Without the Parade of Lights, Naperville's Holiday Season Starts in Pieces

On Monday evening, Nov. 2, the trees and rooftops downtown began lighting up around 5 p.m. There was no countdown, no stage and no crowd waiting at a barricade. The Downtown Naperville Alliance said ahead of time that there would be "no ceremony" and that the lights would come on gradually on the first evening after Daylight Saving Time ended.

That quiet Monday sets the pattern for the rest of the season. Naperville used to start the holidays with one big public moment: the parade through downtown on the day after Thanksgiving. This year that moment has been split into a run of smaller starts spread across six weeks, each with its own time, place and, increasingly, its own sign-up.

What the parade used to hold together

In February, NCTV17 reported that the Rotary Club of Naperville had canceled its 2026 Holiday Parade of Lights after more than two decades of the tradition. Linda LaCloche, the City of Naperville's director of communications, told the station the club cited the "high cost of producing the event relative to its return."

The money side was fairly small. Naperville's special 1% tax on food and beverages funds local events through the Special Events and Community Arts Commission. NCTV17 reported that the Rotary Club asked for $26,773 from that fund for the 2026 parade and the commission recommended $22,300. With the parade canceled, that money goes back to the fund unless it is given to another event.

The parade was older than the Rotary Club's role in it. It began as the Friends of Little Friends Hometown Holidays Parade, a partnership between the Downtown Naperville Alliance and Little Friends, Inc. The Rotary Club took over as organizer in 2021 and gave proceeds from entry fees and sponsorships to charities it selected. NCTV17 called it "Naperville's signature start of the holiday season." Katie Wood, executive director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance, told the station she was "saddened" by the news and that the Alliance remained "committed to preserving the warmth and holiday spirit downtown for children and families alike."

That commitment now shows up on the calendar as a different kind of event.

The day after Thanksgiving becomes an afternoon

On Friday, Nov. 27, the Alliance is holding Downtown Holiday Glow from 3 to 6 p.m. It has roaming performers, face painters, free hot chocolate and holiday giveaways while supplies last. The event is free, and it's set up around Black Friday shopping rather than a parade route.

Santa still comes through downtown, with one change the Alliance explains in its own words:

"Santa will be making a special drive through downtown in his red pickup truck — his sleigh isn't quite ready yet!"

That drive-through is planned for around 5 p.m. So the old routine of claiming a curb spot for a parade turns into a three-hour window, and the Santa sighting is something you catch while walking around downtown.

Holiday Glow takes over the parade's Friday, and it sits in the middle of a long weekend that now looks like this:

Naper Lights runs from Thanksgiving through Jan. 1, 4 to 10 p.m. nightly. It's a free light-and-sound display along Water Street, Foyo Plaza, Jaycees Park and the Riverwalk, and you can pick up free 3D viewing glasses at the event. The Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise, a separate club from the one that ran the parade, presents Naper Lights as a gift to the community. So the light show running alongside Black Friday is still a Rotary project, just from a different club.

On Small Business Saturday weekend, Nov. 28–29, the Alliance is promoting a Shop Small Passport, chances to win gift cards and other holiday surprises from downtown businesses.

The season's start moments now sit weeks apart

The parade used to pack the start of the season into one evening. Now the starts are spread from early November to mid-December, and more of them have limited capacity:

1. Mon., Nov. 2. Downtown lights begin coming on around 5 p.m., with no ceremony. They stay up through Dec. 31.
2. Wed., Nov. 18. Naper Settlement's Holiday Tree Lighting runs 5 to 7 p.m., with the ceremony at 5:15 p.m., plus hot drinks, cookies and visits with Santa. It's free, but you have to register.
3. Fri., Nov. 20. Christkindlmarket opens for the season at RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway in Aurora, not in Naperville. It runs through Dec. 24, and its hours vary by day.
4. Thu., Nov. 26. Naper Lights turns on for its Thanksgiving-to-New-Year's run.
5. Fri., Nov. 27. Downtown Holiday Glow and Santa's pickup truck.
6. Mon., Nov. 30. The Naperville Park District's Santa's Naperville Workshop opens. It runs through Dec. 22, with weekday evening sessions and weekend sessions from noon to 8 p.m. Reservations are required, and the Park District's page already shows many sessions as full.
7. Thu., Dec. 3. The Downtown Naperville Holiday Wine Walk runs 4 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $50, and check-in is staggered between 4 and 6 p.m. The Alliance says this walk is smaller than its seasonal ones.
8. Dec. 11–13. Naper Settlement's Holly Jolly Days run 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, and 1 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 12 and 13. There are crafts, stories and a Victorian holiday photo stop, according to Positively Naperville's November–December listing.

Look at what that list asks of you. The tree lighting requires registration. The wine walk has assigned check-in slots and fewer spots than usual. Santa's Workshop needs a reservation, and many of its sessions are already marked full. The parade was the one holiday event you could just show up for. What's left rewards people who plan ahead, so if Santa's Workshop is on your family's list, check the Park District page this week instead of after Thanksgiving.

Where to eat after the glow

The Alliance ends its Holiday Glow description by suggesting families "let one of our downtown restaurants do the cooking." Downtown's restaurant lineup has changed since last December, and the biggest shift is on one block of Jefferson Avenue.

NCTV17 listed Cantina Taco Grill, a Mexican restaurant at 15 W. Jefferson Ave., with an Oct. 29 opening date in its October roundup of new businesses. Next door at 16 W. Jefferson, Lennon's announced it would cease operations a little over a year after opening, NCTV17 reported in September.

The same roundup named more downtown arrivals: Deep Purpl, a Brazilian açaí bowl cafe at 120 Water St., Suite 101; I Heart Gyro, a Mediterranean restaurant at 22 E. Chicago Ave., Suite 120; and SEE Eyewear at 214 S. Main St. In NCTV17's report from the Oct. 7 commercial real estate presentation, Slyce of NY was nearing completion downtown, State and Liberty was among the planned downtown arrivals, Barry's Fitness was planned for Main Street Promenade, and Lizzano was in early planning for a Water Street location.

If your holiday plans take you away from downtown, three newer restaurants elsewhere in town opened in the weeks before this season, per NCTV17:

• Shinhwa Korean Steakhouse, 2856 Patriot's Lane, opened Oct. 1.
• Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai, 1603 N. Aurora Road, Suite 111, opened Oct. 10.
• Vasco's Peri Peri, 3124 S. Route 59, Suite 146, started a soft opening in early October.

Farther south, BODYBAR Pilates is planned for early December at 2936 Showplace Drive, Suite 106, so it may open right before the holiday rush.

Even without the parade, the Friday after Thanksgiving still ends downtown. Santa arrives around 5 p.m., and Naper Lights is running along the Riverwalk until 10.

Holiday weekends are also when a lot of Naperville homeowners start thinking about what next year could bring. If that includes a move, or you just want to know where your home stands before the new year, Alejandro Trujillo and the RE/MAX NEXT team can give you a clear, local read. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, and you'll have the numbers in hand before the lights come down on Dec. 31.