At 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 28, floats, decorated vehicles and walking groups will start lining up at 151st Street and Ravinia Avenue. At 5 p.m. they will head north toward 146th Street. Under the Village's rules for this year, every one of them has to glow.
The Village of Orland Park's Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting & Festival runs 5 to 8 p.m. on the Village Green at 14700 S. Ravinia Ave. That is a different day and a later hour than last year. This year the Village has made light the entry requirement for the parade, and two of the ways a family or group can take part are limited. Both close well before Thanksgiving.
The Clock Moved an Hour, and the Day Changed Too
For the past two years, the festival ran on a Sunday afternoon. According to the Village's November 2025 release, last year's event ran Sunday, November 30, from 4 to 7 p.m., and the parade stepped off at 4. A 2024 Patch preview put that year's parade on Sunday, December 1.
| Year | Day and date | Hours | Parade start |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sunday, Dec. 1 | Starts 4 p.m. | 4 p.m. |
| 2025 | Sunday, Nov. 30 | 4 to 7 p.m. | 4 p.m. |
| 2026 | Saturday, Nov. 28 | 5 to 8 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
The 2026 date is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the parade starts an hour later than last year's. Last year, the tree lighting came "around 5 p.m.," after the parade. This year, the parade is the part that happens at 5.
Why Every Parade Entry Now Has to Light Up
The Village has named the parade "Holiday Lights on Ravinia," and the rule matches the name. Entering is free, but each float, vehicle, or walking, dancing or performing unit needs light elements on at least 50% of it. Entries are due Monday, November 2, and the Village says it will notify applicants by Friday, November 6. Groups apply through the parade application form.
From the event page, parade night runs like this:
- 4 p.m.: staging at 151st and Ravinia
- 5 p.m.: the parade heads north on Ravinia from 151st to 146th
- Route length: 0.40 mile
- Parade length: 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how many entries the Village accepts
The parade has drawn a big field before. The 2025 release counted 50 local businesses and organizations, plus hundreds of walkers, with the Carl Sandburg High School Marching Eagles and Santa's arrival. The 2024 Patch preview described more than 50 groups. A schoolkids' float, a youth sports team or a business van that wants in this year has until Monday to apply.
The participant application tells entrants they can park in the Village Hall or Franklin Loebe lots. It also says those lots and Ravinia Avenue close from 5 to 6 p.m., so anyone who needs to leave before 6 should park somewhere else nearby. The Village says it will send staging instructions, a map and more parking details closer to parade day.
Twenty Trees, Most Already Spoken For
Through the Community Tree Trim, families, scout troops, church groups, athletic teams and businesses can adopt a tree and decorate it any way they like. Those trees become part of the lighted display on the Village Green. The tree trim registration page lists these terms:
- $25 per tree, first-come, first-served
- A limit of 20 trees
- Trees about 5 feet tall, with lights and a sign carrying the group's name
- Decorations are up to you, handmade or store-bought
- Decorations come down by Monday, January 4, 2027
Registration opened to residents on August 6 and to non-residents on August 19. When the page was checked in late October, it showed 6 of the 20 spots still open. The page updates live, so the number may be lower by the time you read this.
Two Village pages give different deadlines for decorating. The registration page says trees must be finished by Friday, November 27. The festival event page says Saturday, November 28. Plan for Friday, and call the Recreation and Parks Department at 708-403-5000 if your group needs the extra day.
The trees have a local backstory. The Village's 2025 release credited the Orland Park Lions Club with donating the community trees that local groups, families, businesses and organizations adopt.
The Vendor Deadline Is the Same Monday
For businesses, the other entry point is a vendor table. The Village is looking for holiday-themed children's items, face painters, and food and drink vendors, both outdoors and inside the Civic Center at 14750 S. Ravinia. A space costs $30, or $65 with electricity, and applications are due November 2, the same day as parade entries. Apply through the holiday market vendor form.
The 2026 event page lists the indoor program as a coloring contest display, children's games, crafts, a DJ and performances by local organizations, without contest rules or a performance lineup.
What Last Year's Night Held
Last year's lineup shows what the Village builds around the lighting. Under the 2025 theme, "Winter WondORLAND," the release listed live reindeer, Anna and Elsa at the Princess Palace, the Enchanted Village Green, the Candyland bounce house, hot chocolate, fire pits and photos in Santa's sleigh. Families could also take photos with Santa in the Village Hall lobby beside a 20-foot tree and train set.
The 2025 Patch event listing mentioned 20 community trees and lit lawn pieces such as an origami tree and a double cone. It also posted this schedule for the Civic Center stage:
| 2025 time | Performer |
|---|---|
| 4 to 7 p.m. | DJ |
| 5:10 to 5:25 p.m. | American Dance Center |
| 5:35 to 5:50 p.m. | Ballet 5:8 |
| 6 to 6:15 p.m. | Elevate Dance Company |
| 6:25 to 6:40 p.m. | Konquer Dance Company |
| 6:50 to 7 p.m. | Orland Park Youth Singers/Carolers |
That was last year's lineup, scheduled around a 4 p.m. start. The 2026 event page doesn't list acts or times, and this year's festival starts an hour later.
Last year, the Carl Sandburg High School Chamber Singers led carols after the parade. Then Mayor Jim Dodge led the countdown to light the Village Christmas Tree in the Village Circle outside Village Hall, which also lit the displays across the Village Green. In the release, Dodge said the event is "a reminder of the joy, generosity and togetherness that define Orland Park during the holidays."
The Lawn Stays Lit After the Crowd Leaves
The Village says the adopted trees will remain on the lawn from November 28 through Monday, January 4, 2027, so a group that decorates one gets about five weeks of display on Ravinia. The event page doesn't give viewing hours or a nightly lighting schedule.
The Village's December 2026 calendar doesn't list another holiday event on the Village Green. Its next family event is the Children's New Year's Celebration on December 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Franklin Loebe Center.
For spectator parking and updates as the date gets closer, the Village points residents to orlandpark.org/christmasfest and the Recreation and Parks Department at 708-403-5000.
At Aaron Gaines, we follow Orland Park's calendar the way neighbors do, from the Monday entry deadlines to the night the tree lights up. If you're thinking about what your home is worth before the holidays, start with a free home valuation. We're glad to walk you through the numbers before November 28.
