What does Park Ridge have to show for Winterfest on the Saturday after? In most years, not much. The trolleys stop running, the luminaries are gone, and the town's biggest holiday night is over within a few hours.

This year, the night of Friday, November 27 leaves something behind. The Park Ridge Park District has added a row of decorated, LED-lit trees along the path in Hodges Park. Local families, businesses and organizations decorate them during Thanksgiving week, and the lights go on at Winterfest. After that, the display stays up for the rest of the season. So the Friday after Thanksgiving starts something this year, and that changes how the rest of November and December fit together.

A Row of Trees Decorated by Neighbors

The Park District's event listing presents the project as something new:

"Join us for a new holiday tradition and light up Hodges Park! Purchase a tree from the Park District and decorate it with your family, friends, business, or organization."

Each tree costs $125. The Park District supplies the tree fully lit and adds a sign naming the family or group that decorated it. Only a limited number of trees were available, and sign-ups ran through the Friends of the Parks from September 1 to November 2. Registration closed on November 2, so for most residents the trees are now something to walk past, not something to sign up for.

The schedule gives the display a clear timeline:

• Saturday, November 21: trees are ready to decorate.
• Wednesday, November 25: decorating should be done by this date.
• Friday, November 27: the lights come on at Winterfest. The Park District lists the Hodges Park event from 6 to 9 p.m.

The trees go up during Thanksgiving week, when many households are already decorating at home. The difference is that these are decorated in public, with a name on each one. The Park District says the result is meant to be "a festive display for all to enjoy throughout the holiday season."

The Night the Lights Come On

The Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce lists Winterfest for Friday, November 27, in three places: Uptown, South Park and North Park. The listing gives no times or schedule of activities.

Last year's event shows the usual setup. Journal & Topics reported that the Chamber ran the 2025 celebration from 5 to 9 p.m., with Uptown's tree lighting at 6. It also reported that the Chamber hired four trolley buses instead of the usual three and added a stop to the route. Here is how the night was laid out in 2025:

Uptown, 2025

• Tree lighting at 6 p.m.
• Santa at City Hall from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., according to Kidlist's 2025 event listing
• Luminaries along Prospect and Courtland avenues
• Holiday drinks at Harp & Fiddle, with part of the proceeds going to the Chamber

South Park, 2025

• Grinch photos at Ash & Willow Eco Salon, 610 Devon Ave., from 5 to 8 p.m.
• Tours at Fire Station 35 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

North Park, 2025

• Reindeer photos at Olson's Ace Hardware, 700 N. Northwest Hwy., from 5 to 8 p.m., with tote bags for the first 100 visitors

According to the same report, Girl Scouts performed at all three locations, and luminaries lined the trolley stops in South Park and North Park as well as Uptown.

The trolley loop is what turns three business districts into one event, and it is also what made Winterfest so short. Every stop on that route closed down the same night. Now Hodges Park is on the Winterfest map too, and its stop stays lit after the trolleys are put away. Until the Chamber posts the 2026 program, these 2025 details show the general shape of the night, not this year's schedule.

Three Weeks Leading Up to It

The weeks before Winterfest are full of Park District events that build toward the holidays.

1. Saturday, November 7. The Treasures & Trinkets Holiday Bazaar runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It sells handmade crafts, clothing, jewelry and gifts, and the money supports S.T.A.R., which stands for Seniors Together At Recreation. Later that day, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Pumpkin Smash & Bash has people rolling pumpkins down the Centennial Sled Hill, smashing them, and tossing them onto compost piles.
2. Saturday, November 14. The Chamber lists Harp, Art & Wine at Harp and Fiddle. The Park District holds an adults-only Trivia Night the same evening. Teams of up to eight pay $360, which covers eight rounds, pizza, salad and 24 drink tickets. Registration closes November 8, doors open at 6, and play starts at 7.
3. Monday, November 16. Santa's Mailbox opens at the Maine Park Leisure Center. Letters with a full name and address get a reply, and postage is covered. The same day, the 7th Annual S.T.A.R. Turkey Trot & Luncheon runs from noon to 2:45 p.m., with a one-mile walk around the CAC. A family Science Night follows from 4 to 7 p.m.

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, November 22, the Park District has a Thanksgiving Skate at Oakton Ice Arena from 1 to 2 p.m.

Oakton's Second Holiday Season

The Oakton Sports Complex is no longer brand new. Journal & Topics reported that the renovated complex reopened on August 23, 2025, after closing for work in April 2024. The Park District says the project replaced the 53-year-old arena's outdated refrigeration system, which used R-22 refrigerant that is no longer made. The building now has a 200-by-85-foot main rink and a 60-by-90-foot studio rink.

That second rink makes evening skating easier. The facility page lists these public skate hours from September 8 through January 3:

• Weekdays, 11 a.m. to noon, main rink
• Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:10 to 8:10 p.m., studio rink
• Fridays, 6:10 to 7:10 p.m., main rink
• Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 2 p.m., main rink

Admission is $7 and skate rental is $4 for all ages. There is no public skate on November 6 and 7 or on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. That means no public skate on Saturday, November 7, the day of the bazaar. For anyone who doesn't skate, the indoor walking track around the turf field is free all year.

After the Lights Are On

In past years, the holiday events after Winterfest felt like separate dates on a calendar. This year, the Hodges Park trees are lit throughout, so each December event is another reason to be out on a night when the display is already up.

The first weekend of December is the busiest:

• Saturday, December 5: The Park District's Grinch Candy Cane Hunt runs from 11 a.m. to noon.
• Sunday, December 6: The Liberty Bank "It's a Wonderful Life" event takes place at the Pickwick, and the ChristFiddle Market is at Harp and Fiddle. The Pickwick's listing says the screening is free and no ticket is needed. Donations at the door go to the Park Ridge Community Fund. Neither listing gives a start time yet, so check before you go.
• Wednesday, December 9: "You've Been Grinched!" lets residents arrange a surprise candy cane hunt at a friend's or neighbor's house. The Park District's helpers hide two dozen candy canes in the front yard and leave a sign on the door.

The Pickwick's live schedule also lists ZERO A.D.: The Birth of Christ on December 10 and Avengers: Doomsday on December 17. The schedule is current as of late October, and listings can change.

All of this happens while the trees in Hodges Park stay up, each one carrying the name of the family, business or group that decorated it. Even if you skip the parade of trolleys on November 27, you can walk the path any evening in December and see who signed up in the display's first year.

If you're curious what your Park Ridge home is worth this season, or what's on the market around Uptown, South Park and North Park, The CS Group is happy to help. Request a free market consultation or home valuation, and we'll walk you through the numbers block by block.