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ALGONQUIN AND LAKE IN THE HILLS, IL — Halloween is behind us and so is the presidential election. As we start leaning into the holiday season it’s a good time to start looking ahead to this festive time of year and start marking your calendar for all the fun events, parades, craft fairs that will be happening in and around Algonquin and Lake in the Hills.
Santa will soon make his grand entrance at various stores and malls across the Chicagoland — if he hasn’t already — and some places require reservations. We’ve included a roundup below of ongoing holiday events that have opened, or will be opening soon, across the Chicago area:
Ongoing Events/Santa Visits
Where |
Date(s) |
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Bass Pro Shop/Cabela’s Santa Wonderland, Hoffman Estates and Gurnee |
Daily Through Dec. 24 |
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Macy’s State Street Santaland and Santa Visits, 111 N. State Street, fifth floor, Chicago |
Open daily through Dec. 24. Reservations are required for visits and photos with Santa and available to make online seven days prior to your visit date. |
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Woodfield Mall Santa, 5 Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg |
Nov. 7-Dec. 24: Woodfield Mall’s Santa will be available for photos and visits. You can get more information and make your reservation here. |
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Santa’s Photo Experience at Gurnee Mills, 6170 W. Grand Avenue |
Starting on Nov. 22: Visit with Santa at Gurnee Mills. More info is available here. |
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Festival of Trees in McHenry |
Nov. 22 through Dec. 29: Beautifully decorated trees will be on display at the McHenry Recreation Center, 3636 Municipal Drive, McHenry. |
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Downtown Crystal Lake Santa House |
Starting on Nov. 29: Thursdays through SundaysThursday and Friday: 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 12 to 3 p.m. on Sunday. |
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Jaycee Hoilday Tree Walk in Cary |
Starting on Dec. 7: The tree Walk will be open through the holiday season. |
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We’ve also got a roundup of major holiday events happening in the Algonquin and Lake in the Hills area and beyond, which are sorted by date below. Mark your calendar, and if you snap a great picture, send it along to editor Amie at [email protected] to be considered for our photo roundups on Patch.com site in the weeks to come.
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Date/Time |
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Nov. 21, 6 to 7 p.m. |
Santa will make his grand arrival at Gurnee Mills, entrance A, and parade through the mall to the dining pavilion south area/Macy’s wing where he will read “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” More info is available here. |
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Nov. 22, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
Downtown McHenry Holiday Walk: Living Windows and Cocoa Crawl. McHenry’s downtown stores come to life with magical scenes of the season. Purchase a mug for the Cocoa Crawl to receive samples of a variety of hot cocoa and holiday treats at participating businesses. Festival of trees opens for the season. |
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Nov. 23, 12 to 11 p.m. |
McHenry Holiday Walk at Veteran’s Park, 3400 Pearl Street: Horse drawn sleigh rides, pictures with Santa, caroling with tree lighting, free trolley rides from 3 to 11 p.m. |
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Nov. 23, 6 to 10:30 p.m. |
Polar Express Pub Crawl in McHenry: In full Polar Express theme, get ready to party in your pajamas. Fun holiday drink specials are at each location and you can jump on the free trolley to get to all of the stops. Tickets go on sale Nov. 1 and are $20 per person. |
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Nov. 23 |
Registration deadline to decorate a tree at Jaycee Park in Cary. Jaycee Holiday Tree Walk is Dec. 7. $25 per tree. |
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Nov. 23, 9 a.m. |
Bass Pro Shop/Cabela’s Yuletide Breakfast, registration required seven days in advance: Hoffman Estates, Gurnee |
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Nov. 29, 7 to 9 p.m. |
Festival of Lights Parade, Crystal Lake: This year’s theme is “Wish You Were Here: An Island Christmas.” Downtown Santa House opens at 9 p.m. |
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Nov. 29, 6:30 to 8 p.m. |
Village tree lighting and downtown holidays walk in Libertyville: Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. with music, singing and other holiday themed entertainment and Santa Claus will help with the official countdown for the lighting of the village holiday tree at 7 p.m. Downtown merchants will offer extended hours for evening shopping and dining. |
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Nov. 29, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. |
Grayslake Festival of Lights and Holiday Market: The Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum opens at 12 pm – 7 pm with their annual Grayslake Giving Trees Display. the Festival of Lights begins at 2 p.m. with: Photos with Santa (2 to 4 p.m.), Holiday Street Market (2 to 7 p.m.) and food vendors (2 to 7 p.m.). The parade will step off at 4:30 p.m. and tree lighting following the parade. The Grayslake Arts Alliance Holiday Fine Arts Show & Sale will run from 5 to 8 p.m. and horse drawn carriage rides at village hall will be from 5 to 7 p.m. More info here. |
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Nov. 29, 6:30 p.m. |
Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting in Antioch: The festive, old-fashioned parade in downtown Antioch will wind through downtown Antioch featuring local groups, musicians, and of course, Santa. After the parade, a tree lighting ceremony will be held at Sequoit Creek Park. More information here. |
