Despite sweltering temperatures sweeping the Chicago region this week, Labor Day weekend — the unofficial end to summer — is fast approaching.
Wondering where to spend the three-day send-off to the season? Look no further than Naperville, which — per a recent online ranking — hosts one of the best Labor Day celebrations in the country.
Naperville’s Last Fling is among America’s 100 most coveted Labor Day 2024 events, according to a poll released last week from the photo book company Mixbook.
Through a survey circulated to 3,000 respondents, Mixbook looked at where Americans from coast to coast are most eager to ring in the holiday this year. Last Fling, which has been synonymous with Labor Day in Naperville for nearly 60 years, made No. 57 on Mixbook’s celebration ranking.
Last Fling also was one of only five Illinois events to land a spot on the list. Other local celebrations that earned a nod included the Chicago Jazz Festival, ARC Music Festival in Chicago, Chicago Labor Day Parade and Eddie Fest, and Frankfort Fall Festival.
For Last Fling, Mixbook lauded the four-day festival as “one of the largest Labor Day celebrations in the Chicago suburbs, attracting visitors from across the region.”
Hosted by the Naperville Jaycees, the four-day event on downtown Jackson Avenue between Main and Ewing streets features carnival rides, live music, games, family entertainment, a spaghetti eating contest and other attractions. It starts Friday and runs through Monday night.
The No. 1 spot on Mixbook’s ranking went to the Los Angeles Labor Day Parade in Los Angeles, California.
Holiday fare aside, there’s another best-of accolade to add to Naperville’s resume as of late.
Earlier this month, the online platform LawnStarter named Naperville the No. 5 most relaxed city in the U.S.
LawnStarter — a venture that connects homeowners with local lawn and moving services — compared 500 U.S. cities across a slate of stress-related metrics, including average length of a work day, access to mental health providers and recreation options, to compile a list of what places excelled on the chill scale.
Joining Naperville in the top 5 were the cities of Newton, Massachusetts, and California’s Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Milpitas. No other Illinois cities broke the top 10. Arlington Heights came in at No. 40, followed by Evanston at No. 43, Schaumburg at No. 72, Bolingbrook at No. 83 and Aurora at No. 93.