Earth Day Festival Coming To Hidden Oaks Nature Center

BOLINGBROOK, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County will hold its annual Earth Day Festival at Hidden Oaks Nature Center on April 25 in Bolingbrook.

Free, all-ages activities will be held from 2 to 6 p.m., the preserve shared in a news release.

“Earth Day means so much to us at Hidden Oaks,” said Angie Opiola, the nature center’s facility supervisor. “For Forest Preserve staff, every day is Earth Day, so it's a chance to get outside and enjoy the outdoors with earth-friendly activities and to promote green living in a variety of really fun ways.”

The festival will include music, free henna, slacklining, and demonstrations from local artisans, according to the preserve. Attendees will also discover ways to shrink their carbon footprint by going green.

Attendees will also be able to see bees that make the honey sold at Hidden Oaks, shop at green vendors, and enjoy a hot dog and s'more at the campfire. Tapville Social will be on hand to provide beverages. New vendors this year include Code One Coffee, Kona Ice and Plot Twist Books, the preserve said.

Musical instruments, courtesy of Bach to Rock, will be on display, and a craft activity will be available in addition to a free giveaway.

If you would like to add some green to your home landscape, stop by The Nature Foundation of Will County’s tent to pick up a free tree or shrub courtesy of ComEd. Trees and shrubs will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis to roughly the first 250 visitors.

“The Bolingbrook Arts Council will be in attendance featuring local artists helping to engage people in an onsite art project,” Opiola said. “In addition, we will have a mock campsite set up where the kids can play, and we are bringing back our incredibly popular bubble entertainer.”

Overall, the festival will be a great way to learn how to care for the planet while enjoying fun activities, Opiola added.

“There will be free food, free activities, free musical instruments to try and slacklining for the more adventurous,” she said in a release. “And you can level up your sustainable living practices at our zero-waste booth.”