Above / As we’re anticipating the Little Friends Parade of Lights to step off at 6PM on Nov. 27, we still have fond memories of last year when “Go, Cubs, Go!” resonated along the streets in downtown Naperville. What a year of cheers!
Friday – Sunday
Weed Ladies Holiday Floral Sales – 1PM | Free
Naper Settlement – 523 S. Webster Street Naperville, IL 60563
The Weed Ladies feature hand-made dried and silk holiday-themed floral arrangements and accessories. Proceeds benefit the Naper Settlement’s education and preservation programs.
Christkindlmarket at Naper Settlement – 11AM to 9PM Fri. & Sat. | Free Admission
Naper Settlement – 523 S. Webster St Naperville, IL 60540
Stroll the museum grounds and experience an open air German-style marketplace Thursdays through Sundays until Christmas Eve. Click here for hours and special dates.
Naper Lights – 5PM | Free
Naper Settlement – 523 S. Webster St Naperville, IL 60540
Stroll the museum grounds and experience an expanded magical holiday lights celebration! Presented by Naperville Sunrise Rotary, the display features a number of large holiday-themed figures and lighted trees. For more information on Naper Lights, visit www.naperlights.com.
UPDATE / During opening night festivities on Nov. 25, hundreds of spectators watched the engaging exhibit come to light, a gift to the community from the Rotary Club of Naperville-Sunrise. In part timed to holiday music, the active display features giant winter-theme characters, decorated light poles and trees as well as a lighted arched entry leading toward the Martin Mitchell Mansion.
Folks who have attended Naper Lights in the past will note the large illuminated tree near Century Memorial Chapel grows eight feet taller every year!
Admission to the outdoor event is free to the public. Free-will donations to Naperville Sunrise Rotary will be welcomed. Funds raised will be used to address unmet needs and help support local, county and international projects that address health, safety, education and mentorship of young people.
This year, Naper Lights is enhanced by Christkindlmarket Naperville in the village square at Naper Settlement.
The bustling marketplace of wooden huts with candy cane-striped canopies is reminiscent of the original Christkindlmarket in Nuremberg, Germany.
Just steps from shopping and dining (and DNA Gift Cards) in downtown Naperville, consider Naper Settlement for one of your many stops during this holiday season.
Dine Around Naperville! Discover more than 260 delicious places to dine in or out at www.dinenaperville.com. And 40 of the eateries are throughout downtown Naperville where there are plenty of shopping opportunities in between meals. Remember! Naperville restaurants also are hosting Santa breakfasts (Catch 35 on Dec. 17) and photos with Santa (Quigley’s Irish Pub on Dec. 11) events. Cheers!
Martin Mitchell Mansion Holiday Tours – 3PM | $5
Naper Settlement –523 S. Webster St Naperville, IL 60540
Tour the Martin Mitchell Mansion this holiday season to see it beautifully decorated in the Edwardian style of the 1910s. Listed on the National Register of Historic places, the Mansion is Naper Settlements premier showcase that will be adorned in holiday splendor with help from the Naperville Garden Club. A guided tour will be given of the first story of this historic treasure. Tickets: $5/person Tickets will be sold at the door for this event. Packages, oversized bags, food, beverages and photography are not permitted inside the Martin Mitchell Mansion.
“Disney’s Beauty & the Beast” – 8PM | $20-$27
Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall – 31 S. Ellsworth Naperville, IL 60540
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast runs thru Nov. 27 (Fridays & Saturdays at 8PM/Sundays at 3PM) at Meiley-Swallow Hall at North Central College. Music by Alan Menken lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice book by Linda Woolverton directed by Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass choreographed by Jeni Donahue Adults $27 | Students and Seniors (62+) $24 | Groups of 10 or more $20. The classic Disney hit Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast, based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film and dating back to a late 18th-century classic French fairy tale, tells the story of Belle, a beautiful and intelligent young woman who feels out of place in her provincial French village. brightsidetheatre.com.
Sunday
Little Friends Parade of Lights – 6PM
Held as part of the Hometown Holidays celebration in downtown Naperville, the Little Friends Parade of Lights features a spectacular collaboration of lights, festive floats and Santa’s arrival in preparation for the busy holiday season. Thousands of people attend this annual parade, which helps to celebrate the holiday season in downtown Naperville. After the parade, dine in downtown Naperville!
Santa arrives in Naperville during the Little Friends Parade of Lights! Then find Santa! Santa! and Santa’s helpers everywhere! Take note and check your list twice for Santa events all over town! Click here to see Santa’s local schedule!
Next Weekend
Saturday & Sunday with the Naperville Municipal Band
Tuba Christmas – 11AM | Free
Held as part of the Hometown Holidays celebration in downtown Naperville, the Naperville Muncipal Band will host its annual holiday song fest with the big brass sound of tubas in front of US Bank, Jefferson at Washington. (Do you play the tuba or euphonium/baritone? Click here for player info to particpate in Tuba Christmas.)
Naperville Municipal Band Annual Christmas Concert – 3PM | Free
Also held as part of the Hometown Holidays celebration in Naperville, the Naperville Municipal Band will perform its annual Christmas Concert on stage at the Wentz Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Center. Admission is free of charge for a concert of Christmas classics and one of the most popular sing-a-longs of traditional carols and holiday tunes. For more information about all the upcoming concerts and the history of the band that’s been around since 1859, visit www.napervilleband.org. Thank you City of Naperville for support of the Municipal Band!
Saturday with OMT
Live Music at Frankie’s Blue Room – 7:30PM
The great Lara Filip opens at 7.30PM Sat., Dec. 3, playing with Shannon Greene Robb and her son Korgan. Dick Kuhn promises it should be a fun night! OMT plays from 8.30 to 11PM. Support live music if you are out ‘n about! Frankies’s Blue Room is located upstairs at 16 Chicago Ave. in downtown Naperville.
And there’s more…
Did you miss the local results of the 2016 campaign season? Check out who will be representing Naperville in DuPage and Will counties, Springfield and Washington at PN’s Election Guide, prepared to get the vote out on November 8, 2016.
And be prepared to begin paying close attention as hopefuls turn in their petitions in the coming weeks to run in the upcoming Consolidated Election slated for April 4, 2016. As of today, five residents have turned in petition packets to run for City Council. Follow local elections for City Council, Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners, Boards of Education for Districts 203 and 204 as well as township trustees and College of DuPage trustees.
Latest News
Look forward with photo-enhanced stories every day on the Latest News. In addition to events and other happenings, find public meeting notices scheduled at the Naperville Municipal Center.
Check out PN’s Events Calendar for other events as well as to help plan next week and upcoming weekends.
On the navigation bar atop the Events Calendar, find calendars specific to Runs & Walks, Charity Golf (This page soon will be updated for 2017), Festivals & Traditions over the course of the year as well as this month’s Book Events hosted by Anderson’s, North Central College Performing Arts and happenings at Naper Settlement.
