Mai Fest Returns Saturday To Olde Western Avenue Featuring Art, Crafts, Music, Drink, Food

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