AURORA, IL — After an eight-year, $16 million expansion, RiverEdge Park will officially reopen with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house June 18.
RiverEdge Park, located in the heart of Aurora, was closed for the 2025 summer concert season but opened in November for the Christkindlmarket. The city decided to expand RiverEdge Park due to five years of continuously growing events and crowds, Patch reported.
Among improvements were a capacity increased by 1,500 people and a nearly 10,000-square-foot backstage expansion. A new entryway on the southern portion of the park, a new VIP section, new restrooms, a new sponsor sky deck and a new beverage pavilion were also created. Sound systems were also upgraded, and two new jumbotrons were added.
The park is owned by the City of Aurora but managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority, the same organization whose holdings include Paramount Theatre and Copley Theatre.
"What an exciting way to reopen RiverEdge Park and kick off a true Aurora tradition in Blues on the Fox," Mayor John Laesch said in a statement. "These key renovations to RiverEdge Park will continue to attract diverse and high-quality acts that expand Aurora's entertainment portfolio and drive more visitors to our City."
Blues on the Fox will kick off summer at RiverEdge Park on June 20. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, Ally Venable and Eric Gales will headline the 2026 festival.
The city is celebrating the park's reopening with the new Movies in the Park series, showing three family-friendly movies July 16, July 30 and Aug. 6.
The Beach Boys are among the notable acts slated to perform this summer, and the park will remain the host site for the city's annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration July 3.
RELATED: 1st Concert Announced At RiverEdge Park After Summer Of Closure
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Aurora, IL Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.