest Fest as well attended that year and called the Halloween Bash the "10th Annual."
Then September 19 got rained out. The Village's calendar listing for the event now carries the title "Harvest Fest - postponed until 10/24." In its October 13 board packet, the Park District said staff had "combined Harvest Fest with the Halloween Bash & Chili Cook-Off to create one large community event." The packet says many Harvest Fest activities moved to the new date, the Bash and cook-off activities were added, and staff were still finalizing plans.
| Harvest Fest | Halloween Bash & Chili Cook-Off | |
|---|---|---|
| Original 2026 date | Saturday, Sept. 19 | Saturday, Oct. 31 |
| Original hours | Noon to 10 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| New date | Saturday, Oct. 24 | Saturday, Oct. 24 |
| New hours | Noon to 10 p.m. | Noon to 10 p.m. |
The Bash used to be a three-hour midday event. This year it runs into the evening because it now shares Harvest Fest's longer hours.
What's on the program for October 24
The Park District's event page lists the day as Harvest Fest, describes it as the Halloween Bash & Chili Cook-Off, and still says "More information coming soon." The Village of Western Springs calendar lists the location as Spring Rock Park and says admission is free. Kidlist gives the park's address as 4400 Central Ave.
The official program isn't final yet. Here is what has been announced so far:
- Headliner: Mike & Joe, named in a Discover Berwyn festival roundup and on Kidlist's event listing, which promises "live music all day long."
- Halloween additions: a chili cook-off, costume contest and cake walk, according to Kidlist's fall festival guide.
- Kids' activities: an inflatable corn maze, sports inflatables, bubbles, a photo booth, a balloon artist and a White Sox baseball clinic, from the same guide.
- Running: the D101 3K.
- Food and drink: local food vendors and a beer-and-wine tent.
- Evening: fireworks, which were part of the original September plan and also appear in Kidlist's October 24 listing.
Anyone thinking about entering a pot in the chili cook-off can find the registration form on the Western Springs Park District website. The Park District hasn't posted rules or entry details on its event page yet, so check there for updates before you shop for ingredients.
Burlington Avenue has its own event that weekend
The Western Springs Business Association's October newsletter lists the Village True Value Hardware Grand Re-Opening for October 23 through 25, from Friday to Sunday, with Harvest Fest falling on the Saturday. The store hasn't posted a schedule for the weekend.
The store is at 835 Burlington Ave. and has been downtown since 1954. A 2015 Patch history of the store traces it to Bigler's Hardware. Tony Longo and Ed Johnson bought that shop in September 1954 and renamed it Village Hardware, and the True Value name came later. According to the same article, Johnson became sole owner in 1962 and the store expanded in 1999. Not many downtown storefronts can claim seventy-two years at one address. The reopening shares its weekend with the town's biggest outdoor event of the fall.
The weekend starts even earlier at the Theatre of Western Springs. "Working" runs from Thursday, October 22, through Sunday, November 1, on the Lou & Nancy Schauer Mainstage. Opening night comes two days before Spring Rock Park fills up.
That leaves a quieter Halloween
With the Bash moved to the 24th, Halloween Saturday has no all-afternoon Park District event at Spring Rock Park this year. The Village calendar sets trick-or-treating for Saturday, October 31, from 2 to 8 p.m. The Theatre of Western Springs has an ASL-interpreted performance of "Working" at 2 p.m. the same day, so theatergoers and trick-or-treaters will both be out that afternoon.
Halloween week also has two programs at Thomas Ford Memorial Library, and both require registration:
- Halloween Treats, for teens and tweens, on Wednesday, October 28, from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Participants make monster Rice Krispies treats, Oreo witch hats and white-chocolate strawberry ghosts. Details on the library's teens and tweens page.
- Halloween Storytime and Costume Parade on Thursday, October 29. Families come in costume and parade through the library's departments for tricks or trinkets. Register through the library's event page.
The ten days, in order
- Thursday, Oct. 22: "Working" opens at the Theatre of Western Springs.
- Friday, Oct. 23: Village True Value's grand reopening weekend begins at 835 Burlington.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: Harvest Fest and the Halloween Bash & Chili Cook-Off, noon to 10 p.m., Spring Rock Park, free.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Last day of the True Value reopening weekend.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: Halloween Treats at Thomas Ford Memorial Library, 3:45 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: Halloween Storytime and Costume Parade at the library.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Trick-or-treating, 2 to 8 p.m.; ASL performance of "Working" at 2 p.m.
After that, the theater moves straight on to its next shows. The High School Rep's "Macbeth" plays November 6 through 8 at the Mary Cattell Theatre. "Radio Gaga" is on Saturday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella" runs December 4 through 13. The Village Board approved the business association's Winter Wonderland for Saturday, December 5. For more on downtown, see our look at the two Italian openings on Burlington Avenue and our Western Springs neighborhood guide.
At Shanon Tully, we keep up with the Western Springs calendar the same way we keep up with its streets, one weekend at a time. If the fall rush has you wondering what your home near Spring Rock Park or downtown Burlington might be worth, we'll put together a free home valuation whenever you're ready, even if that's after the fireworks.
