Everything you need to know about the 2026 Naperville Ale Fest - Winter Edition

The 2026 Naperville Ale Fest - Winter Edition will take place on Saturday, February 28th on the frozen tundra of Frontier Park in Naperville, Illinois.

A time-honored tradition, this is Illinois’ largest outdoor winter beer fest. Yes, it will be cold, but also filled with beer! We’ll feature more than 100 craft beers – with a strong focus on beers only available in the winter months. Since most beer festivals take place in the summer, it’s rare to get a chance to try this many stouts, porters, barrel-aged beers, winter warmers, and giant double IPAs all in one place.

In addition to craft beer, the Naperville Ale Fest - Winter Edition will also feature a wide mix of ciders, hard seltzers, and canned cocktails for anyone looking to explore beyond hops and malt. And because we love food trucks almost as much as we love great beer, you’ll find a curated lineup of Chicagoland favorites serving up everything from pizza and burgers to lobster rolls.

The Details
Saturday, February 28th, 2026
Frontier Park - Naperville
12pm – 4pm

Gates open at 11:30 am

Tickets on sale now!!
Use promo code Beer to save $5 per ticket

Tickets

Winter’s Best Craft Beers
Expect a lot of craft beer. We’ve pulled together over 100 of the best beers this country has to offer, with a focus on the types of beers you don’t typically see at a beer fest -- stouts, porters, barrel-aged beers, winter warmers, and giant double IPAs.

Infusion Tent

Four beers poured through infusion machines called Randalls filled with fresh fruit, chocolate, coffee and more to create one-time-only beers. The beers will be holiday dessert themed from some of Chicgoland’s favorite brewers.

Originally created by the craft beer innovators at Dogfish Head Brewery, a Randall is an organoleptic hop transducer module… which is a fancy way of saying it’s a device that infuses flavor into beer. The beer flows through the Randall on its way from the keg to the tap, pulling flavors out of the ingredients in its path. Randalls run beer through fresh hops, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla beans – anything really, making it a fantastic way to participate in one of our favorite parts of craft beer: the experimentation. It’s a way to take something great, and make it even better.

Food Trucks

We love food trucks almost as much as we love craft beer! Some Chicagoland’s favorite food trucks will be in attendance. Check back soon for the full list of participating food trucks

More Than Just Beer: Hot Hard Cider

As if 100+ winter beers weren’t enough, we’ll also be featuring hot hard cider to keep you warm and toasty.