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A Season of Light: Chicago’s Holiday Displays, From Grand Gardens to Cozy Drive-Thrus

Katie Stewart Tue, Dec 9, 2025 • 02:45 PM

It starts with a hush, then a glow: a tunnel of white blossoms overhead, cocoa steaming in mittened hands, the crunch of gravel and the soft whoosh of lakefront wind. Chicago’s holiday lights flip the switch on winter, drawing locals and visitors alike to stroll, linger, and look up. Local enthusiasm is real—light shows rank as residents’ top recommendation for winter visitors, and two-thirds of those planning an outing say a light display is on the list, according to The Harris Poll. The seasonal sparkle arrives as the region’s tourism engine hums: Chicago hosted 55.3 million visitors in 2024, a 6.5% jump year over year that generated an estimated $20.6 billion in economic impact, data from Choose Chicago shows.

Where to go and what to expect

Lightscape at Chicago Botanic Garden
According to the Chicago Botanic Garden, Lightscape winds a 1.3-mile loop through the Japanese, heritage, English walled and sensory gardens, with timed entries and an accessible, stroller-friendly route. The show’s signature Winter Cathedral returns near the end, and family extras include meet-and-greets with Santa on designated Jingle Jam Family Nights, Dec. 16-18; adult-focused evenings on Dec. 4 and Jan. 2 bring specialty cocktails and a disco-themed bar along the path. Lightscape runs through Jan. 4, 2026; digital tickets are $26-$29 for adults and $14-$16 for ages 3-12, plus parking. Sustainability is increasingly part of the story: the Winter Cathedral’s roughly 20,000 LED lights consume a fraction of the power of incandescent strands, reducing more than 1,300 pounds of carbon emissions, according to ComEd Powering Lives.

Illumination at Morton Arboretum
Illumination is a mile-long, one-way walk that bathes the Arboretum’s trees—about 1,000 of them—in washes of color, with bonfires for s’mores and a finale along Meadow Lake’s shoreline, according to the Morton Arboretum. The paved route is fully accessible with gentle inclines, and a flexible ticket option allows rebooking up until your reservation time. Adults-only, DJ-led theme nights land Dec. 5, 12 and 19, and dog-friendly Wednesdays on Dec. 3, 10 and 17 add a pup ticket for $10. Hours are 4:30-9:30 p.m. nightly through Jan. 3, 2026 (closed select dates); tickets start at $18.50.

Christmas at Cantigny
Just three years in, Wheaton’s Christmas at Cantigny tucks lights and music-synced displays into nearly every nook of the McCormick estate. The half-mile trail features cocoa stops—sold from a “Cocoa Cabin” and decked-out Airstream—and timed entry keeps crowds moving, according to Cantigny. A highlight is the mansion itself, open for self-guided tours amid lavish holiday décor; an upstairs café called Noel serves small plates and drinks with reservations. Sunday nights through Dec. 14 bend the show toward a “Wicked”-themed display, with a broader movie theme after Dec. 25. The experience runs 4:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday–Sunday through Jan. 4, 2026 (Christmas theme ends Dec. 23); tickets are $12-$25, with children under 3 free.

Vintage Holidays in Long Grove
If a Hallmark set is your speed, the village of Long Grove goes all-in with twinkle lights, weekend Santa visits from noon to 4 p.m., and horse-drawn sleigh rides through the historic downtown, according to Long Grove. Carolers in Victorian garb roam on Dec. 6, 13, 14 and 21. The festivities run through Dec. 24, with cafés, taverns and boutiques—yes, including the Sock Monkey Museum—offering warm respites and one-of-a-kind gifts.

City traditions, village charm

The City of Chicago Christmas Tree and the Magnificent Mile
The city’s tree—a 68-foot Norway spruce felled from a Glenview yard—anchors Millennium Park through Jan. 11, 2026, with ice skating nearby and occasional choral sing-alongs at Cloud Gate, according to the City of Chicago. Farther north, the Magnificent Mile is aglow with about a million bulbs strung on more than 200 trees between Oak Street and the river, as promoted by The Magnificent Mile.

