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Christmas lights at night in Chicago
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Christmas lights · Chicago, IL

Christmas lights in Chicago

Chicago splits between the city, where the zoo and the big tree are a CTA ride away, and the suburbs, where the two botanical light shows need a car and a parking ticket. The Morton Arboretum has already published its 2026 season.

5 displays · 1 free · 4 with 2026 dates announced

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Where to see them

Where to go: with kids, on a date, with friends

With kids

Short walks, Santa, rides and something to do besides looking.

For a date

Somewhere to walk slowly, a drink in hand, and look good in the photos.

With friends

Cheap by the carload, or a long evening with food and music.

Drive-thru shows

Paid per car, not per person, so a full car is the cheap way to do it. Weekends are the busy nights.

Light of Christmas — illustrationIllustration
Drive-thru·Rate Field, Bridgeport

Light of Christmas

More than a million lights synced to music in the ballpark lot in Bridgeport — you stay in the car. No car? A trolley runs through on Thursdays and Sundays.

🧒 With kids🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Stay warm in the car
  • Music-synced lights
  • Trolley option without a car

What visitors sayGoogle 4.9 ★ · 491 reviews

Reviews are almost all five stars: lights synced to music on the car radio, kids and toddlers loving it from the warmth of the car, and unusually cheerful staff at the gate who help you find the radio station. People stress that the price is per car, not per person, and that it's worth doing at least once.

An easy city drive-thru when it's too cold to walk — one of the best-reviewed shows in Chicago.

Season
Dates not published
Where
3326 S. Wentworth Ave, Parking Lot A, Chicago, IL 60616

Getting in and parking

  • Enter at Parking Lot A of the White Sox ballpark, 3326 S. Wentworth Ave.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • One ticket covers the car — you don't buy one per person.
  • Reschedule up to 48 hours ahead, subject to availability.

Checked 2026-09-23 · lightofchristmas.com

Official site

Walk-through: gardens, zoo, parks

Mostly ticketed per person, and on foot. Check the hours before you set out.

Zoolights at the Lincoln Park ZooPhoto: spurekar · CC BY 2.0
ZoolightsLincoln Park Zoo Lights

Photos: loppear · CC BY 2.0 · Photos: Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar · CC BY 2.0

Zoo·Lincoln Park Zoo

ZooLights

Chicago's free zoo on the lakefront covered in lights after dark — tunnels of color, trees lit in pinks and blues, glowing animal figures and warm drinks along the paths. Ticket prices are low and some Mondays are free.

🧒 With kids✨ Date night

What's there

  • Lakefront zoo lit up
  • Cheap tickets, free on most Mondays
  • Warm drinks along the way
  • Walkable from Lincoln Park

What visitors sayGoogle 4.6 ★ · 39,423 reviews

The zoo itself is one of Chicago's favorite free places — green, well kept and easy to walk. Parking is the pain point: it's limited and paid, so the bus or a walk from the neighborhood is easier.

The classic Chicago Christmas evening with kids — come on a free Monday if you can.

2026 season
Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027
4:30 – 9 pm, last entry 8 pm
Cost
$7–$12 per person in advance, $20 on the day; free on Mondays except Dec 21 and 28 (2026)

Getting in and parking

  • Parking is limited and paid, in the zoo lot on Cannon Drive, and isn't included in the ticket.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Tickets are non-refundable and the date can't be changed.
  • Strollers and wagons are allowed, but busy nights are tight to steer through.

Checked 2026-09-23 · lpzoo.org

Full 2026 guideOfficial site
Chicagos Christmas Tree!Photo: Christine Zenino from Chicago, US · CC BY 2.0
Park·Millennium Park, the LoopFree

Chicago Christmas Tree

The city's official tree in Millennium Park, donated each year by a local family, lit at a free ceremony with music and fireworks, with the ice rink and skating ribbon nearby and the State Street windows a short walk away.

✨ Date night🧒 With kids🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Free lighting ceremony with fireworks
  • Ice rink and skating ribbon nearby
  • Tree donated by a local family
  • Downtown decorations all around

What visitors sayGoogle 4.6 ★ · 271 reviews

Visitors say the whole downtown goes all out and the tree with the ice rink feels like a scene from a Christmas movie. The lighting ceremony, with music and fireworks, is free.

