"We have to have between 200 and 250 volunteers, folks from our club, the local performing groups, folks to run the sound and film it and drive the vehicles," Rotary Club of Naperville President Mike Calabrese told the Daily Herald in February. "So it's a big logistical undertaking."
He was explaining why the club had canceled the 2026 Holiday Parade of Lights. For more than two decades, that procession through downtown on the night after Thanksgiving was the town's signal that the holidays had started. No single event has taken over that job this year. The work is now split among about a dozen smaller events from five organizers, running from early November through New Year's. For anyone who planned the season around one evening on a curb along Washington Street, the calendar has a different shape now. Some of the best dates come before Thanksgiving, and a few already need tickets.
What one parade used to carry
The parade took far more people and money than one evening of floats would suggest. The Daily Herald described it as a procession of elaborate floats, cars fully decked out in lights and dignitaries, with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the end and NCTV17 broadcasting it live.
Some of the funding came from the city. NCTV17 reported that the Rotary Club asked for $26,773 from the city's Special Events and Community Arts fund, which is fed by a 1% tax on food and beverages. The commission recommended $22,300. With the parade off, that money goes back to the fund unless the city gives it to another event. According to a city staff report, the club pointed to the "high cost of producing the event relative to its return."
The parade has changed hands before. It started as the Friends of Little Friends Hometown Holidays Parade, a partnership between the Downtown Naperville Alliance and Little Friends, Inc., a nonprofit serving children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. The Rotary Club took over as organizer in 2021. In February, Calabrese said the club hoped another group would pick it up. "We just haven't identified anyone to do that yet," he told the Daily Herald.
Black Friday downtown now wraps up at 6 p.m.
The Downtown Naperville Alliance has scheduled the Downtown Holiday Glow for Friday, Nov. 27, from 3 to 6 p.m. It's free. Expect roaming performers, face painters, free hot chocolate and holiday giveaways while supplies last.
Santa still shows up, but with less fanfare. Around 5 p.m. he drives through downtown in his red pickup truck, because, as the Alliance listing puts it, "his sleigh isn't quite ready yet."
This is a different kind of event from the parade. It starts in the afternoon, it's built around Black Friday shopping, and it ends right about when parade crowds used to be finding their spots. The Alliance frames it as "Shop. Glow. Eat. Be Merry!" and suggests ending the evening at a downtown restaurant. If your family's tradition was dinner after the parade, plan for an earlier dinner and Santa at 5.
The season already started, quietly, on Nov. 2
Downtown's trees and rooftops started lighting up gradually around 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2. There was no ceremony, and the lights stay on every night through Dec. 31. So if downtown looked festive on an ordinary weeknight this week, that's why.
If you want an actual lighting moment, the closest thing on the calendar is Naper Settlement's Holiday Tree Lighting on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. That's eight days before Thanksgiving.
Along the river, the Naperville Sunrise Rotary's NaperLights display covers Water Street, Foyo Plaza, Jaycees Park and the Riverwalk. It's free and runs from Thanksgiving through New Year's, 4 to 10 p.m. NaperLights is also a Rotary effort, from a different club than the one that ran the parade.
Two months, five organizers
Put every confirmed date in order and you can see how the parade's job got divided up. The Downtown Naperville Alliance, Naper Settlement, the Naperville Park District, the Naperville Noon Lions and the Sunrise Rotary each run their own pieces, with separate schedules, tickets and sign-up rules.
- Nov. 2 to Dec. 31: Downtown Lights Up. Downtown Naperville Alliance. Lights come on nightly.
- Nov. 6 to Jan. 1: Holiday teas and Santa brunch. Downtown Naperville Alliance listing. Elements at Water Street hosts a Santa Brunch on the second floor of Hotel Indigo, with 9 a.m. and noon seatings, plus holiday high teas from noon to 2 p.m. on Dec. 5 and 6, Dec. 9 to 13 and Dec. 16 to 20.
- Nov. 18: Holiday Tree Lighting. Naper Settlement, 5 to 7 p.m.
- Nov. 23 to Dec. 18: Santa's Mailbox. At Main Street and Jefferson Avenue. Free, with personalized replies mailed back. Letters are due by noon on Dec. 18.
- Nov. 26: Naperville Noon Lions Turkey Trot. Thanksgiving morning at 8 a.m., starting at Naperville Central High School, 440 Aurora Ave.
- Nov. 27: Downtown Holiday Glow. Downtown Naperville Alliance, 3 to 6 p.m., free.
- Nov. 30 to Dec. 20: Santa's Naperville Workshop. Naperville Park District, at Paddleboat Quarry Rentals. Weekdays 5 to 8 p.m., weekends noon to 8 p.m. Pet Night is Dec. 1, and Military and First Responders Night is Dec. 9.
- Dec. 3: Downtown Naperville Holiday Wine Walk. 4 to 8 p.m., with staggered check-in from 4 to 6 p.m.
- Dec. 6: Downtown Naperville Cookie & Sweets Walk. Noon to 4 p.m.
- Dec. 9: Santa's Hotline. Naperville Park District, 6 to 8 p.m. Registration for 2026 is already full.
- Dec. 11 to 13: Holly Jolly Days. Naper Settlement, 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, then 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
A few deadlines have already passed or are coming up fast. Wine Walk tickets went on sale Oct. 26, and Cookie & Sweets Walk tickets on Nov. 2. Santa's Hotline filled up before November.
Some things haven't moved. The Wine Walk falls on Dec. 3 again this year, and the Cookie & Sweets Walk moved by just one day, from Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 to Sunday, Dec. 6.
Little Friends is still part of the season
The nonprofit behind the parade's first version still has a place on the calendar. Proceeds from the Dec. 3 Holiday Wine Walk go to Little Friends. The Alliance's commitment, in the words of Executive Director Katie Wood to NCTV17, is "preserving the warmth and holiday spirit downtown for children and families alike." This year it's doing that through several smaller events rather than one big procession.
Jefferson Avenue gets one more easy holiday season
A lot of this season happens on one short stretch of downtown. Santa's Mailbox is at Main and Jefferson. Several of the newest places to eat after the Glow are on Jefferson too.
The Daily Herald reported that Lola's Handcrafted Churros at 8 W. Jefferson Ave. held its grand opening on Sept. 28, a good hot stop on a cold Black Friday. A few doors down, Cantina Taco Grill at 15 W. Jefferson Ave., Suite 101, was announced as a fall opening. As of mid-October, NCTV17 listed its opening date as Oct. 29. Also on the way downtown: I Heart Gyro at 22 E. Chicago Ave., Deep Purpl at 120 Water St., and Slyce of NY at 215 S. Washington St. None has announced an opening date yet.
Construction won't get in the way this year. The next phase of downtown streetscape work would rebuild Jefferson between Washington and Main, along with Main between Jefferson and Van Buren, including utilities, roadway, sidewalks and public spaces. The Daily Herald reported that work is tentatively scheduled to start in spring 2027. That leaves Jefferson's sidewalks, the mailbox corner and the Glow's walking routes as they are for 2026. The holiday season after this one could look different.
Every one of these dates belongs to a group that does the work, from the Alliance and the Park District to Naper Settlement and two Rotary clubs, and Naperville's holiday season has always depended on that kind of local effort. If this year's changes have you thinking about your own plans for 2027, Natalie Weber can show you what your home is worth in today's Naperville market. Get your free home valuation whenever you're ready, maybe after the lights come on.
