Christmas / Lights / Naperville

The best Christmas lights in Naperville

5 displays · 4 free · Illinois

Naperville's holiday season centers on the Riverwalk, where the Sunrise Rotary's NaperLights display turns Water Street and the DuPage River into a quarter-million-light show you can enjoy on foot or from the car. Add a downtown parade under the lights and some seriously ambitious house displays, and this western suburb earns its reputation as one of Chicagoland's best light towns.

The season kicks off Thanksgiving weekend, when the Holiday Parade of Lights rolls through downtown and NaperLights switches on, and runs through the first days of January. Naperville also sits minutes from two of the region's heavyweights: Illumination at the Morton Arboretum in next-door Lisle and Aurora's huge free drive-through at Phillips Park, so a full lights itinerary never requires a trip into the city.

1.NaperLights

Water Street and the Riverwalk, downtown Naperville

Walk-throughFree

Naperville Sunrise Rotary strings more than 250,000 lights along Water Street and the south bank of the Riverwalk, with a growing cast of giant lighted figures including skating polar bears, penguins sliding down an igloo, and singing trees. Trees and plaza lights sync to holiday music from 4 to 10 pm nightly, and the sound carries across the river so you can also take it in as a slow drive. Free 3D viewing glasses and Santa visits on select December evenings round it out.

Season: Thanksgiving through New Year's

2.The House of Christmas Cheer

Oakton Lane, north Naperville

Free neighborhoodFree

This famous residential display at 1222 Oakton Lane pairs tens of thousands of lights reaching 50 feet into the trees with vintage storefront-style animatronics that feel pulled from a department store window. It has become one of the most visited houses in the western suburbs. Go on a weeknight; the street is narrow and weekend traffic backs up.

Season: December evenings

3.Whispering Lights

Whispering Hills Drive, Naperville

Free neighborhoodFree

The house at 220 N. Whispering Hills Drive runs a fully programmed show with around 10,000 LED pixels dancing in sync to holiday music. It is a park-and-watch display rather than a quick drive-by, so pull over, tune in, and let a full song cycle play. Naperville has a handful of synchronized houses like this, and local maps circulate new addresses every December.

Season: December evenings

4.Illumination at the Morton Arboretum

Lisle, next door to Naperville

Ticketed event$18-38 per person

Naperville's closest big-ticket show is barely ten minutes up Route 53, where the Arboretum washes whole groves of trees in synchronized color and sound along a mile-plus walking trail. Giant illuminated animal sculptures and warming fire pits punctuate the route. For most Naperville families this is the splurge night of the season, so book a weeknight for cheaper tickets and thinner crowds.

Season: Mid-November through early January

5.Aurora Festival of Lights at Phillips Park

Phillips Park, Aurora

Drive-throughFree

About 20 minutes west of downtown Naperville, this mile-long drive-through is one of the largest free light displays in northern Illinois, with jumping reindeer, ice skating bears, and Santa's toy factory set to holiday music on a closed-circuit radio station. Register online for a free vehicle pass before you go. It is the easiest no-cost, warm-in-the-car lights night in the western suburbs.

Season: Day after Thanksgiving through late December

Local tip

Downtown Naperville's parking garages are free, so park once and do NaperLights on foot instead of crawling Water Street in the car; the full loop from Main Street across the river and back takes about 30 minutes. If you want the drive-through version, come on a weeknight and roll Water Street slowly with the windows cracked, since the music is projected across the river.

Displays and prices are researched from recent seasons and stated approximately; hours, routes, and admission change year to year, so check an event's official page before you drive out.

Naperville & Chicagoland

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Common questions

When do Christmas lights go up in Naperville?
Thanksgiving weekend is the switch-on. NaperLights begins nightly at 4 pm around Thanksgiving and the Holiday Parade of Lights marches through downtown that Friday evening. Illumination at the Morton Arboretum opens even earlier, in mid-November, and most residential displays are glowing by the first week of December.
What is the best free Christmas light display in Naperville?
NaperLights on the Riverwalk is the anchor: more than 250,000 lights, giant lighted figures, and music-synced trees along Water Street, all free. Add the House of Christmas Cheer on Oakton Lane and the synchronized Whispering Lights show for a free evening that rivals any ticketed event.
Is there a drive-through Christmas light display near Naperville?
Yes, and it is free. The Aurora Festival of Lights at Phillips Park, about 20 minutes west, runs a mile of animated displays you watch from the car with synchronized music on the radio. You just need to register online for a free per-vehicle pass. NaperLights also works as a slow drive down Water Street if you prefer to stay close.
Is Illumination at the Morton Arboretum worth it for Naperville families?
It is the best big light show in the western suburbs and it is essentially in Naperville's backyard, ten minutes away in Lisle. The trail is over a mile through genuinely dark woods, so dress like you mean it and plan about 90 minutes. Weeknight tickets sit at the lower end of the price range.
How long does NaperLights take to see?
Plan 30 to 45 minutes to walk the Water Street and Riverwalk stretch, longer if kids want photos with the giant teddy bear or the Santa throne. It pairs naturally with dinner downtown, since the display sits a block from Naperville's main restaurant streets.

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