There’s a place in Naperville where a camel ride isn’t a dream, but reality. And that place is Frontier Park this Saturday and Sunday during the third annual Chicagoland Halal Fest hosted by the Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce.
The large-scale event is expanding to two days after seeing increasing crowds in each of the past two years, the chamber’s President Shafeek Abubaker of Naperville said.
And this year, organizers heard so much interest from businesses hoping to participate in the cultural bazaar, they had to shut down vendor registration a few weeks ago.
“Promoting cultural businesses is exactly the point,” Abubaker said.
Global cuisines on display at Frontier Park
The event runs from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, and Abubaker’s advice is to come hungry.
There will be more than 30 global halal vendors selling cuisines including Middle Eastern shawarma, Pakistani biryani, and Indonesian satay, as well as The Dhaba Experience, which organizers describe as a “special food court designed to feel like a traditional South Asian roadside eatery, serving rustic and authentic flavors.”
Event celebrates Halal lifestyle
Halal Fest is intended to be a communal experience of Muslim culture, Abubaker said. The event takes its name from the Arabic word halal, which translates to “lawful or permitted.”
“Generally, halal is associated with very much with food, but it’s beyond that,” Abubaker said. “Halal means ‘permissible by God … It’s a lifestyle.”
The halal lifestyle focuses on healthy and organic foods, avoidance of alcohol, and adherence to the religious tenets of Islam.
“This event is about showcasing and projecting those values,” Abubaker said.
Whirling flavors and cultural rhythms
The cultural bazaar — an open-air market with businesses selling handmade art, clothing, and accessories — will be another way the event turns the grassy expanses of Frontier Park into a global showcase of culture.
Under the theme “Whirling Flavors and Cultural Rhythms,” this year’s event also will highlight music and dance. Performers in styles including Arabic drumming, Dabke Levantine line dancing and the twirling art of Sufi whirling dervish will show off their skills, as will finalists in the event’s first Muslim Talent Show.
Abubaker said music during the event will put a special emphasis on the Qawwali style, a spiritual type of Indian and Pakistani music that’s undergoing a bit of a revival among young American-born artists.
All of it — the food, merchandise, art, music, and atmosphere — will be unique, Abubaker says, something “you may otherwise not find in Naperville and surrounding areas.”
Tickets required for Halal Fest
Halal Fest tickets are available online from the homepage of the Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce (https://ilmchamber.org/) or at the gate. Online tickets sell for $8 each, with group discounts available for groups of four or 10 people. Kids 15 and younger and seniors 70 and older get in free.
Organizers expect as many as 20,000 people to attend throughout both days. Parking is available adjacent to the park at Neuqua Valley High School, with overflow spots available at the 95th Street Library after the library closes.
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