Plainfield Fest set for July 16-18, but with no carnival or street closures

Plainfield Fest will look quite different this year with its usual food vendors, beer tent, and a bags tournament, but no carnival.

The Plainfield Village Board on Monday approved the permits for the annual fest put on the by the Riverfront Foundation. The festival will take place between Friday, July 16, through Sunday, July 18.

The downsized event will be fully enclosed in fencing at the Plainfield Township Community Center and the Des Plaines Street Municipal Parking lot, according to village documents.

Village officials expressed optimism about the new format of the event. Trustee Brian Wojowski said it should “prove to be a winner” for the Riverfront Foundation, even without the carnival.

The entrance and exit area to the festival will be on Des Plaines Street.

Barricades will be placed along the west side of Des Plaines Street across the angled parking spaces, so pedestrians have a wider area to walk.

Handicapped parking will be designated on the west side of Des Plaines Street between Main Street and Oak Street and on the north side of Oak Street from Des Plaines Street through Illinois Street.

All businesses and residences will remain accessible during the event, according to village documents.

Still, some trustees had concerns about the potential traffic congestion combined with the anticipated thousands of patrons visiting the festival.

“Whenever you have any type of festival, there’s going to be some congestion,” said Mayor John Argoudelis. “It won’t be very much different than other years in terms of traffic.”

The village staff report on the plans for the festival said with the parking situation along Des Plaines Street, parking in the downtown area “may be difficult.”

The smaller scale of the event should also save the village money. The Riverfront Foundation agreed to cover the cost of approximately $15,000 in expenses to hold the event.

In 2019, the cost of the festival totaled over $51,000 due to police, public works and Plainfield Emergency Management Agency expenses. While the Riverfront Foundation paid $17,500, the village had to cover the remaining $34,000.