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Nov. 30, 9 to 11 a.m. |
Cary Park District PJs and Pancakes with Santa at the community center in Cary. More info and to register. $22 residents/$32 non-residents. |
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Nov. 30, 12 to 2 p.m. |
Cary Park District PJs and Pizza With Santa at the community center in Cary. More info and to register.$22 residents/$32 non-residents. |
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Nov. 30, 4:30 p.m. |
Holiday Light Celebration at Century Park in Vernon Hills: Residents can join the Village of Vernon Hills, Vernon Hills Park District, Countryside Fire Protection District, Vernon Hills Police Department and the the entire community as they light the village holiday light displays. “We’ll gather outside near the corner of Lakeview and Hawthorn Parkways to count down and flip the switch. Santa is planning to be on hand and light refreshments are anticipated,” according to the event website. More info here. |
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Dec. 1, 2 to 3 p.m. |
The Woodstock Christmas Parade starts at the Woodstock Water Works parking lot and will travel down Jackson Street through the Square and out Cass Street. If your vehicle needs to return to the Woodstock Water Works. Free cookies and churros with Santa immediately following the Christmas Parade. |
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Dec. 1, 9 to 10:30 a.m. |
McHenry County Santa Run For the Kids in downtown Crystal Lake: 5K, 1 mile walk/run and a 50 yard dash kids race. Some runners get Santa suits. |
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Dec. 2, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
Holiday open house and visits with Santa at Barrington’s White House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Barrington Holiday Fest and Treelighting Ceremony from 2 to 6 p.m.: Enjoy hot chocolate and family-fun activities in downtown Barrington. The BHS Madrigals will perform at 4:45 p.m. and the tree-lighting ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. Santa will arrive on his firetruck following the ceremony and make his way through the crowds for visits and photos outside of the Santa Hut on Park Avenue until 6 p.m. Bring your cameras and letters to Santa. More info here. |
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Dec. 4, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
Visit with Santa at Foxford Hills Golf Club, 6800 S. Rawson Bridge Road. Free. More info. |
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Dec. 5, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. |
Merry Cary Holiday Parade and Festival: Petting zoo, pony rides, horse-drawn sleigh rides, hot chocolate bar and coffee, cookie decorating, visits with Santa, visits with “Holiday Grouch,” and more. The parade steps off at 3 p.m. |
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Dec. 4-7 |
Luminaria Walk at Vetaran Acres Park, 431 N. Walkup Avenue in Crystal Lake. Trail lit up through Veteran Acres Park. Dec. 7: Campfires, Hot Cocoa, Cookies, Candy Cane Forest and Mrs. Claus. Donations appreciated. More info. |
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Dec. 7, 9 a.m. |
Bass Pro Shop/Cabela’s Yuletide Breakfast, registration required seven days in advance: Hoffman Estates, Gurnee |
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Dec. 7, 4 to 7 p.m. |
Miracle on Main, Algonquin: Holiday Magic begins with live music and holiday performances followed by the arrival of Santa Claus and the lighting of the tree. There will be live reindeer, annual tree lighting with Santa, trackless train rides, ice sculptures, live musical performances, and more. |
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Dec. 7 |
Jaycee Hoilday Tree Walk opens for the holiday season at Jaycee Park in Cary. |
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Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
MainStreet Libertyville Dickens of a Holiday: Photos with Santa in Cook Park, the Children’s Holiday Shoppe at Petranek’s Pharmacy and Victorian Tea are among the events happening. More info here. |
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Dec. 8 |
Deadline to drop off/mail letters to Santa at the Crystal Lake Park District, 1 E. Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 |
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Dec. 8, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
Merry Cary Parade in downtown Cary: The Merry Cary Holiday Parade & Festival will run from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. This festive family celebration brings the holiday spirit to life with pony rides, horse-drawn sleigh rides, a petting zoo, and caroling by Caring Hearts & Voices. Warm up with a hot chocolate bar and enjoy activities like face painting, cookie decorating, and board game fun. Make sure to visit Santa, meet the “Christmas Belle & Ariel,” and catch a glimpse of the “Holiday Grouch!” |
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Dec. 14, 2 to 4 p.m. |
The Christmas Tree Ship Holiday Tea at Colonel Palmer House, 660 Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake: Registration required. More information here. |
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Dec. 14, 10 a.m. .to 3 p.m. |
MainStreet Libertyville Dickens of a Holiday: Photos with Santa in Cook Park, the Children’s Holiday Shoppe at Petranek’s Pharmacy and Victorian Tea are among the events happening. More info here. |
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Dec. 17, 5 p.m. |
Bass Pro Shop/Cabela’s Yuletide Breakfast, registration required seven days in advance: Hoffman Estates, Gurnee |
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This list is a work in progress. Please add your favorite holiday events and places to visits to the Google Form below and we will update this article with more info through the holiday season!
