The July 3 Taste of Oak Brook is on track to be the first year the event will cover its own expenses.
With an all-time high of $150,500 donated to date by sponsors, the village’s biggest annual event is in good shape, financially, six years after the move of McDonald’s to Chicago from Oak Brook resulted in the loss of the fast good giant’s $100,000 yearly donation.
Village Manager Greg Summers said Taste of Oak Brook expenses for 2024 should total approximately $390,000. Parking, food, and beverage revenues bring in approximately $240,000, he said, resulting in an expected total of about $390,500 in revenues.
“The Village has been increasingly active in reaching out to our businesses and vendors to encourage their participation in the Taste of Oak Brook and has been innovating new ways for sponsors to leverage that participation to increase their own brand awareness, while also using the sponsors brand awareness to raise the profile of the Taste of Oak Brook,” Summers said.
He said last year’s sponsor contributions of $102,500 was the previous high and the first year that fundraising exceeded the single donation from McDonald’s.
The five biggest sponsors for the 2024 Taste of Oak Brook are presenting sponsor, CD Peacock; fireworks sponsor, Wintrust; stage sponsor, Food Brothers Disposal; cabana sponsor, Ace Hardware; beer tent sponsor, Alter Brewing+Kitchen; and kids activity sponsor, Oak Brook Reserve.
Additional sponsors include: Inland Real Estate Group, Civiltech Engineering, Comcast, Comcast, Ottosen Dinolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Enterprise Fleets, Aqua Illinois, Hub Group, EZA Engineering, ITsavvy, Constellation Telecom, NRG, Euclid Beverage, Next Door Window, Capital Vacations, and Nobletec.
Taste of Oak Brook begins at 4 p.m. on July 3 at the Oak Brook Polo Field, 700 Oak Brook Road, just north of Oak Brook Road (31st Street) and west of York Road. The event concludes with the always-popular fireworks show, scheduled to begin at about 9:30 p.m.
Along with the return of the band Sixteen Candles for a 7:30 to 9 p.m. performance, a second band, Modern Day Romeos, has been added for a 5 to 6:30 p.m. show.
“A lot of people came out last year to see Sixteen Candles, and we thought adding another band earlier in the day might result in more people coming earlier,” Village Board member Michael Manzo said.
Along with the addition of a second band, the 2024 Taste of Oak Brook will offer more restaurants, additional cabanas, a larger beer tent, a new family tent, a new site layout, a bounce house for kids, and a Point of Sale system to allow for credit card processing, instead of the traditional ticket system, Summers said.
He said private cabana suites are returning, by popular demand, featuring catering by Fogo de Chao and unlimited beverages.
“New for this year, capacity has been increased to accommodate 75 people, and these suites have access to an air-conditioned restroom trailer,” Summers said, adding that the cost of $20,000 also includes 20 VIP parking passes.
Due to safety concerns personal tents and canopies will be prohibited, Summers said. The Village is offering private group spaces — 10’ X10’ tents that will accommodate small groups and offer a picnic table and fenced-in grassy area, along with two preferred parking passes, costing $750.
The village is offering a variety of parking options for Taste of Oak Brook:
VIP — north soccer field lot—$50
Preferred — $30 — soccer fields northeast of the library
Value parking — $20 — Christ Church parking lot
Ride share — drop off and pick up at Butler Junior High
Handicapped parking is available in the south lot of the Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club — enter from Polo Drive.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
