Christmas and the holidays in Chicago

This guide is for anyone planning a Chicago December, whether you live here and want to get the timing right or you are visiting for a long weekend and only get one shot at it. It covers the German-style markets, the big ticketed light trails at the zoo and in the suburbs, the two holiday shows most families book, the State Street department store traditions, and where you can still get a hot meal on December 25.

Most of what follows is ticketed, timed or crowded, and several of the best-known events go on sale in early October. Dates below are for the 2026 season. Anything not yet announced by the organizer is flagged as such.

Christkindlmarket and holiday markets

Daley Plaza

The original Christkindlmarket Chicago sets up its wooden huts in Daley Plaza on Washington Street in the Loop, opening November 20, 2026 and running daily through Christmas Eve. Admission is free. You pay per item for bratwurst, potato pancakes, ornaments and Glühwein, the mulled wine poured into the market’s souvenir mug. The Blue Line’s Washington stop is at the corner of the plaza, and Clark/Lake, which serves most other lines, is two blocks north. Weekday lunch hours fill with office workers, and Saturday afternoons are shoulder to shoulder. Go on a weeknight after 6 p.m. if you want to actually see the vendors.

Wrigleyville and Aurora

The organizer runs two more markets. Christkindlmarket Wrigleyville is at Gallagher Way, 3635 N Clark St, from November 20 through December 31, 2026. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, per the market’s own page. It is smaller and less packed than Daley Plaza, and it sits inside the Winterland setup next to Wrigley Field, which has included a skating rink in past seasons. Take the Red Line to Addison. Driving is a bad idea on any night the area has an event.

In the suburbs, Christkindlmarket Aurora is at RiverEdge Park, 360 N Broadway, Aurora, from November 20 through December 24, open Thursday through Sunday only. It is a few blocks from the Aurora Metra station at the end of the BNSF line.

The city’s one-weekend market

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events holds the Millennium Park Holiday Market on Chase Promenade North for three days starting the night of the city tree lighting. The official tree stands near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street and is free to visit all season.

Lights: the Zoo, the Botanic Garden and the neighborhoods

ZooLights in Lincoln Park

The closest of the big light shows is ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo, running from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027, 4:30 to 9 p.m. with last entry at 8 p.m. It is also the cheapest. Fixed-date tickets bought ahead cost $7 to $12, day-of tickets are $20, and admission is free with a reservation on Mondays November 23 and 30 and December 7 and 14, with those tickets released a week ahead at 11 a.m. Every person needs a ticket, infants included. The zoo lot on Cannon Drive is small and paid, and the zoo itself tells guests to use transit or rideshare on busy nights. The 22 Clark and 151 Sheridan buses are the easy way in. ZooLights is closed Thanksgiving, December 24 and 25, and three December Tuesdays.

Lightscape in Glencoe

North of the city, Chicago Botanic Garden on Lake Cook Road in Glencoe hosts Lightscape, a mile-long lit trail around the lakes. Tickets are timed and priced by demand, so a cold Tuesday tends to cost less than a Saturday before Christmas; the garden says many of its lower-priced dates are under $30. The Metra Union Pacific North line stops at Braeside, and the garden says you can walk from there. The Pace 213 bus does not run Sundays or holidays. There is a sensory-friendly night on December 2 and 21-and-over nights on December 10 and January 1.

Illumination in Lisle

Out west, The Morton Arboretum at 4100 Illinois Route 53 in Lisle runs Illumination from November 14, 2026 through January 2, 2027. It is a one-mile paved trail, and the arboretum says it is fully accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. This year adds a model train add-on called the Pine Whistle Railroad at $9, or $7 for members. You will need a car. Parking is first come and directed by attendants, overflow lots use a shuttle, and a premium parking add-on is sold for most weekend nights. Member presale opens October 1 and public sales open October 15.

Michigan Avenue, the L and the neighborhoods

The free option is the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival on Saturday, November 21, 2026. The parade steps off at 5:30 p.m. from Oak Street and lights more than one million bulbs on about 200 trees as it moves south, with fireworks over the river at 7:30 p.m. Curb space along the route goes early, and nearby garages tend to fill.

