Saturday, August 22, 2026 | 11 AM - 4PM

Kopp Park (Behind RecPlex, 420 Dempster Street)

Come to the 2026 Celebration of Cultures. Enjoy Cultural Booths, Ethnic Foods, Crafts from Gather (Formerly Ten Thousand Villages,) and of course Cultural Entertainment.

Welcome to the 8th Annual Mount Prospect Celebrations of Cultures event. The Mayor and the Village Board have long recognized the diverse population that makes up the Village. As a result, the Mount Prospect Celebration of Cultures has been planned as commemoration to honor the many diverse populations that live side by side in the Village.

Parking

Free event parking options are:

• On Site at RecPlex (420 S. Dempster St., excluding front lot)

• Mount Prospect Center (1500 S. Elmhurst Rd., plaza with Kohl’s, VASA Fitness, and O’Reilly Auto Parts). Ample parking is available at Mount Prospect Center, right next to RecPlex. (see map below)
  Options from Mount Prospect Center are a free shuttle bus or a short walk to the event grounds. The shuttle will run back and forth continuously from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm.

We ask older adults, people with disabilities, and families with strollers to park at RecPlex and those who are able bodied park at Mount Prospect Center. Clear signage will be posted to direct event goers.

Food & Beverages (2026)

Dishes and desserts from around the world will be available for purchase from local restaurants.  

• A Thousand Tales | Turkish
  Adana Kebab Plate, Chicken Shish Plate, Chicken Wrap, Adana Wrap, Dubai Chocolate, Rice Pudding, Cheesecake Cup, Simit, Tres Leches, ACMA, Chocolate ACMA
• Hubby's Dog House| American Hot Dogs
  Hot Dogs, Vegan Dogs, Lemonade, Chips
• Pueblo Viejo | Mexican
  Tacos, (Chicken, Al Pastor, Steak,) Burrito, Torta, Quesadilla, Churro, Jarritos, Sangria)
• Wah! TAJ | Indian/Pakistan
  Veggie Samosa, Veggie Spring Roll, Mutton Biryani, Chicken Biryani, Full Curry, Curry Over Rice Bowl, Mango Lassi, Thumbs Up, Zeera Soda
• Gilded Fork | Polish/European
  Meat Pierogi, Potato & Cheese Pierogi, Pork Steak, Sweet Lazy Dumplings
• Pinoy Grill | Filipino (Food Truck)
  
• MP Chamber of Commerce
  Beer Flights from around the World, La Michoacana Ice Cream, Soda & Water

Cultural Entertainment

Each year we feature entertainment of music and dancing from a variety of cultures.

2026 Celebration of Cultures Entertainment Schedule

11:00 am - Festival Opens
11:30 am - Opening Ceremonies
12:00 pm - Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (Korean)
12:30  pm - Kalakriti School of Dance (Indian)
   1:15 pm - PACF Performing Arts, Filipino American Cultural Foundation (Philippine)
   1:45 pm - Ballet Folklorico Sones Mexicanos (Mexican)
   2:15 pm - Chicago Cossacks Folk Singing and Dance (Ukrainian)
   3:00 pm - Samba1 Brazilian Dance Group (Brazilian)
   3:20 pm  - Bulgarica Dance Group (Bulgarian)

Crafts & Kids’ Activities

Celebration of Cultures has something for everyone! Gather: Consciously Curated (formerly Ten Thousand Villages) will be selling fair trade crafts from a variety of countries.

There will also be plenty of kid-friendly crafts and activities, including face painting, balloon art, and a special “Instrument Petting Zoo” from Bach to Rock. Kids can fill up a “passport” by collecting a sticker from each country and then spin the wheel to win a prize. 

New this Year 

An activities tent will host a piñata game, a martial arts demonstration from Mount Prospect’s own Threshold Martial Arts, and hopscotch. At the other side of the event grounds will be a soccer goal to relive the fun of this year’s FIFA World Cup, courtesy of the Mt. Prospect Park District.

Cultural Booths (2026)

• Assyria
• Azerbaijan
• Bulgaria
• Germany
• Greece
• India
• Japan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Luxembourg
• Mexico
• Mongolia
• MP Historical Society
• Philippines
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia
• South Korea
• Turkiye

Information, native dress, artifacts and other cultural items can be found at the cultural booths. We are always searching for people of varied ethnic backgrounds who would like to participate and show off their cultures. If you would like to have your country of origin represented at the Celebration of Cultures, please fill out the online participation form or contact the Human Services Department at humanservices@mountprospect.org  or 847-870-5680.

Get your very own Celebration of Cultures T-Shirt

                 Available for sale at the event for $20. 

                 Profits go the Human Services Emergency Fund.

See pictures from past Celebration of Cultures

                        2018                                                                         2019                                                                                  2021 

                               2022                                                                        2023                                                                           2024

   2025