Willow Springs’ biggest social event of the year starts Thursday evening.
The annual Willow Fest — featuring food booths, live music, carnival rides, arts and crafts, beer, and bingo — is held beside the Village Hall through Sunday night.
Festival hours:
• Thursday: 4 to 10 p.m.
• Friday: 4 to 11 p.m.
• Saturday: 1 to 11 p.m.
• Sunday: noon to 10 p.m.
Thursday
The Willow Fest Car Show kicks things off from 4 to 9 p.m., featuring vintage cars.
Toxic Crayon plays ’80s and ’90s rock from 5 to 6:30 p.m. American English, a Beatles tribute band, performs from 7 to 9 p.m.
Friday
The Ron Burgundy’s play yacht rock — music of Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac, Kenny Loggins — from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Billy Gray Music, a Chicago-based country band, performs from 9 to 11 p.m.
Saturday
The “Friends with Disabilities Carnival” runs from 10 a.m. to noon — a quieter version designed for people sensitive to noise and bright lights.
The Willow Fest Craft Show runs from noon to 7 p.m., featuring work by local artists.
Blues Fest runs from noon to 5 p.m., with sets by The Paolo Apuli Band (noon to 1 p.m.), Chicago Slim (1:15 to 2:15 p.m.), The Mile Minor Band (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.), and Ivy Ford Band (3:45 to 5 p.m.).
Fuze Band plays jazz, Latin, R&B, and soul from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Reckless plays dance, pop, and rock from 9 to 11 p.m.
Bingo runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sunday
The Craft Show runs from noon to 7 p.m.
Blues Fest runs from noon to 4:30 p.m., with sets by Chicago Harmonica Meet-up (noon to 12:45 p.m.), A Patch of Blues (1 to 1:45 p.m.), Marty “Big Dog” Mercer (2 to 3 p.m.), and The Sean McKee Band (3:15 to 4:30 p.m.).
Freebyrd, a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, plays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Journey 2 Jovi performs songs by Journey and Bon Jovi from 8 to 10 p.m.
Bingo runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
A fireworks display – usually one of the best in the area – starts at 9:30 p.m.