Zoos, museums and drive-thrus

ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo
Now in its 31st year, ZooLights splashes more than 3 million bulbs across the grounds, with Sunday carolers through Dec. 21 and live ice carving on Fridays and Saturdays, according to Lincoln Park Zoo. Seasonal treats—cocoa, warm churros, and make-your-own s’mores—help fend off the chill; rides on the carousel, train and ferris wheel carry a small extra fee. The event runs nightly through Jan. 4, 2026; tickets are $7-$20 plus parking, with select Mondays free.

Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo’s four-decade-old spectacle adds a giant light-up maze, interactive installations and a custom dolphin show this year, with Dolphin Bay, Australia, Play Zoo and Wild Encounters (including reindeer) open on select nights for a warm-up, according to Brookfield Zoo. The Gorilla Conservation Center hosts free crafts from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Holiday Magic operates 3-9 p.m. on select dates through Jan. 4; admission is $30-$35 plus parking, with some attractions charging extra. LEDs aren’t just brighter—they’re cleaner: the zoo’s roughly 2.5 million LED lights consume a little over 57,000 kWh, avoiding more than 169,000 pounds of carbon emissions compared with incandescent bulbs, reports ComEd Powering Lives.

Christmas Around the World at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
For an indoor glow, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry’s long-running tradition lines the halls with more than 50 trees decorated by volunteers, celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa, Diwali and Hanukkah; every half hour, it “snows” in the North Court beneath a four-story tree, according to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. The display runs through Jan. 5, 2026, and is included with $10-$26 admission.

Light of Christmas Drive-Thru at Rate Field
Prefer to stay warm? A million bulbs synchronized to holiday music guide an in-car route through the Rate Field parking lot, with optional upgrades for a downtown trolley that adds Christkindlmarket and Navy Pier’s Light Up the Lake, according to Light of Christmas. The drive-thru runs 5-9 p.m. through Jan. 4, 2026; tickets range from $30-$100.

Celebration of Lights in LaSalle
Farther afield, Rotary Park in LaSalle strings more than 400 whimsical, volunteer-installed displays—the largest drive-thru in north central Illinois—where staff pass out candy canes (and dog treats) at the gate, according to LaSalle. Tune your radio, roll slowly, and soak up the glow from 5-9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1, 2026; entry is free, with donations welcome.

Why it matters this year

Holiday lights aren’t just eye candy; they’re economic bright spots. Illinois welcomed a record 113 million visitors in 2024 who spent $48.5 billion statewide, according to Chicago Star Media. Chicago’s momentum carried into 2025’s peak months, when hotels logged 3.56 million summer room nights and $949 million in revenue—both seasonal records—reported McCormick Place. Even so, the city still trails its 2019 peak of roughly 61 million visitors, a gap that holiday-season events can help close, as analyzed by WBEZ and the Daily Herald.

There’s a community story here, too. Grants from ComEd’s Powering the Holidays program help neighborhood and suburban displays upgrade to energy-efficient lighting and expand programming—tree lightings, live music, family activities—spreading the season’s glow beyond marquee attractions, according to Business Wire. In 2024, multiple Lake County communities tapped that support to enhance local displays and events, reported Patch.

Reader tips

Book ahead for timed-entry events; popular nights at Lightscape tend to sell out, according to the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Adults-only evenings and dog-friendly nights can change the vibe; Illumination’s DJ nights and Wednesday pup passes are detailed by the Morton Arboretum.
Both Lightscape and Illumination note paved, accessible trails with some gentle inclines; check access notes before you go via the Chicago Botanic Garden and Morton Arboretum.
Want to stay warm? Choose the in-car routes at Rate Field’s Light of Christmas or LaSalle’s Celebration of Lights, per Light of Christmas and LaSalle.
Look for free entry nights at ZooLights on select Mondays, according to Lincoln Park Zoo.
If plans change, Illumination’s flexible ticket option allows rebooking up to your entry time, the Morton Arboretum notes.

In a season built on rituals—lacing up skates, cupping warm mugs, counting down from three—these displays remind us that winter’s darkest days also shimmer. They power neighborhood gatherings and economic wins, increasingly with energy-savvy LEDs and community support. The rest is simple: bundle up, pick your glow, and let the lights lead the way.

This content has been submitted by authors outside of this publisher and is not its editorial product. It could contain opinions, facts, and points of view that have not been reviewed or accepted by the publisher. The content may have been created, in whole or in part, using artificial intelligence tools. Original Source →