BLUE ISLAND, IL—More than 100 vendors will line Olde Western Avenue from Canal Street south to 134th Street for the 2026 Mai Fest, kicking off the summer festival season in Blue Island. The one-day street fair runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 9.
The funkiest street fair on the South Side, Mai Fest offers live music, street performers, a DJ, food and beverage vendors, and exhibits by community organizations. The street fair, open to everyone, takes place the day before Mother’s Day, offering an opportunity to find unique gifts and to treat mom to a day out.
“This is the fifth annual Mai Fest, so it’s a milestone year,” said Joe Leamanczyk, head of the Blue Island Arts Alliance that spearheads the event. “The event has been very successful and has grown each year.”
Blue Island Mayor Fred Bilotto said the city is “proud to welcome residents and visitors to join us for a weekend of fun, connection, and celebration.”
“Mai Fest is one of the highlights of the year in Blue Island,” said Bilotto. “It’s a festival that gives our community a day to come alive with art, music, great food, local traditions and neighbors enjoying the many businesses on Olde Western Avenue. Mai Fest showcases some of the very best of Blue Island.
The vendors are arranged and managed by John Streetz who runs the Streetz Artz Alliance, a coalition of over 400 artists and crafters who handcraft their products or are independent small business owners who offer unique products.
This year, over 70 percent of the vendors from last year applied to return, and there will be 28 new vendors.
“We have a really nice variety of vendors lined up,” said Streetz. “There will be 3D printers, apparel artists, illustrators with original art, authors with books, candle makers, crocheters, jewelers, leather workers, laser etchers, a perler bead artist, pet artists and makers of pet items, photographers, self-care artists, a stone artist, pottery and ceramics artists, plant sellers, and woodworkers.”
The products of seventeen food purveyors will include pickles, spices, hot sauce, honey, coffees, cookies, homemade pies, and dog treats. There will be a henna artist and a tarot card reader, and Streetz said he is still looking for a caricature artist.
Something new is added each year, and this year sponsorship funding allows for an elevated stage for the music acts to be set up on Broadway Avenue in the central gathering space, the Gruppengarten, or group garden. That name, as well as Mai Fest, honors the German heritage of Blue Island.
Four bands are being arranged for the day. Included is Environmental Encroachment, a marching band and performance art troupe, which will do a stage set as well as street performances. Other featured bands include The Holdouts, Ms. Sassy & The Blue Power Band, and Tone Zone Skam. DJ Ruta will set up at the northern end of Olde Western Avenue.
Financial sponsorships for Mai Fest doubled this year. Wintrust is sponsoring the bands, and Freightage Inc. is sponsoring the stage.
The Gruppengarten, the setting for the Mai Pole, will include tables and chairs for people to rest and enjoy snacks and beverages.
The eateries along Olde Western Avenue will be open for business. These include Rock Island Public House, Natural Law Cocktail Club and Eatery, and El Cortez Taqueria & Tortilleria. Newcomers include Sid’s Pizza Calabrese and Jerry’s BBQ. The street food vendors will offer pasta, tacos, and funnel cakes.
Community and nonprofit organizations will also have table exhibits highlighting the Blue Island Public Library, Blue Island Stray Dog Project, the Beverly Theatre Guild, and Hope Center. Newcomer Roots and Vines Food Hub, which works for food access and nutrition education, also joins Mai Fest. .
Olde Western Avenue will be closed to automobile traffic. Visitors can park for free in the city lot at 2131 Fulton St., and hop on a free trolley to Olde Western Avenue. The trolley circulates from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., a donation from the Garetto and Cantelo families, proprietors of Beggars Pizza and the Lyric Theater.
A donation of $5 per attendee at Mai Fest is suggested to support the Blue Island Arts Alliance program of work for the year. Well-behaved dogs are welcomed and must be leashed.
The weather is always variable in springtime in Chicago. Mai Fest will take place rain or shine, and will only be canceled for severe weather.
See who's coming:
Adara Selene Creations
Angelic Celestial Whispers
artberto1design
Atlas Art Designs
Avijo Design
Bea-Hooked
Beaver Rub Spice Company
Becky Blue Designs
Black Flag Trading
Blushing Blooms Bar
Boozy Treats
Canal Woodturning
Castillo & Co. Jewelry
CatWitch Designs
Crafted Laserworks
CreepSewCreations
Crochet By Rose
Cryptid Claywerks
Custom Dice by Alyssa
Daisy Brand Arts
Daisy Mae Designs
Daniel's Designs
Dive Bar Soap Company
Doggy Dan LLC
Dye The Day Away
Galaxy Skincare
Geekbit Creations
Ghost Owl Studio
LoCo Pottery
Great Lakes Stone Works
Hex & Crust
InSpirit Adornments
It's A Crafty Life By Trinity
JAGIII
JAM. Foods & Services - AWE-SAUCE Hot Sauce
Jessica Krylowicz
Kinda Sketchy With Jen
Kraftasaurous Kreations
L&W Cryatals
Linda Horton Photography
Lucy + Lola Gem Creations
Maverick Leather LLC
megandowntherabbithole
mpn3d
Mr Gear Grinder
Nasaria Designs
Not All Thumbs Woodcrafts
Olivia’s Garden of Creations
Osito Azul Crafts
Paty's Crafts
Polly Ann Cakes
Rabbit Hole of Research
Reflections With Kate
Robin Power
RockinCrystalsLLC
Scrapgrinder Guitars
Serpent & Flame Candle Co
Spicy Grrrls Hot Sauce
Spookystitches crochet
Starr Creations
Stormy's Happy Place
Susan Larsen Design
Susan’s craft studio
Ten Cups Tarot
That girl at the market
The Craftholes
The Crooked Workbench
Tobys3DPrinting
Twinkies Beaded Creations
Wanna Pickle Gourmet Foods LLC
WhistleNotes Perfumery
With Love Products
Wolf Den Gaming
It’s Just Puppy Love
Undici Gelato LLC
3Damian Art
Gigawatt Coffee Roasters
MasterLink Chainmaille
Curvy Girl Comics
Primtentions
Prairie Henna
KP’s Candy Factory
kat. | poet & author
Mamo and Jo
Lady Lemonade
Simply Charming
Art by Decker
Aqueos Creations
Avocado3DShop
Jamming4Bullies
Ladysmith Jewelry Studio
Masterclass Savory Sweet Foods
Moonlight BEEN/CRAWLSPACE
Grandma Dan's Bakery
Nethercrafts
Coco fleur Studio Instagram
Craft Heads Chicago
Jetibles
Luna’s Loops
ChillyGirlArt
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