Parents scrambling for holiday gift ideas had one more shot this weekend in Rosemont, where the Chicago Toy & Game Fair ran through 5 p.m. Sunday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The fair gave families a chance to test out toys and games in person before committing to a holiday list.
The timing was no accident. According to WGN-TV, the fair coincided with the People of Play Wishlist Weekend, an event meant to kick off holiday shopping. The People of Play alert said shoppers could create their own wishlists and start buying gifts right at the venue.
To help Chicagoland parents sort through the options, Ahren Hoffman, a Certified Play Expert for People of Play, joined Tim Joyce and Jewell Hillery on Sunday's WGN Weekend Morning News. Hoffman showed off a selection of toys available at the fair, giving viewers at home a preview of what they'd find on the convention floor. The segment framed the fair as a practical starting point for anyone still building out their gift list.
What Was Set Up on the Fair Floor
Advance materials for the event, which ran November 7 and 8 according to mykidlist.com, described interactive booths stocked with holiday toys and games from companies including Toys“R”Us and Fat Brain Toys, per a media alert distributed through GlobeNewswire. That same alert listed consumer tickets at $15 for adults and $10 for children, with a $3-off coupon available through Eventbrite ahead of the event.
The fair also featured its long-running Young Inventor Challenge, where kids pitch original inventions to toy and game companies, industry leaders and media. The organizer's advance media alert described it as the 21st annual competition for children ages 6 to 18, while the fair's own published schedule referred to it separately as the 10th annual competition, crediting the ChiTAG fair schedule for the awards presentation details. The discrepancy between those two numbers was not resolved in materials reviewed for this story.
Where to Find More Details
For families who missed the in-person weekend or want to plan ahead for next year, WGN-TV directed readers to chitag.com for more information about the fair. The fair offered Chicago-area parents a place to start their holiday shopping.
