Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

About This Event

Not to be confused with the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival the night before — this is the city's own official Christmas tree, going up in Millennium Park with a full stage show and a fireworks finale, free, the same weekend Christkindlmarket opens a few blocks over. The tree stays lit through January 10.

Chicago has had an official city Christmas tree since 1913, when a 35-foot spruce went up in Grant Park and Mayor Carter Harrison lit it on Christmas Eve. It moved to what's now Daley Plaza starting in 1966 and stayed there for nearly 50 years — skipping only 1982 — before finally relocating to Millennium Park in 2015, where a 63-foot Colorado blue spruce cut down in the suburb of Northlake became the first tree at its current home. Before 2009, the city actually used multiple trees wired together to form one official tree — the 2008 version was built from 113 individual trees.

Worth knowing: the ceremony itself starts at 6 PM and includes a stage show and fireworks, not just a switch-flip — arrive with enough time to actually get a sightline rather than showing up right at 6.