Arlington Alfresco Returns Friday In Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — A rite of spring in the Village returns Friday as Arlington Alfresco season kicks off in the downtown area. The popular, pedestrian-friendly experience, featuring outdoor dining space for restaurants, runs through September.

The public works department closed the streets involved Monday for maintenance and preparation, according to the Village. Work included cleaning the streets, patching up any potholes, and any other work that needs to be done to ready the pedestrian zone on Vail Road and Campbell Street.

The Arlington Alfresco program allows restaurants to extend outdoor seating into the right-of-way in the downtown or in parking lots of other restaurants. It was created in 2020 as a way to assist struggling businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

In January, the Arlington Heights Village Board approved the implementation of a food and beverage tax and an annual licensing fee to fund Arlington Alfresco for the Alfresco zone restaurants and non-Alfresco restaurants, which wish to use public property for outdoor seating. This does not include “bump out” street dining situations.

The additional tax of .75 percent went into effect in February, applicable to FBT businesses within the Alfresco zone. The Village believes these charges are sufficient to cover the cost to produce Alfresco, potential private parking rent, and hope it could help offset a portion of the Downtown Sounds of Summer events.

Visitors to Arlington Alfresco can find a variety of parking options in four parking garages and six parking lots, just a quick walk away. Parking on private property is not permitted at any time. To see a map of Arlington Alfresco and learn more, visit here.