The CTA’s Holiday Train runs on all rail lines from late November through late December at regular fares. The CTA had not posted the 2026 schedule when this was checked. In Evanston, Downtown Evanston’s tree lighting at Fountain Square is planned for December 5, two blocks from the Davis stop on the Purple Line and the Metra station of the same name.

Chicago also has plenty of residential blocks that go all out with house lights, but none could be confirmed from a current, reliable source for this update, so they are left out here.

Holiday shows

A Christmas Carol

Downtown, Goodman Theatre at 170 N Dearborn St stages A Christmas Carol in the Albert Theatre from November 13 through December 31, 2026. Tom Creamer wrote the adaptation, Malkia Stampley directs, and Tim Hopper plays Scrooge for the first time. The Goodman has produced the show for about five decades. Accessible performances are $50 including fees with a promo code: ASL on December 4, audio description on December 5, captions and Spanish subtitles on December 6, and a sensory-friendly matinee on December 27, priced from $30. The box office phone is (312) 443-3800. Clark/Lake is a block away.

The Nutcracker

A few blocks west, The Joffrey Ballet performs Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker from December 4 through 27, 2026 at the opera house at 20 N Wacker Drive. This version moves the story to the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and runs about two hours. The closest L stop is Washington/Wells, and Ogilvie and Union stations are both a short walk for Metra riders.

At the museum

For something indoors and daytime, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park opens Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light on November 7, 2026. It started in 1942 as a single tree and now has more than 50 trees and displays decorated by community volunteers, plus a four-story Grand Tree. It is included with museum admission.

State Street and the windows

The department store at the corner of State and Washington, Macy’s State Street at 111 N State St, still dresses its State Street windows for the holidays, and they are free to walk past at any hour. The Blue Line’s Washington stop and the Loop lines’ Washington/Wabash stop are both close. If you have skates, or want to rent them, the Maggie Daley Park skating ribbon is east along Randolph.

Upstairs on the seventh floor, The Marshall Field’s Walnut Room puts up the Great Tree, lit from November 7, 2026 through January 10, 2027. Online holiday reservations open October 1 at 9 a.m. through OpenTable, and they go fast. Without one you cannot enter the dining room. The restaurant sets up a selfie spot outside with a view of the tree, and a limited number of walk-in high-tops at the wine bar. Dining is capped at 90 minutes. Mrs. Hering’s chicken pot pie is the order. Breakfast with Santa is $49.95 for adults and $29.95 for kids on Sundays December 6, 13 and 20. Take the express elevators near the Randolph Street side of the first floor. The restaurant’s phone is (312) 781-5219.

Open on Christmas Day

Most of the city shuts on December 25. ZooLights and the Wrigleyville market are closed, and the Daley Plaza market ends on Christmas Eve. Lincoln Park Zoo is different. The zoo says the grounds are open 365 days a year and entry is always free, so a daytime walk there is one of the few outings that works on the day itself.

For food, three places post year-round hours on their own sites:

• In Chinatown, MingHin Cuisine at 2168 S Archer Ave lists itself as open 365 days, with weekday hours of 9 a.m. to midnight and dim sum all day. Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday. Take the Red Line to Cermak-Chinatown, or use the two lots near Wentworth and Archer. Phone (312) 808-1999.
• In Lakeview, Golden Apple Grille and Breakfast House at 2971 N Lincoln Ave says on its site that it is open 24 hours and never closes. The diner menu runs from pancakes to burgers and Greek plates. Phone (773) 528-1413.
• On the Near West Side, Jim’s Original at 1250 S Union Ave is a walk-up Maxwell Street Polish stand that posts open 24/7. Every sandwich comes with free fries. Phone (312) 733-7820.

Holiday hours can change on short notice, so call before you drive across town.

Good to know

• Checked September 28, 2026. Dates, prices and hours above come from each organizer’s 2026 announcements and can change.
• Walnut Room holiday reservations open October 1. Illumination members get tickets October 1 and the public on October 15. ZooLights opens to the public October 6.
• The three light trails run rain, snow or shine. The Morton Arboretum decides on weather closures by 3 p.m. the same day.
• The CTA Holiday Train schedule for 2026 had not been posted. Check the CTA site in November.

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