LOCATION:  Batavia Riverwalk

​

DATE:   November 30, 2025, 5PM - 7PM

​

DETAILS:    Bring your family to enjoy the festive bright lights and sounds of the holiday season! Sing along to holiday tunes, welcome Santa and pay him a visit, watch the Christmas tree lighting, stroll Christmas Tree Lane, see reindeer, take a hayride, enjoy favorite holiday tales read aloud and make a holiday craft.

For more information, call 630-879-5235 or visit www.bataviaparks.org.

The Batavia Community Band starts at 5 p.m.

 

FEE:   FREE!

LOCATION:  Cantigny Park, Winfield 

​

DATES: November 21 - January 4, 2026 (check website as it's not everyday) 

​

TIMES: 15 minute timeslots from 4:30PM - 8PM

​

DETAILS:  Cantigny’s holiday light show sets the stage for memorable experiences with loved ones. Stroll through the gardens as the lighting enhances traditional holiday decorations, creating moments of wonder for families and couples alike.  Christmas at Cantigny continues to add interactive elements, more illuminated gardens, including a new Northern Lights display in the Rose Garden, and new surprises around every corner.  Book early for FREE PARKING ($11 value) and to save on admission admission.

​

FEE:  $15.99 - $30.99 plus parking 

LOCATION:  Jackson & Webster Streets, Downtown Naperville

​

DATE:  November 28, 2025 at 7PM

​

DETAILS:   The Rotary Club of Naperville is hosting the 2025 Parade of Lights in partnership with the Downtown Naperville Alliance.

The parade will travel through the heart of downtown Naperville on Friday, November 28th under the beautiful twinkling lights. Distinctly focused on delighting children of all ages, parade goers will enjoy an evening of brightly lit floats, local music performers, hometown parade entrants, and Santa Claus will appear.

​

FEE:  FREE!

Call 630-355-2242

​

DATES:  November 28 - 30 & December 1 - 28, 2025 

*Check website for times*

​

DETAILS:  

For the past 30 years, this FAMOUS Trolley Tour has been the tradition of many residents and visitors alike! Let us drive you as we Trolley-la-la-la past many beautifully decorated homes for the Holidays in December while you sit back and enjoy time with your friends and family. A Naperville tradition for 30 years!!!  

​​

FEE: 

Pricing for public Nov & Dec Holiday Light Trolley Tours:

December 1-4, 8-11:  $25+$3.75/driver gratuity = $28.75 per person (plus online booking fee.)

November 28, 29, 30 and December 5, 6, 7 and December 12-28: $30+$4.50/driver gratuity = $34.50 per person (plus online booking fee.)

LOCATION:  Morton Arboretum, Lisle 

​

DATES:  December 5, 12, 19, 2025 from 4:30PM - 9:30PM

​

DETAILS:   Enjoy a night out at The Morton Arboretum and celebrate the holidays at Electric Illumination, a fun way to experience the annual Illumination holiday light show with friends and family.  Unlike other Illumination nights, Electric Illumination is only for adults 18 years and older.  Each night features a different musical theme, a live DJ, and immersive light displays synchronized to the music.

​

Friday, December 5—I Want My MTV and TRL
Madonna, Backstreet Boys, Run DMC, Christina Aguilera, OutKast, Blink-182

​

Friday, December 12—Pop Divas
Sabrina Carpenter, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Tina Turner

​

Friday, December 19—House
Frankie Knuckles, Carl Cox, Marshall Jefferson, Daft Punk, Calvin Harris

Hot chocolate, snacks, alcoholic beverages, and s’more kits can be purchased in a warm concession tent or enjoyed by crackling bonfires along the path.  Colorful animal sculptures from The Morton Arboretum’s newest exhibition, Vivid Creatures, will be lit up and included along the Illumination path. The one-mile path is paved and ADA-compliant for mobility.​​

​

FEE:  $$

LOCATION:  Morton Arboretum, Lisle

​

DATES: November 15, 2025 – January 4, 2026

Time slots from 4:30PM- 9:30PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve + Day, and select Mondays & Tuesdays)

​

DETAILS:  Celebrate the holidays and marvel at how light transforms a magnificent landscape at Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum. Exciting features and immersive installations in this festive experience will delight all ages along a path that is fully ADA compliant for guests with limited mobility.

You’ll journey along a 1-mile paved walking path amid festive music and lighting effects that highlight the beauty of trees in winter. You will pass through a woodland that comes alive with sparkling colored lights in the crisp outdoor air. A grove of trees will come alive with color and seem to grow and change before your eyes. Music will be everywhere, lights will make trees dance, and hugs will make a tree light up.

Gather family and friends to explore 50 acres of the Arboretum’s majestic trees and sweeping vistas and experience one of the nation’s most well-known light displays. Warm up by a crackling fire and roast marshmallows for s’mores, or stop in one of the concession tents for a snack and beverage. Enjoy a delicious meal at the Ginkgo Restaurant in the Visitor Center while you view the display’s finale on Meadow Lake. The Arboretum Store will also be open for holiday shopping and seasonal decorating. A special temperature-activated, color-changing ceramic mug will be available for purchase during all Illumination dates.

