Jason Crane/The Voice
Two of the largest outdoor drive-through-holiday-light displays in northern Illinois are presented in the Aurora area. A third is recognized as one of the oldest traditional Christmas display in Illinois:
• The Festival of Lights at Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, Aurora, presented by the Noon Rotary Club of Aurora, in partnership with the city government of Aurora, will take place Friday, Nov. 29 through Thursday, Dec. 26. It has more than 25,000 cars every year which view dozens of displays with more than 200,000 individual lights.
Visitors to the Festival of Lights at Phillip Park are advised to enter from Smith Boulevard traveling south past 6th Avenue in Aurora.
According to a report in The Beacon-News, the Festival of Lights has raised more than $1 Million in donations that go to non-profit organizations in Aurora. Teams of volunteers come together each year to make this dazzling event a must-see attraction during the holiday season. The Festival is free and begins the day after Thanksgiving through the day after Christmas.
For more information visit www.aurorafestivaloflights.com.
• Mooseheart Holiday Lights will enter its 10th year of operation Friday, Nov. 29 through Tuesday, Dec. 31 at its campus, 240 W. James J. Davis Drive, Mooseheart. The illuminated route covers approximately two miles and has more than 80 lighted displays to view. On select nights, the $10 admission price per vehicle includes the driving tour of the light displays as well as visits with Santa Claus at the Mooseheart fieldhouse. In addition to visits with Santa, children can enjoy crafts, holiday music, hot cocoa, and Christmas cookies at the Mooseheart fieldhouse.
For more information visit www.mooseheart.org/event/holiday-lights.
• Entering its 68th year in 2019, the Lehnertz Avenue Christmas Display has been a community tradition for generations. Lehnertz is a mile-long avenue in Aurora’s near East Side and will run from the first week of December through January 2, 2020.
The free holiday drive-through tour represents the biblical Christmas story as told through an elegant collection of illuminated books, figures representing biblical figures, and a manger scene. Retro whimsy will be on display at Lehnertz Avenue, too, with Peanuts characters and more surprises.
—Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau