In partnership with
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🎉 The Naperville FunTimes
Your Weekly Family Adventure Guide
Issue #16 • Friday, June 25, 2026
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Happy Friday, Naperville families! ☀️
Summer is officially cooking 🔥 — the kids are out of school, the days are long, and this weekend is absolutely packed with reasons to get out of the house. From one of the most jaw-dropping science events the Chicago suburbs have seen in years (free to boot!), to a beloved outdoor art fair and a full-on neighborhood festival with carnival rides, we’ve got your Saturday and Sunday totally sorted. Sunscreen on, snacks packed — let’s go!
☀️ Summer 2026 Edition
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📅 This Week’s Top 3 Family Picks
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Argonne National Laboratory Open House — Science, Robots & Real Particle Accelerators (FREE!) ⚛️
Once a year, one of the world’s most prestigious science labs — Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont — throws open its doors to the public. This Saturday is that day, and it is genuinely spectacular for families with kids of any age. Your littles can make slime while learning about materials science. Your older kids can actually take the controls of a particle accelerator, compete against a real lab robot, and watch dramatic liquid nitrogen explosions. Scientists are everywhere, happy to explain what they do. There are even infrared cameras to see yourself in a whole new way. Capacity is limited, so register now — it’s worth the 15-minute drive south.
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Naperville Fine Art & Artisan Fair — 100+ Artists, Live Music & a Kids’ Art Corner! 🎨
Illinois’s longest-running outdoor art exhibition returns for its 66th year, taking over the gorgeous 12-acre grounds of Naper Settlement and turning them into a massive open-air gallery. More than 100 juried artists from across the country will be showing off their best paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, and mixed media — and yes, you can buy the things you love. The KidsMatter booth is a huge hit every year: kids get their hands in paint and clay and walk away with something they actually made. Live music plays all day. Food and drinks are available. Free parking at the Municipal Center garage and Naperville Central High School. Rain or shine!
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GroveFest Downers Grove — Carnival Rides, Live Music & a Brand-New Family Zone! 🎢
Downtown Downers Grove is doing its thing this weekend with the annual Rotary GroveFest — and 2026 brings a brand-new Family Zone at the corner of Main and Curtiss specifically designed so families can slow down, make something, and take a breather from the carnival energy. Indian Boundary YMCA and TAP Art+Craft Studio run daily hands-on crafts from 1–5 PM. The rest of the fest? It’s a full-on summer party — four stages of live music, the North American Midway carnival with dozens of rides (unlimited wristband $32 online, or individual tickets), food vendors everywhere, and that classic summer-fair feeling. Kids under 16 get in free, so it really is a budget-friendly blast. Only about 15 minutes from downtown Naperville!
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🍽️ Kids Eat Free This Week!
Top Pick is every Sunday • Regular Pick is also every Sunday (after 3 PM)
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What a lineup 😄 — science at an actual national laboratory, outdoor art with your kids’ hands in the clay, a summer carnival, and two solid Kids Eat Free stops to round out your Sunday. This is what June in the western suburbs is all about. Go make some memories, and we’ll be back next Friday with more!
The Naperville FunTimes Team 🧡
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