American rock band Third Eye Blind has been announced as the headlining act for the Exchange Club of Naperville’s Ribfest’s September 15 Friday night kickoff.
Third Eye Blind “perfect band” to start off the fest, organizers say
The San Francisco-based band is known for many hit songs, including Semi-Charmed Life, How’s It Going To Be, and Jumper. They’ve recorded five best-selling albums, as well as one career retrospective.
“Third Eye Blind is the perfect band to kick-off Ribfest 2023,” said 2023 Ribfest Chair Jerry Kochurka, “We are very excited that they are going to be with us and light up the evening.”
Third Eye Blind is the first band to be announced for this year’s Ribfest. Tickets go on sale August 9 at 10 a.m. on the Ribfest website.
First year Ribfest to be held in September
This is the first year that Ribfest will be held in September. It will run September 15 through 17.
Besides live music, the festival will feature carnival rides, drinks, and food, with one of its big draws being its namesake: ribs. A number of rib vendors, also known as “ribbers,” traditionally turn out for the event, so the crowd has plenty to choose from. This year’s lineup has not yet been announced.
Traditionally, it had been held the weekend leading up to the Fourth of July, and was housed in Naperville’s Knoch Park. But in late 2018, organizers announced that they would need to find a new home for the fest after 2019, due to redevelopment planned for the park.
The original plan was to move it to Romeoville, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans, forcing the event to be canceled in 2020 and 2021.
The festival was then moved to the DuPage County Event Center & Fairgrounds in Wheaton in 2022, and took place over Father’s Day weekend.
This year, it will remain at the fairgrounds, but shift to September, a move that Korchuka hopes will draws more of a crowd.
“We tried Father’s Day weekend and it didn’t quite get the attendance we were hoping for,” Korchuka told NCTV17 shortly after the announcement. “So we’re trying to reinvent ourselves.”
Fundraiser to help combat child abuse, domestic violence
The festival itself is a fundraiser for the Exchange Club of Naperville, helping it support programs at dozens of area charities that help fight child abuse and domestic violence.
Photo credit: Ribfest
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