Lighting the Christmas Tree in Chicago: A Tradition Since 1913
Chicago has lit an official Christmas tree since 1913. From Grant Park to Daley Plaza to Millennium Park, the history of the tradition and how the city picks its tree.
Every November, crowds bundle up downtown to watch the city's official Christmas tree light up. It's one of Chicago's oldest holiday traditions, and it's been going for more than a century.
The first tree: 1913
The first municipal Christmas tree was lit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1913, by Mayor Carter Harrison Jr. in Grant Park. It was a 35-foot spruce with 600 colored lights, topped with a star. The newspapers reported a crowd of about 100,000 people.
Chicago was one of the first big American cities to put up an official public tree, and the tradition has been held nearly every year since.
Daley Plaza: 1966 to 2014
In 1966, the tree moved to the new Civic Center Plaza, later renamed Daley Plaza. For nearly 50 years, the tree stood next to the Picasso sculpture, and for many Chicagoans that's still the picture they have in mind: the tree, the Picasso, and later the Christkindlmarket around it. See how Christkindlmarket came to Chicago.
Millennium Park: 2015 and on
In 2015, the city moved the tree and the ceremony to Millennium Park, part of an effort to build a "winter campus" with the ice rink and holiday events in one place. The tree now stands near Cloud Gate and the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink.
Where the tree comes from
The city's tree usually comes from a resident. Each year, Chicagoans can nominate a big tree from their yard. The city looks at the nominations, picks one with the right size and shape, and cuts it down, hauls it downtown, and decorates it. For some families, seeing their tree as the city's tree is a once-in-a-lifetime honor.
The ceremony
The lighting usually happens in mid to late November, the week before Thanksgiving, with music, performers and the mayor flipping the switch. Watch the city's announcements for this year's date and time.
Other ways to see it
- Skating at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink nearby.
- The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, usually the weekend before Thanksgiving, lights up Michigan Avenue.
- Christkindlmarket for mulled wine and gifts.
- The 'L' holiday train, decorated with lights, runs on CTA lines in December.
A Chicago tradition
From a single spruce in Grant Park to a tree that thousands come to see in Millennium Park, the tree lighting is still one of the best free things to do downtown in November. Dress warm.
Sources (2)
CBS Chicago: A look at the tradition of the Chicago tree lighting; CBS Chicago: City's official Christmas tree moving to Millennium Park.
Photo: 105th Annual Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Millennium Park in Chic.jpg) by Natasha Jelezkina from Chicago, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0.