Rally the corgi has sniffed out 3 Christmas events for kids in Prospect Heights for 2026, all from the Prospect Heights Park District. Santa’s mailbox opens at the Gary Morava Recreation Center on November 27, the mayor lights the tree as Santa arrives on November 28, and the Holiday Trolley Express tours the neighborhood lights on December 17 and 18. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Prospect Heights
- 3 Christmas events for kids in Prospect Heights
- Letters to Santa: November 27 to December 18, free
- Tree Lighting and Santa Arrival: Saturday, November 28, 5 pm, free
- Holiday Trolley Express: December 17 and 18, $15
- Every date checked on the Prospect Heights Park District website on Nov 11
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All 3 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Prospect Heights events researched for you.
- New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in Prospect Heights.
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Waiting inside
- 3 Santa
- 2 Lights
- 2 Free
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The Christmas magic awaits
Enter your email to get Christmas event notifications all season long and unlock the details on 2 Christmas events in Prospect Heights.
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Free Christmas events for kids in Prospect Heights
Free letters with a reply from SantaFree
Letters to Santa Mailbox
- When: Friday, November 27, to Friday, December 18, 2026
- Where: Gary Morava Recreation Center, 110 W Camp McDonald Rd, Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa’s elves deliver a magical mailbox to the Gary Morava Recreation Center the day after Thanksgiving, and kids can drop their letters in it any time until December 18.
Every letter with a name and return address gets a reply from the North Pole, which makes the trip to the mailbox the start of the fun rather than the end.
Parent tip: Write your full name and return address on the letter, and drop it off well before December 18, when the elves take the mailbox back north.
- Host
- Prospect Heights Park District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Gary Morava Recreation Center, 110 W Camp McDonald Rd, Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Prospect Heights events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Prospect Heights daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Prospect Heights.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more Prospect Heights events researched for you.
- New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in Prospect Heights.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Prospect Heights before they fill up.
- Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
- Rally’s Christmas Eve Express and a free advent calendar Get early access to Rally the corgi’s Christmas Eve tracker, plus a free digital advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
- One-tap add to calendar Save any event to your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar so you never miss it.
Coming up on this page
- 3 Santa
- 2 Lights
- 2 Free
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Prospect Heights every week.
Tree lighting with the mayor and SantaFree
Prospect Heights Annual Tree Lighting and Santa Arrival
- When: Saturday, November 28, 2026, 5 pm
- Where: Prospect Heights Park District, Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Free
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Mayor Pat Ludvigsen lights the community holiday tree at the Prospect Heights Park District, and Santa arrives to greet the families gathered for the moment.
The Garden Club and Lions Club sponsor the evening, with Christmas carols and refreshments for neighbors young and old.
Parent tip: It is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so bring visiting relatives along and come a few minutes before 5 pm to catch the countdown.
- Host
- Prospect Heights Park District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Prospect Heights Park District, Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Prospect Heights events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Prospect Heights daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Prospect Heights.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Prospect Heights
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Event hosts: free events are listed first. The #1 spot puts your event at the top of this page.Inquire about the #1 spotAdd your event for free
Lights ride, then Santa and crafts
Holiday Trolley Express
- When: Thursday and Friday, December 17 and 18, 2026, with timeslots from 4:30 to 8 pm
- Where: Prospect Heights Park District, Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (opens in maps)
- Cost: $15
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Families climb aboard a festive trolley to roll past Prospect Heights’ best light displays and decorated homes, while one of Santa’s helpers reads a holiday story and everyone sings carols on the way.
Back at the park district, kids visit with Santa, pick up a holiday gift bag, make a craft and snack on cookies and hot chocolate.
Parent tip: Pick your timeslot when you register, since rides run on just two evenings. Later slots give the darkest skies for the lights.
- Host
- Prospect Heights Park District (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Prospect Heights Park District, Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Prospect Heights events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Prospect Heights daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Prospect Heights.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
We check every event above on the host’s own page for the date, time and cost, plus the things parents ask about, like sign-ups and ages. Looking for a Santa train instead? Those are on our Illinois Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Prospect Heights Christmas event for kids happens
Bring a letter for Santa’s mailbox to the tree lighting on November 28, then book a Holiday Trolley Express timeslot for the week before Christmas.
- Letters to Santa MailboxProspect Heights · Nov 27 to Dec 18
- Prospect Heights Annual Tree Lighting and Santa ArrivalProspect Heights · Nov 28
- Holiday Trolley ExpressProspect Heights · Dec 17 to Dec 18
Looking further afield? Our Illinois Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Wheeling and Palatine. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.
A story for the drive home
A morning with Santa or an evening of holiday stories tends to end the same way: tired kids, a long drive and one more book before bed. Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is painted by hand. If your family is spending December missing someone, it was written for that too. For the car, print our free corgi and train coloring pages.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first ride on a California train, hand-painted in watercolor. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonKeep the Christmas magic going: track Rally the corgi on Christmas Eve, print free Christmas coloring pages, learn how to say Merry Christmas in 100+ languages, find train museums to visit with kids, or browse Christmas events in every Illinois city.
Prospect Heights Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Prospect Heights this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in Prospect Heights for 2026, all from the Prospect Heights Park District: the Letters to Santa mailbox, the Annual Tree Lighting and Santa Arrival, and the Holiday Trolley Express.
When is the Prospect Heights tree lighting in 2026?
Saturday, November 28, 2026, at 5 pm at the Prospect Heights Park District, with Mayor Pat Ludvigsen, carols, refreshments and Santa. It is free.
Where is the Letters to Santa mailbox?
At the Gary Morava Recreation Center, 110 W Camp McDonald Rd, from November 27 to December 18, 2026. Include a return address so Santa can write back.
How much is the Holiday Trolley Express?
$15, with timeslots from 4:30 to 8 pm on Thursday and Friday, December 17 and 18, 2026. Registration is required.
Who do I contact about Prospect Heights holiday events?
The Prospect Heights Park District at info@phparks.org or 847-394-2848.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Illinois?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Illinois Christmas train rides page.
How do you confirm these events?
We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city or tourism calendar. We last checked Prospect Heights on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, restrooms and bad-weather plans.
Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.