For at least the last two years, Orland Park started its holiday season on a Sunday afternoon. The 2026 version starts on a Saturday night. The Village's Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting & Festival is set for Saturday, Nov. 28, with the parade stepping off at 5 p.m. It now has a name that describes the change: the HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON RAVINIA parade.
The name comes with a rule. Every float, vehicle and walking group has to be built with at least 50% light elements. Add a drive-through light show at Orland Square Mall that runs evenings from mid-November into January, and the holiday season near Brentwood is now an evening event. The useful details are when it starts, what it asks of the people taking part, and which deadlines arrive before most families have their decorations out of the attic.
What moved between 2025 and 2026
The 2025 parade was on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 4 p.m. It ran north on Ravinia from 151st to 147th Street, and the tree lighting followed at about 5 p.m. In 2024 it was also a Sunday, Dec. 1, again starting at 4 p.m., according to the Village's 2024 announcement.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Day and date | Sunday, Nov. 30 | Saturday, Nov. 28 |
| Parade start | 4 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Route | North on Ravinia, 151st to 147th | North on Ravinia, 151st to 146th |
| Festival hours | Free activities 4 to 7 p.m. | Event runs 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Parade billing | Annual holiday parade | HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON RAVINIA, at least 50% light elements |
Last year the tree lighting came at about 5 p.m. This year the parade itself starts at 5 p.m. The whole evening now begins later, the route runs one block farther to 146th Street, and the festival goes until 8 p.m. A Saturday date also means families with Monday school and work mornings don't have to cut the night short.
The light rule changes what a parade entry takes
In 2025, the Village counted more than 50 parade participants. The list included Scouts, church and youth groups, nonprofits, dance groups, bands, performance groups and businesses. The 2024 call for entries, as the Southwest Messenger Press reported, asked entrants to be "festive, fun and in the holiday spirit." It said nothing about lighting.
The 2026 call is more specific. Entries can still be a decorated float, a vehicle, or a walking, dancing or performing unit. Whatever form they take, at least half of the display has to be light. A troop that marched in matching sweaters last year will need battery string lights, lit signs or glowing props this year. Business floats that used banners will need something that shows up in the dark. Entering is still free.
The calendar is tight for any group that wants to take part:
- Monday, Nov. 2: Parade applications are due through the Village's event page.
- Friday, Nov. 6: Applicants hear back.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 4 p.m.: Staging at 151st and Ravinia.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 5 p.m.: The parade starts. It's about 0.40 mile long and runs 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how many entries there are.
That leaves about three weeks between hearing back and the parade to wire a float. Groups planning anything more ambitious than a few strands of lights can start sketching now and sort out the details once their spot is confirmed.
The lawn becomes the show
A parade built from light makes the most sense if the space it heads toward is lit up as well, and that's what the Village Green is set up to do. The Village describes the evening as a lighted decor display on the village lawn, the tree lighting ceremony, holiday games and crafts, live entertainment and a visit from Santa.
Residents can add to that display through the 12th Annual Community Tree Trim. Here's how it works:
- Adoption is $25 per tree. The number of trees is limited, and they go first come, first served.
- Each tree is about 5 feet tall and comes with white lights. You bring the ornaments, homemade or store-bought.
- Decorating has to be finished by Saturday, Nov. 28.
- Trees are labeled with the organization's name, and with a sponsor's name if there is one.
- The trees stay up through Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, and decorations come down that day.
Since the trees stay up for more than five weeks after the festival, a family's or office's tree becomes part of every evening walk or drive past Village Hall through the holidays. Registration is through the Orland Park recreation portal.
The festival also has an indoor half at the Civic Center, 14750 S. Ravinia Ave. Inside are a coloring contest display, kids' games, crafts, a DJ and performances from local organizations. That gives families with small children somewhere warm to go between the parade and the tree lighting. Local makers and food vendors have the same Nov. 2 deadline as parade groups. Holiday market space costs $30, or $65 with electricity, for indoor or outdoor spots. The Village is looking for holiday-themed kids' items, face painters, and food and drink vendors. For a vendor selling hot drinks after dark, the extra $35 for power may be worth it.
The evening season starts before the parade and runs past it
The Village festival is one night. The light season around it is longer, and it starts two weeks earlier.
World of Illumination is bringing its "Cosmic Sleighride Christmas" drive-through light show to Orland Square Mall from Nov. 13 through Jan. 3. Show hours are 6 to 10 p.m., rain or shine, Patch reported on Oct. 14. Tickets are sold online only and start at $39.99 per vehicle. One ticket covers the whole car, however many people are in it. When Patch published, tickets weren't on sale yet, so check the World of Illumination Orland Park page for the current status. As Patch relayed it, the company describes the route as passing an "asteroid belt tunnel," a "swirling vortex" and the "mega Elf HQ towers of Strato City."
The mall show opens Friday, Nov. 13. The Village parade and tree lighting follow on Saturday, Nov. 28. Then the decorated trees on the Village lawn and the drive-through at Orland Square run side by side until the first days of January, ending one day apart on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4.
Two other dates round out December. The Orland Park Area Chamber has its HoHo Holiday Trolley Bar Crawl on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, with more details to come. The route details lower on that page are from a past year, so wait for the Chamber's 2026 update before planning around them. The Village calendar also lists a Children's New Year's Celebration on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It's one of the few daytime events of the season and a good fit for families whose kids won't make it to midnight.
A Nov. 28 plan that works with the new hours
With the parade now on a Saturday evening, the night can be planned like a regular dinner-and-event outing:
- Before 5 p.m.: Pick a spot along Ravinia between 151st and 146th. If your family has a tree on the lawn, finish decorating it before the festival starts, since Nov. 28 is the deadline.
- 5 p.m. to about 6 p.m.: The parade itself, 45 to 60 minutes of lit floats and walking groups.
- After the parade: The tree lighting ceremony, the lit lawn, and the Civic Center for crafts, games and performances until 8 p.m.
- Between Nov. 13 and Jan. 3: A loop through the Cosmic Sleighride Christmas at Orland Square Mall between 6 and 10 p.m.
For anyone who wants to be in the parade, have a tree on the lawn or sell at the market, the date that matters most right now is Monday, Nov. 2.
If you're getting a Brentwood home ready for holiday guests or thinking about what the new year might bring, the team at Toni Lucas is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect, and we'll see you on Ravinia on the 28th.
