Craft Beer, Art, Shopping, Live Music Featured At 2025 Mai Fest Saturday In Blue Island

BLUE ISLAND, IL — More than 100 vendors will line Olde Western Avenue from Canal Street south to 134th Street for the 2025 Mai Fest. The one-day street fair runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 10.

Mai Fest is presented by the Blue Island Arts Alliance and 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 produced in small quantities.

May festivals are of ancient origin, celebrating the coming of summer. Blue Island’s Mai Fest is the first of the season, and the largest, in the area.

Over the past four years, Mai Fest has expanded from an arts and crafts fair into a true street festival. This year's fest promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with music, libations, and food from local establishments.

May 10 is the day before Mother’s Day, offering an opportunity to purchase unique gifts and treat mothers to a day’s outing.

Goods include an amazing variety of artwork and printed materials, photography, pottery, glasswork, wood crafts, candles, personal care products, clothing, jewelry, items for children, pet items, oddities, and more categories. Other vendors offer food items ranging from homemade bread and baked items to hot sauces to coffees to pickles. There will also be a tarot card reader and a face painter.

Vendors include many favorites from previous years as well as 40 new vendors. As the goods are handcrafted, there is always something new to find. The complete list of vendors follows this press release.

The event is the day before Mother’s Day, offering the opportunity to buy unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for Mom, or better yet, to treat Mom to a day out and let her select her own gifts. The weather forecast so far promises a perfect day, sunny and in the low seventies.

Olde Western Avenue will be closed to traffic, and the past years’ issues of parking have been addressed. Cars will be directed to park in the city lot at 2131 Fulton St., Blue Island, and shuttle buses will run continuously between the lot and the Fest. Parking and the shuttles are free, as is admission to Mai Fest. A donation of $5 per person is suggested to help offset costs.

New this year will be expanded activities for children. There will be a large Jenga set, other games, and chalk drawing.

As they have in past years, the Friends of the Blue Island Public Library will offer attendees the opportunity to make their own flower crowns.

Live music will also be featured, thanks to sponsorship by Wintrust. Featured bands scheduled to appear are Chandelier, The New Band, New Groove Revolution and Andrew Dylan.

Other groups that will have stations include the Blue Island Stray Dog Project that rescues and rehomes dogs found abandoned on the streets of the city. Fest goers can also meet the and the authors of the new Arcadia Press “Images of America” book on Blue Island, developed in cooperation with the Blue Island Historical Society.

Restaurants and pubs along the route will be open for business, including the Blue Island Beer Company, Rock Island Public House, B*U*B Café, El Cortez Taqueria & Tortilleria, Retroz Pizza, and Natural Law Cocktail Club and Eatery.

See who’s coming to Mai Fest 2025

3Damian Art
Adara Selene Creations
Adorned By M
Aqueos Creations
Art of Alex Kujawa
artbeto1design
Avijo Design
Avocado3DShop
Beaded by Michelle
Beaver Rub Spice Company
Becky Blue Designs
Becsta's Creations
Belonio Doodles
BoothyChicago
Boozy Treats
Boscos All Natural (Dog and cat treats)
Bourbon Wood Art
Canal Woodturning
Cats, Crafts & Cooking
CatWitch Designs
Chi-town Sistha's Sweet Treats
CK Creative
Crafted Laserworks
Creations Made With Passion
Cristal's T-shirt Creations
Curvy Girl Comics
Dye The Day Away
FrankenWerks Studios
Galaxy Skincare
Geekbit Creations
Ghost Owl Studio
Gigawatt Coffee Roasters
GLPWORKS
goddess of Jules
InSpirit Adornments
It's A Crafty Life By Trinity
Jaide's Gems
Jamming4Bullies
JD Co Natural Luxury
Jeannine’s Jems
Jerry's Jerky
Just craftin around
KP’s candy factory
L&W Crystals
LeafEscape
Leather Art by Decker
LeonMechelle Artist Studios
Lil Bird Kitchens LLC
Linda Horton Photography
LoCo Pottery
Luna’s Loops
magick lotus botanica
Masterclass Savory Sweet Foods
MasterLink Chainmaille
Maverick Leather LLC
Moonlight BEEN
MPN3D
Mud & Fiber
None of This is Cake
Not All Thumbs Woodcrafts
Nube Noche
NUVE
Olivia’s Garden of Creations
Osito Azul Crafts
Paty's Crafts
Polly Ann Cakes
Primtentions
Punkburd Arts
Rabbit Hole of Research
Raven Feathers and Bat Wings
Reflections with Kate
Robin Power
RockinCrystalsLLC
Same and Went
Sarah Cats Colors
Scary Lair of Doom
Scrapgrinder Guitars
Serpent and Flame Candle Company
SharonAble Crafts
Sid Sauce
Spicy Grrrls Hot Sauce
Spliff Society
Starr Creations
Stormy's Happy Place
Susan Larsen Design
Susanscraftstudiostudio
Sweet Ghoul
Sweet Treats
TeMi Beads
Ten Cups Tarot
The Ancestral Oven
The Daydreamers Shop
The Soapy Corgi / Enchanted Slime – TWO SIXTH GRADERS - bath bombs and slime, a huge seller for kids
The Tangled Dame
the urban canopy
Thicknickglass
Three moon crafters
Treats By William - Made With a Pinch of Love
Undici Gelato Llc
Wanna Pickle Gourmet Foods
Wicked Art LLC
Wikd weaves paracord and spooky stitches crochet
With Love Products