Oak Brook's holiday calendar this year rests on two free events. The Oak Brook Park District's Winter Lights at Central Park runs every night from November 20 through January 3. The Drake Oak Brook's annual tree lighting is on the evening of December 2. Neither one charges admission. Most of what costs money this season is scheduled around them: the brunches, the teas, the Santa photos and the Drury Lane shows.
Oakbrook Center is the place most people picture when they think of Oak Brook, and its holiday plans aren't public yet. As of mid-October, the Oakbrook Center events page lists no news or events. What the Center does have this fall is a new set of tenants, covered at the end. Here's the season in date order, starting with the events that set it.
Winter Lights Opens the Friday Before Thanksgiving
Winter Lights at Central Park runs from Friday, November 20, through Sunday, January 3, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. every night. Admission is free and donations are welcome. That's six weeks of evenings with no ticket window, no time slots and no booking.
You walk it rather than drive it. Here's how the Park District describes it:
- Route: a paved, accessible, one-way loop of about half a mile that you can walk or roll.
- Displays: dancing trees, rainbow arches, cascading snowflakes, twirling icicles, butterflies and musical hearts.
- Sensory-friendly half hour: 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. every day, before the full show starts.
- Location: the Park District's events listing gives the address as 1500 Forest Gate Rd. The Winter Lights page links to a parking and walking map for Central Park West, and that map is the best guide to where to park and start.
A half-mile loop fits in after dinner on a weeknight. Because it runs every night, Winter Lights works as something to stop by repeatedly. Out-of-town guests arriving over Thanksgiving or between Christmas and New Year's can see it on whatever night fits.
December 2 at the Drake
The second free event is short. The Drake Oak Brook's annual tree lighting is Wednesday, December 2, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Carolers sing, and the hotel serves hot chocolate and cookies. The Drake asks guests to bring a canned good for its annual food drive for the local food pantry.
The tree lighting opens the Drake's own December. The hotel's paid events run about every few days from Thanksgiving to the end of the month, so the free evening on December 2 is also the easiest way to see the lobby before booking anything there.
Sunday, December 13 Has Two Santa Events
Most December weekends in Oak Brook have one or two things on the calendar. Sunday, December 13, has two separate Santa events on the same afternoon.
| Holiday Express | Brunch with Santa and Mrs. Claus | |
|---|---|---|
| Host | Oak Brook Park District | The Drake Oak Brook |
| Where | Trolley from the Family Recreation Center, 1450 Forest Gate Rd., to the "North Pole" at Central Park West | Lower level of the hotel |
| When | Trolley time slots from 1:00 to 3:40 p.m. | Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| What's included | Visit with Santa, crafts, bounce house, refreshments | Brunch, plus professional photos |
| Booking | Registration required for each traveler | Reservation through the Drake |
The Holiday Express registration listing requires registration for each traveler age 2 and older and says children 2 and under are free. The fee shows up in the registration system, not on the event page. Holiday Express runs on set time slots, so families who want a particular trolley should register early.
The Drake holds its Santa brunch twice, on December 13 and December 19. The hotel calls it part of its "Sunday Brunch," but December 19 falls on a Saturday this year, so check the day when you book.
The Ticketed Season Fills In Around Them
The paid events cluster at the Drake and at Drury Lane Theatre, which is just over the line in Oakbrook Terrace. In date order:
- Annie, from Wednesday, November 4, through January 10. It's part of Drury Lane's 2026–27 season.
- Thanksgiving Brunch at the Drake, Thursday, November 26. Chef Ezequiel's menu includes carving stations, a seafood bar, omelet and waffle stations and a dessert table. Seating runs from 10 a.m. to the last seating at 3 p.m.
- Tea After the Shopping Spree, Friday, November 27. The Drake's Black Friday high tea.
- A Christmas Carol, November 27 through December 26. Drury Lane's young-audience production opens the day after Thanksgiving.
- A Dickens Christmas Dinner, Friday, December 11. A prix fixe holiday dinner at the Drake, with carolers from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Gingerbread House Workshop, Wednesday, December 16. Executive Chef Ezequiel builds the gingerbread house shown in the Drake's lobby every year. At this workshop he teaches kids and their families to build their own.
- Brunch with Santa and the Grinch, Sunday, December 20. The menu includes the chef's version of Roast Beast, and photos run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Christmas Eve Dinner, Thursday, December 24, 3 to 6 p.m. A holiday buffet.
- Teas and Tiaras, Monday, December 28, 2 to 5:30 p.m. A princess holiday tea party with tiaras, special teacups and a photo booth. The Drake says it's the first one it has held.
The Drake also serves a traditional holiday high tea throughout the season, with no set date.
Winter Lights runs from November 20 to January 3, so it's open on every Drake date above and on most of the Drury Lane run. Between those dates, a night with tickets to Annie or a dinner at the Drake can end with a walk around the Central Park loop at no extra cost, as long as you arrive before 9:30.
Before Thanksgiving: Trunk or Treat and Graue Mill's Last Weeks
The season starts before the lights go up. This Sunday, October 25, the Village holds its Trunk or Treat and Public Works Open House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 600 Oak Brook Road. It's on the Village calendar.
Graue Mill and Museum has several programs left on its November schedule:
- Spinning Bees on November 1 and November 15
- A Guided Tour on November 3
- Spinning for Beginners on November 4
- Homeschool Historians on November 17
- A Brown Bag Lunch and Learn on November 19
The Forest Preserve District describes the mill's season as mid-April through mid-November, so the late-November programs are near the edge of that window. Check the event page before you go. After Graue Mill closes for the year, the season's daily schedule moves over to Central Park.
What's New at Oakbrook Center Is in the Stores
The Center's holiday news so far is new tenants. Hotel Chocolat announced its permanent Oakbrook Center location on August 14, and its opening-weekend events began Saturday, August 15. The space has two connected parts. One is a chocolate shop. The other is a walk-up café that serves drinking chocolate, shakes and soft serve, next to a Wall of Chocolate.
The Oakbrook Center directory also lists Dior, Faherty and Mejuri as "Now Open" and Mugsy as "Coming Soon." With Hotel Chocolat, that makes one café and three retailers marked as open for holiday shopping, plus one more on the way.
If you're driving to any of this, check on road work. The Village's capital projects map, published September 4, shows the Route 83 water main replacement in preconstruction, with construction planned for fall 2026. The same map says the Ginger Creek water main and storm improvements are under construction and planned for completion this fall. The project map has current status for each project.
If you have family coming in for the holidays and want to show them more of Oak Brook than Winter Lights, Timothy Soltys knows these neighborhoods street by street and answers quickly. Call or message Tim for a quick conversation about Oak Brook, whether that's settling a family question or planning your own next move.
