JASC Holiday Delight & Kodomo Matsuri 2026

Japanese American Service Committee is listing Holiday Delight & Kodomo Matsuri for Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at its Forever Home, 5700 North Lincoln Avenue in West Ridge. Choose Chicago and the West Ridge Chamber both print those hours. Admission is free. Neighborhood street parking is free. JASC calls this its signature fall community festival, with cultural performances, food and market vendors, and children's games. Kodomo Matsuri is the kids' festival half of the day: games and activities built for families who already use JASC for language, senior, and cultural programs the rest of the year.

West Ridge Chamber copy marks the 2026 edition as the 46th annual. That is a long memory in one corridor. Lincoln Avenue north of Peterson has carried Japanese American social services and culture through the same organization for decades. The Forever Home address is the building people already know how to find. You are walking into JASC's own house, not renting a downtown museum lobby for a one-off.

The organization posts a 2026 vendor list that updates as the date nears, plus volunteer shifts for food sales, vendor support, decorations, and welcome. Bake-sale donations are a separate ask. Sponsor tiers start at $250 if a business wants a table. None of that changes the free door for visitors. Refresh the JASC Holiday Delight page the week of for the latest vendor PDF and any stage notes.

Kalapriya Diwali was November 7 in the South Loop. ISKCON Naperville was November 8. Holiday Delight is the Japanese American Saturday after that stretch. Field Museum Diwali is the next day, Sunday, November 15, on museum admission. Do Lincoln Avenue Saturday if you want a free community festival. Do the Field Sunday if you already hold a museum ticket.

Who this is for: Japanese American families across Chicagoland, West Ridge neighbors, and anyone who wants a free kids-and-vendors Saturday without buying a museum pass. Skip it if you needed a seated Diwali dinner. That mood already passed earlier in the week.

Arrive near 10:00 if you want quieter browsing before the midday crowd. Bring cash and a card; vendor payment habits vary. The Brown Line to Western still leaves a real walk or bus hop north; plan the last mile. The administrative line on the JASC site is 773-275-0097 for access questions before Saturday.

When: November 14, 2026 (10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
Where: Japanese American Service Committee, 5700 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60659

Details at jasc-chicago.org.