Start the holiday with a real “high” light — one that is 85 feet tall — as the City of Chicago hosts the 92nd annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, Friday, Nov. 25, at Daley Plaza (Washington and Dearborn streets). Enjoy holiday music beginning at 4 p.m. At approximately 5 p.m., the switch is flipped and Chicago’s Holiday Tree is illuminated.
The enormous Holiday Tree is comprised of more than 100 smaller balsam fir trees. It glows with hundreds of ornaments and thousands of lights. The Tree is the heart of an authentic German holiday marketplace complete with
Santa Claus.
Visit Santa Claus and his friends at Santa’s House on Daley Plaza: Nov. 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Nov. 25 through Dec. 23, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Dec. 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Families are welcome to take their own pictures or purchase a photo memento of the occasion. Please note: Santa takes a break from 3 to 4 p.m. everyday, and lines will be curtailed to accommodate hours.
The Christkindlmarket returns to celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Daley Plaza. It will be open Nov. 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The hours for Nov. 25 through Dec. 22 are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.
to 9 p.m.
The Christkindlmarket is a four-week open-air market modeled after the famous Nuremberg Christmas market which dates back to 1545. The market offers exceptional shopping opportunities including a large selection of European holiday ornaments, live traditional Bavarian glass blowing, hand-carved wood and holiday delicacies. On Thursday through Sunday evenings, a German-American folk band will play live music in the Festival Tent. Admission is free. For more information, call the German American Chamber of Commerce of Chicago, (312) 644-2662 or visit www.christkindlmarket.com. |