An essential, free Chicago December moment — pair it with skating.

2026 season
Lit at the ceremony on Fri, Nov 20, 2026 (start time not yet published) until mid-January
Cost
Free
Start at
Michigan Avenue at Washington Street

Getting in and parking

  • CTA to Washington/Wabash or Madison/Wabash, a short walk to Millennium Park. Garages are under the park.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Pair it with the Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza and the McCormick Tribune ice rink nearby.

Checked 2026-09-23 · Choose Chicago; City of Chicago

Full 2026 guideOfficial site
Lightscape — illustrationIllustration
Garden·Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe

Lightscape

A 1.3-mile trail of light installations and music around the main island of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, with adults-only nights.

✨ Date night🎉 With friends

What's there

  • 1.3-mile light and music trail
  • Adults-only nights
  • Hot drinks on the trail

What visitors sayGoogle 3.8 ★ · 85 reviews

Long-time fans call recent seasons the best yet, and the adults-only nights get warm reviews. Others were disappointed that old favorites disappeared, found the 21+ nights packed shoulder to shoulder, and felt it was underwhelming for the price.

Worth it if you book a quieter weeknight; expensive for a crowded one.

2026 season
Nov 13, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027, select dates (the garden's page gives no year; dates read with the 2026 calendar)
Most evenings 4:30 – 10:30 pm, last entry 8:45 pm
Cost
Prices rise with demand — buy early. Parking $18 in advance, $25 on arrival (members free).

Getting in and parking

  • Non-members entering after 4 pm pay for parking per car — $18 in advance, $25 on arrival.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • No pets, except service animals.
  • No strollers on Dec 10 and Jan 1.
  • Exchanges allowed up to 72 hours before the ticket date.

Checked 2026-09-23 · chicagobotanic.org

Official site
Illumination: Tree Lights — illustrationIllustration
Garden·The Morton Arboretum, Lisle

Illumination: Tree Lights

The Morton Arboretum's trees lit up in color and set to music along a two-hour loop, with interactive stations, s'mores kits, hot cocoa and cider, and a new indoor model railroad for 2026. Magical in snow.

🧒 With kids✨ Date night

What's there

  • Trees lit to music
  • Interactive stations
  • S'mores kits, cocoa and cider
  • New indoor model railroad

What visitors sayGoogle 4.8 ★ · 14,417 reviews

For many families it's become a must — well-designed displays, great cocoa and s'mores, and pure magic when it snows. The whole loop takes about two hours. One visitor felt $40 a person was a lot for what they saw.

The best light walk around Chicago — especially on a snowy night.

2026 season
Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027
Cost
Plan-ahead pricing: varies by date and time, cheaper the earlier you buy; members pay least. Premium parking $18 per car. Tickets are on sale now (2026).

Getting in and parking

  • The Morton Arboretum is off I-88 at Route 53 in Lisle. Premium Parking in the Administration lot can be added at checkout.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Dog nights: Dec 2, 9, 16 and Jan 1, with a separate dog ticket.
  • The paved path suits strollers and wheelchairs. The trail can't be seen from a car.
  • Member sale Oct 1, public sale Oct 15, 9 am.

Checked 2026-09-23 · mortonarb.org

Official site

Before you go

Why some dates say 2025

Most displays announce the season in October or November. Until they do, we show last year's dates and say so, rather than guess this year's. Every card shows the day we last checked it and where the facts came from.

Santa services in the USChristmas markets in Chicago

Christmas lights in other cities

Questions

Which Christmas lights in Chicago are free?
Chicago Christmas Tree (Millennium Park, the Loop). None of them sell tickets, but some charge for parking and the busiest neighborhoods have long lines, so check each card and go on a weeknight.
When do the Chicago light displays open this year?
So far ZooLights (Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027) and Chicago Christmas Tree (Lit at the ceremony on Fri, Nov 20, 2026 (start time not yet published) until mid-January) and Lightscape (Nov 13, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027, select dates (the garden's page gives no year; dates read with the 2026 calendar)) and Illumination: Tree Lights (Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027) have announced their 2026 dates. The rest publish in October and November; until then this page shows last year's dates, marked as such.