​

FEE:  $11-$27 per ticket

LOCATION:  Downtown East Dundee

​

DATE:  December 6, 2025, 6:30PM

​

DETAILS:   Please join us for a magical night along the riverfront for our Riverside Parade of Lights!

Watch all of the holiday magic come alive as the parade kicks off in West Dundee on S. Lincoln Ave. (just south of N. 6th St.), travel north to, and across, the Main St. bridge in Carpentersville, then south on Washington/Water St. to East Dundee (ending at Railroad St.)

​

FEE:  FREE!

LOCATION:  Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st Street (1st Avenue and 31st Street), Brookfield

​

DATES: November 21-23 and 28-30, 2025; December 4-7, 11-14, 18-21 and 26-31, 2025; January 1-4, 2026 

​

TIME:  3PM - 9PM on dates above

​

DETAILS: 

Celebrate more than 40 years of Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Chicagoland’s longest-running holiday lights festival! Featuring more than 2 million LED lights, this spectacular display transforms the Zoo into a dazzling winter wonderland. Stroll through glowing pathways, enjoy festive decorations, and experience the magic that has made this event a beloved holiday tradition in Chicagoland for over four decades!

​

Make Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago part of your seasonal celebrations and create unforgettable memories with family and friends!​

​

FEE:  Check website for pricing 

LOCATION:  Illinois Railway Museum, 7000 Olsen Road, Union

​

DATES:  Saturdays and Sundays, November 28th (Black Friday), 29th, 30th, December 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st, and Monday the 22nd. Trips take place at 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm. Plan to arrive a minimum of 30 minutes before your scheduled trip.

​

DETAILS:   Opening weekend includes a fireworks display at 5:45 PM. Kick off the holiday season with a festive fireworks display. Fireworks are scheduled on Friday, November 28th; Saturday, November 29th; and Sunday, November 30th. The fireworks show is included in the price of admission. The fireworks show is weather dependent and may be cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

​

The train ride will leave from the historic East Union Depot. Santa will ride the train with you. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available. The train ride will feature an animated light show and holiday song presentation providing entertainment during the trip.

 

For those averse to animated lights, "quiet car" #7658 will omit the entertainment and will feature traditional lights and decorations. Your ticket will permit you to board whichever car you prefer.

​

FEE: $25 per person

LOCATION:  Downtown Mokena 

​

DATE: November 22, 2025 at 5PM

​

DETAILS:  Parade of Lights in Downtown Mokena on Saturday, November 22, 2025. Step off time is 5 p.m.

You’re invited to participate in the Mokena Chamber of Commerce's Annual Parade of Lights on Front Street!

​

FEE: FREE

LOCATION:  First Street Plaza, St. Charles 

​

DATE:  November 28, 2025, 5PM

​

DETAILS:  St. Charles Holiday Homecoming is one of the Midwest's most spectacular holiday events. The magical celebration that marks the beginning of the holiday season with the Lighting of the Lights Ceremony on the Friday following Thanksgiving. Join us in the 1st Street Plaza to officially start the holiday season. Unite with the St. Charles community as we switch on a stunning display of holiday lights, enjoy festive music, meet Santa, and indulge in complimentary roasted nuts!

​

FEE:  FREE!

LOCATION:  DuPage Court, Elgin

​

DATE:  November 30, 2025, 5PM - 6PM

​

DETAILS:  Residents and visitors will gather at DuPage Court (adjacent from the Fountain Square Apartment Homes) to view the annual tree lighting ceremony where Mayor David Kaptain, members of City Council, and Santa will turn on the holiday tree lights.

​

The tree lighting ceremony will include many free activities and entertainment for guests of all ages. The tree will be illuminated through early January 2026 and will include vibrant-visual lighting elements, allowing it to serve as a beautiful centerpiece for all downtown holiday celebrations.

​

FEE:  FREE!

LOCATION:  Phillips Park, Aurora

​

DATES: November 29 - December 29, 2025, 5PM - 9PM

​

DETAILS:  The Aurora Festival of Lights –the largest free outdoor drive-through holiday light display in the region - returns for its 18th year with dazzling displays and merry music that will delight children and adults.

The Aurora Festival of Lights opens on Friday, November 29, and runs through Sunday, December 29, each night from 5PM to 9PM at Philips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive [Enter on Smith Blvd. at Fifth Ave.]

Visitors will enjoy a mile of spectacular lighted displays from the comfort of the car while listening to holiday songs on a closed-circuit radio station.

​

This popular free holiday drive-thru features crowd-favorite displays like jumping reindeer, ice skating bears, old man winter, howling wolves, the holiday golfer, Santa’s toy factory, and fields of gigantic snowflakes, along with new displays.

Gather the family, bundle up, jump in the car and make holiday memories.

​

FEE:  FREE!

LOCATION:  Northwestern Medical Field, Geneva 

​

DATES: November 21 - December 29, 2025, 4:45PM - 9/10PM

​

DETAILS:  Drive thru over one mile of spectacular lights dancing to music!

​

FEE:  Price & times vary, please check calendar for accuracy