National acts playing RiverEdge this summer are the BoDeans (June 13), 19th Annual Blues on the Fox headliners Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Mavis Staples, Otis Taylor Band, North Mississippi Allstars and Royal Southern Brotherhood (June 19 and 20), Smash Mouth, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Tonic (July 10), REO Speedwagon (July 18), Rock the Yacht: Little River Band, Ambrosia, Player, Stephen Bishop and Robbie Dupree (July 24), Daryl Hall & John Oates (July 31), Earth, Wind and Fire(August 22) and Meat Loaf (August 23).
Aurora’s popular Downtown Alive! outdoor music series returns with One of These Nights: Eagles Tribute Band and Cowboy Jukebox (July 17) and Maggie Speaks and Catfight (August 7). Tickets are only $1 when purchased through May 31.
An outdoor, sing-a-long screening of Frozen: The Movie (August 15) is a family-friendly event that promises plenty of fun audience participation and is free to the public thanks to a grant from the Dunham Fund.
Community festivals and fun special events will attract all ages to Aurora’s downtown business district including the ColorVibe 5K Race (May 31), SoulFeed Smooth Jazz Festival™ (June 6), Aurora’s Fourth of July Celebration with the Aurora American Legion Band and Fox Valley Orchestra (July 3), Sacred Heart Annual Festival & Concert (July 5), the Aurora Puerto Rican Heritage Festival (July 25 & 26), Get the Led Out: Led Zeppelin Tribute Band, the Fox Valley Irish Festival featuring The Mahones, The Ploughboys and Brendan Loughrey (September 5) and Fiestas Patrias (September 13).
RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway in downtown Aurora, is located directly across from Metra’s Aurora Transportation Center, on the east bank of the Fox River. RiverEdge Park’s striking John C. Dunham performance pavilion includes 30 acres of beautiful grounds, with a capacity of 8,500. Anyone who has been knows RiverEdge is clean, beautiful, staffed with friendly people, boasts state-of-the-art lighting and acoustics and is easy to get to.
Tickets go on sale online only Monday, April 20 at 10 a.m. Note: Ticket prices are deeply discounted if purchased before June 1. To purchase tickets, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com, starting April 27 call the RiverEdge box office, 630.896.6666, or stop by in-person at RiverEdge’s satellite box office, the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday–Saturday. The RiverEdge box office will also be open on-site on event days for day-of sales, beginning at 10 a.m. All events are general admission. Guests are encouraged to bring folding and bag chairs.
RiverEdge is easily accessible from the city by taking Metra’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) line. Paid public parking is available in the Metra lot, additional private lots surrounding the Park and in downtown Aurora just a few blocks from RiverEdge. Food and drink can be purchased inside RiverEdge Park. Concessions at RiverEdge offer a diverse food menu along with a bar featuring a selection of domestic and craft beers, wine, sodas, bottled water and more. A busy row of festival food vendors will also set up tents to sell everything from hot dogs to funnel cakes. No outside food or drink (except sealed water bottles) are allowed in the park.
All events take place rain or shine, unless conditions endanger the safety of artists and the public. Concertgoers are advised to call the RiverEdge Park Weather Line, 630.723.2480, to check status if inclement weather is pending.
