Taste Of Joliet Has Come To An End: Joliet Park District Makes Announcement

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Park District announced on Wednesday morning that the Taste of Joliet will not take place in 2026. Park district executive director Brad Staab's statement indicated that the Park District plans to try a new event, but not until 2027.

"It was an incredible two decades of entertainment. Thank you to all of our Joliet and Chicagoland attendees and all of our fans that came from 23 different states in 2025. We are a park district, not a music venue, yet we provided top level artists year after year. Special thanks to our amazing staff and volunteers who transformed a stadium into a concert venue and put on an event of this level for so long. Stay tuned for 2027," said Sue Gulas, Park District Board president.

Staab also issued a statement, too. "We think the 20-year mark is a good time to reinvent the fest. We've had a great run and we are so proud of what we've accomplished. Now it's time for the Joliet Park District to imagine what the next 20 years look like."

Joliet Patch asked Staab after Wednesday's announcement whether the financials from this past summer were worse than anticipated. "It broke even this year. We just thought it was a good time to refresh the fest," he responded.

Patch asked Staab if the Taste of Joliet was so successful, why take a break, why take a full year off?

"After 20 years we just want to see if we can come up with some new ideas and keep the event fresh," Staab responded in an email.

This past summer's Taste of Joliet produced some of the most unbearable weather in years. All three days in June had temperatures approaching or reaching 100 degrees and during the daytime on Saturday, the Joliet Fire Department took away at least a half dozen people on stretchers after they suffered from heat exhaustion.

Patch asked Staab in Wednesday's email whether the Joliet Park District would consider moving the yet-to-be decided 2027 event to a different time of year and also whether it would go somewhere else other than Memorial Stadium, which has limited parking space.

"We are open to a bunch of different options for 2027. Dates, location, etc. will all be decided in the coming months. Should be exciting," Staab wrote back.

In August, Joliet Patch broke the news that the Joliet Park District spent at least $711,500 for out-of-state Taste of Joliet music talent this past summer. Overall, the three-day summer food and music festival drew a combined crowd of 42,000 attendees, and Friday night's main draw was Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins.

Billy Corgan's $275,000 contract was the most expensive for the Joliet Park District, and his contract was set in stone whether one person came or 100,000 people overflowed into Memorial Stadium.

"$275,000 flat guarantee. Purchaser to provide and pay for local sound and lights and artist hospitality per artist specifications. Artist to be paid in full rain or shine. Billy Corgan and The Machines of God to receive headline billing in all advertising and close the show," the Joliet Park District contract stipulated.

As it turned out, the June 20 Friday night attendance for Billy Corgan and the Machines of God show drew about 12,000 attendees. When the Joliet Park District presented its contract back in February, the contract indicated the Taste of Joliet hoped to sell 28,000 tickets at $25 each, generating approximately $700,000 in revenue.