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'Tis the Season!

All families, friends, and neighbors are invited to Fountain Square in downtown Evanston on Saturday, December 5, from 4:30-7PM to help celebrate the holidays at our annual tree lighting event with Santa & Mrs. Claus and other special guests. Throughout the evening, you'll enjoy live holiday-themed music performed by several local singing groups. And, warm up with hot cocoa from Colectivo Coffee! 

Live entertainment will start at 4:30PM. The brief tree lighting ceremony will take place right around 5PM, followed by more live entertainment at Fountain Square. Starting around 5:30PM, Santa & Mrs. Claus will offer free photo ops in The Crystal Ballroom at The Merion (1611 Chicago Avenue) -- so get those lists ready! The Merion will also have complimentary warm beverages and sweet treats from 5:30-7PM!

THANKS TO OUR 2026 EVENT SPONSORS!
City of Evanston/Enjoy Evanston
Brightview Landscaping
J. Blanton Plumbing
ULRI/ULSE
Evanston Community Bank & Trust
Goldfish Swim School of Evanston
Teska Associates
Valli Produce: International Fresh Market
The Crystal Ballroom and The Merion



SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
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4:30PM | Evanston Children's Choir
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4:50PM | Welcoming Remarks
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5PM | Tree Lighting with elected officials and Santa & Mrs. Claus
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5:10-5:30PM | TBD
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5:30-5:45PM | TBD
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5:45-6PM | TBD
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5:30-7PM | Photos with Santa & Mrs. Claus in The Crystal Ballroom at The Merion
Please use the main entrance at 1611 Chicago Avenue
The Evanston Children's Choir will also perform at The Merion from 5:30-6PM


Special thanks to The Merion and The Crystal Ballroom for hosting photos with Santa & Mrs. Claus. Families are also invited to bring donations for the Mayor's Holiday Toy, Food & Book Drive to The Merion, which will have a donation box on site.

If you're driving into downtown Evanston for the Holiday Light Celebration, we recommend taking advantage of the free holiday parking at meters, or using the Sherman Plaza Self Park garage--it's only a block away from Fountain Square. More information about parking. Downtown Evanston is also easily accessible by bike, bus or train! For questions, email info@DowntownEvanston.org.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY EVENT:
Warm Bevvy Walk | Thursday, December 10, 4-7PM

Thanks to our 2026 event Sponsors!

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Brightview Landscapes

Brightview Landscapes

BrightView is the nation’s leading commercial landscape company. We take pride in delivering consistently excellent results for clients across the country, throughout the lifecycle of their landscapes.

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J. Blanton Plumbing

J. Blanton Plumbing

At J. Blanton, we understand the importance of an owner’s home. We know that when disaster strikes, you need more than just a plumber; you need a problem solver who can bring fast relief to unexpected chaos. For more than 30 years, our professionals have raced through heat, rain, snow, and hail to restore order and peace back into the homes of many Chicagoland families.

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ULRI & ULSE

ULRI & ULSE

At UL Standards & Engagement, we believe safety and innovation go hand-in-hand. We develop and advocate for standards, the criteria used to ensure products, services, and systems work as safely as possible for you.

Since we published our first standard in 1903, we’ve done just that, pooling diverse expertise from around the world to improve everyday safety for people like you. We partner with leading organizations, safety professionals, and advocates to support initiatives that protect, educate, and drive change.

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Evanston Community Bank & Trust

Evanston Community Bank & Trust

We're your friends. We're your neighbors. We're your local Wintrust Community Bank. As part of the larger Wintrust Community Bank family, we were built in this area, for this area. We work hard to be an asset to the people and communities we serve: to get to know you and your needs in order to offer the best banking products and even better service. As a Wintrust Community Bank, we’re proud to invest in and give back to our local area.

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Goldfish Swim School-Evanston

Goldfish Swim School-Evanston

At Goldfish Swim School—Evanston, we believe that your child deserves to have an incredible swimming experience in the safest and most fun environment possible. Our indoor swimming lessons, including infant and toddler lessons, are specially designed to make learning fun through guided play. Swim Lessons are offered year-round with open enrollment, for children ages 3 months to 12 years old. Dive in with a Free Trial lesson today! 

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Teska Associates

Teska Associates

Founded in 1975, Teska was built on a simple belief: great places come from bringing people, ideas, and expertise together. 

Today, our planners, designers, and strategists carry that thinking forward, connecting vision with practical solutions that serve the people and places behind every project.

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Valli Produce: International Fresh Market

Valli Produce: International Fresh Market

Valli Produce International Fresh Market is proudly named after its founder's home, a small farm town in Calabria, Italy. The people from Valli were extremely hard working and the small community was like a big family. The Valli roots begin with Alfredo Presta who was taught at a young age by his father, Domenico, to care for everyone and help provide for many of the other families who needed help even though sometimes they struggled themselves. Alfredo Presta came to America like many Italian immigrants looking for opportunity and a better life then they left behind in the farming town of Valli. In 1989, Alfredo partnered with his two nephews, Lou Tenuta and Frank Chilelli also born in Valli, and together they opened the first Valli Produce in Arlington Heights. Valli Produce in Evanston opened in 2015.

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The Merion

The Merion

Discover an independent senior living lifestyle located in bustling Downtown Evanston at 1611 Chicago Avenue. Their beautifully restored historic property is only minutes from Chicago, within walking distance to the lakeshore and North Shore neighborhoods and steps from Northwestern University. Now, you can retire how you’ve always wanted – in comfort and style, with a renewed sense of freedom and purpose.

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