Each year in November, the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival kicks off the Chicago holiday lights displays with a dazzling parade, but there are plenty of lights around the city throughout the holiday season. With the exception of visiting a vibrantly decorated and delightful German Christmas market, perhaps one of the most memorable parts of Christmas for little ones is that iconic drive around the neighborhoods (way past bedtime) to check out all the Christmas light displays. It’s also an affordable way to sprinkle in some Christmas magic without costly entrance fees.
Chicago has long been known for its vibrant neighborhoods packed with cool shops and eclectic restaurants, so it’s no surprise that the holidays are just as impressive. In the Chicagoland area, several neighborhoods create over-the-top holiday light displays that are not to be missed, including iconic historic urban neighborhoods and suburban areas. This list highlights the five best holiday light displays to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. In selecting these neighborhoods, we looked for recommendations from Chicago-area residents and local news publications with particular attention to unique elements that set the neighborhood apart (scroll to the bottom of this article for in-depth information about our methodology). And for even more lights, check out this handy map that highlights the Christmas light displays throughout the Chicago suburbs and the city itself.
Read more: Unwritten Rules You Should Know Before Visiting Chicago
Lincolnwood
An illuminated Christmas treehouse in Lincolnwood, Illinois – xstephanielynne / Instagram
About 13 miles north of downtown Chicago, the village of Lincolnwood earns high marks from Reddit users and has consistently made waves in the news for its beautifully illuminated neighborhoods. Several residents consistently go above and beyond with decorations, including one lit up and decorated treehouse (pictured above). While another house famously displays a giant two-story Christmas tree that extends through the roof of the home. To top it off, in early December, the village of Lincolnwood hosts the annual Lincolnwood Lights tree-lighting ceremony, with free hot chocolate, music, and costumed holiday characters.
When discussing the best light displays in Chicago, one Reddit user noted that in Lincolnwood, “the area just west of the Edens between Pratt and Devon” was especially fabulous. Other users noted that historically, it has always been a go-to spot for residential Christmas lights. In fact, the area including Sauganash, Edgebrook, and Lincolnwood was even dubbed “Candy Cane Lane” in the 1960s. While the candy canes adorning streets are sparse these days, the holiday light displays in each of these three neighborhoods are still very impressive.
Tinley Park
A Tinley Park light display – Jori Hirsch
About 30 miles south of downtown Chicago is the village of Tinley Park, where several homes go all out with holiday decorations, including the Hirsch family’s lights, where Jori and her husband Chris, along with their two sons Kyle and Joshua, put on an unbelievable Christmas lights display on Nottingham Drive. Jori explained to Islands that the elaborate decorations started during the pandemic when the world was struggling, and Kyle told his father, “We need to bring joy and smiles to the community.” One of the most sentimental light fixtures on the roof was their sons’ old trampoline, which they broke down and decorated as a giant ornament together. On some nights, they offer hot chocolate and visits with Santa and other characters. As part of the lights display, the family also collects donations for a local animal shelter. The house is so impressive that it’s not unusual for there to be a line of people waiting to see the show.
Around the corner, the Esposito family puts on an equally impressive light show that has been growing more elaborate each year for more than three decades. As Fox 32 Chicago reported, Rick Esposito is a carpenter, so one of the highlights of their light show includes unique woodworking figurines, along with molds of things like a Ferris wheel and a ski lift. Lastly, another home, the Tinley Park Christmas House (on Avon Lane), is worth checking out as well, with another over-the-top light extravaganza. After you’ve seen the Christmas lights of individual homes, the Village of Tinley Park has some winter-themed activities to partake in, including a holiday lights show in the plaza, an ice skating rink, and other events in early December.
Riverside
Riverside Christmas celebration downtown – Riverside Chamber of Commerce
Riverside is a notoriously beautiful area, with gorgeous historic homes that are decked out around the holidays, including over 100 acres that are a designated National Historic Landmark. One Reddit user, who recommended Riverside for a classic Christmas lights drive with nostalgic gas street lights explained, “Can’t really beat it. That said, it’s not over the top in the sense that you’re not gonna see crazy choreographed stuff set to soundtracks, if that’s what you’re looking for. But still some pretty impressive displays as I recall.”
One standout home, according to Chicago-area website Kidlist, is on South 8th Avenue in North Riverside. On top of its impressive display, this home also hosted “Santa’s Winter Wonderland” in 2024, complete with Santa and Grinch visits. Visit Riverside in early December and you can also participate in the Riverside Holiday Stroll, a 50-year-old tradition with live entertainment and holiday-themed family activities. Each year, the historic Riverside water tower is illuminated in red and green lights, marking a holiday focal point in the center of town.
Barrington Area Neighborhoods
A lighted house in Chicago during the holidays – LightsonRevere / Facebook
Sadly, 2024 marked the final year for the South Barrington Lights, a private residence that has been hosting the light show for over 20 years. However, South Barrington is home to the Lights on Revere, a high-tech, dancing light display outside a suburban home with nearly 5,000 LED pixels set to a 30-minute changing setlist of favorite holiday songs that are a mix of new hits and classics, like “Carol of the Bells” by Lindsey Stirling or “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by John Denver and The Muppets.
The display is at 45 Revere Drive and is open until 10 p.m. every day, beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving. Simply tune the car radio to 92.1 FM and enjoy. In addition, each year the Arboretum of South Barrington hosts a tree-lighting ceremony with lights, music, and costumed characters. Lake Street in Barrington has also been known to line the streets with giant inflatable Santas for the holidays, adding some unity to the neighborhood’s light displays.
La Grange
A house with Christmas decorations at night – Beware of Barnsdale
About 16 miles from downtown Chicago and 7 miles from Chicago Midway International Airport is the village of La Grange, which rounds out our top five list. While not as well known as some of the other “lights” neighborhoods, it has some impressive homes as well. For example, in 2024, the Sherman Family Display (735 South Brainard Avenue) had a fabulous musical display with donations that went to charity, and became so big that it was highlighted by Chicago Parent.
Homestead and Barnsdale roads have several homes worth checking out, including some that also go all out for Halloween and sometimes fuse the fall and winter holidays for a unique take on outdoor lights. The Nightmare Before Christmas House (836 Homestead Road, La Grange Park) has been going strong for several years now. Meanwhile, Beware of Barnsdale’s Holiday Lights (725 Barnsdale Rd) puts on a festive spectacle that is definitely worth checking out. The Hayes/Green Family (606 Homestead Road) has been decorating for over a decade and has even added walking paths to their light displays for an up-close experience.
Methodology
A lit Christmas tree in Chicago at night – ChicagoPhotographer/Shutterstock
To find the five best Chicagoland neighborhoods for holiday light displays, we scoped out publications like parenting magazines, recommendations from Chicago tourism sites, and local news stories highlighting specific homes, as well as online forums like Reddit for some grassroots and under-the-radar favorites. While some areas have one iconic home, we searched for neighborhoods that had several worthy displays, along with towns that were offering magical light experiences. We factored in unique elements, the number of lights, and overall popularity to ensure there was a “wow” factor in all of our selections.
There are other light shows that sell tickets or are provided by non-residential businesses, including Willow Hill Lights, a drive-through light show at a golf course, or Goebbert’s Farm, which hosts two ticketed events (Larson’s Light Show and the Goebbert’s Drive Thru). Several zoos and botanical gardens also host similar holiday offerings, including Lincoln Park Zoo, one of America’s oldest zoos, located in the heart of Chicago. Although these are fabulous light shows, we excluded these types of events from our search to focus on free or donation-based neighborhood lights. Lastly, we kept our search radius within the Chicago Metropolitan area (Chicagoland).
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Read the original article on Islands.