Late in November, a row of 5- to 6-foot trees will go up in front of the Walker Recreation Center at 7425 S. Wolf Road. Each tree comes with a stand, a power hookup for lights, and a sign with the name of the family, club, or business that decorates it. On the evening of Wednesday, December 2, Santa will help light all of them at once, along with one big tree, at the Pleasant Dale Park District's first Santa's Merry Tree Lighting.
So for the first time, Burr Ridge has two tree lightings, 12 days apart, about one county line away from each other. The Village Center's Deck the Green on Friday, November 20, still opens the season. The Wolf Road lighting adds a second start date, and residents will be the ones decorating it.
One Village, Two Park Districts
Burr Ridge has no parks and recreation department of its own. According to the Village of Burr Ridge, residents get those services from two independent park districts. The Burr Ridge Park District mainly serves the DuPage County part of the village, and the Pleasant Dale Park District mainly serves the Cook County part. The line mostly follows the county border, but it's set parcel by parcel. If you're not sure which district you're in, the Village suggests checking the "Taxing Bodies" section of your latest property tax bill.
The Burr Ridge Park District covers about 65 percent of the village. The Pleasant Dale Park District serves the rest of Burr Ridge plus parts of Countryside, Indian Head Park, Willow Springs, and unincorporated areas of LaGrange and Hinsdale. That makes Walker Park on Wolf Road a shared space for neighbors on both sides of several village lines. That matters for a tree lighting built on trees that local groups decorate.
November 20 on the Village Green
Deck the Green is the annual tree lighting at Burr Ridge Village Center. The Village of Burr Ridge and the Village Center put it on together. This year it runs Friday, November 20, from 5 to 7 p.m., and it's free. According to the Village Center's event page, the evening includes hot cocoa, a holiday train that circles the Green, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, lighted jugglers, face painting, live caroling, and holiday music.
A market runs at the same time. The Winter Market with Chicago Street Markets opens at 4 p.m. that Friday and runs until 8, so it starts an hour before the lighting and goes an hour past it. It comes back Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local vendors set up in the Entertainment District, and the center's restaurants handle food and drinks. Chicago Street Markets says its markets feature handcrafted goods and locally sourced products. If you'd like to shop without the crowd from the lighting, Saturday daytime is the better choice.
With the market on both sides of the lighting, it's easy to make a full evening of it. The Village Center directory lists Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, The Bridewell Tavern, Bar Poca Madre, The Hampton Social, Stix & Stones Wood Fired Pizza, Olive Tree Mediterranean, and Aria's Kitchen for a sit-down meal. For something quicker, there's Topaz Cafe, The Bakery Box, Starbucks, and Kilwins.
The Wolf Road Lighting Gets Built the Week of Thanksgiving
Deck the Green arrives ready to go. The Pleasant Dale lighting gets put together by the community over the seven days before it happens.
Here's how the Tree Decorating at Walker Park program works, according to the park district's events page:
- Cost: $75 per tree, open to a family, an organization, or a business
- What's included: a 5- to 6-foot tree with a stand, electrical for lights, and a sign with your name
- Decorating window: November 24 through November 30
- Where: the front of the Walker Park Rec Center
- Charity tie-in: $10 from each tree goes to Toys for Tots
- How long it stays up: every tree stays on display at the park district through the holidays
The listing shows two registration deadlines, November 2 near the heading and November 20 in the description. By the first week of November, the earlier date is behind us. If you want a tree, check with Pleasant Dale before you buy ornaments.
The decorating week is Tuesday, November 24, through Monday, November 30, which includes the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Out-of-town family can help hang lights. And if you drive Wolf Road that week, you'll be able to watch the row of trees fill in a little more each day.
December 2: Santa Arrives, Then the Lights Go On
Santa's Merry Tree Lighting runs Wednesday, December 2, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Walker Recreation Center, and it's free. Santa arrives first and helps light the district's big tree along with all the community trees. After that, families head inside to visit Santa, take photos, and pick up a holiday treat for each child. There's hot chocolate, and cookie decorating kits go home with families while supplies last.
You can come and go. Santa stays until 8 p.m., but the park district says the line closes at about 7:45 p.m. so every child already in line gets a visit. The district calls this its "first-soon to be annual" tree lighting, so this year sets the pattern going forward.
| Deck the Green | Santa's Merry Tree Lighting | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 | Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2026 |
| Time | 5 to 7 p.m. | 5:30 to 8 p.m., come and go |
| Location | Village Green, Burr Ridge Village Center | Walker Recreation Center, 7425 S. Wolf Road |
| Hosts | Village of Burr Ridge and Burr Ridge Village Center | Pleasant Dale Park District |
| Trees | Annual tree lighting on the Green | One big tree plus community-decorated trees |
| Santa | Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus outdoors | Arrives for the lighting, then indoor visits |
| Nearby that day | Winter Market, 4 to 8 p.m. | Hot chocolate and cookie decorating kits |
| Cost | Free | Free |
Deck the Green is on a Friday night with a market and restaurants all around it. The Pleasant Dale event is on a school night, and Santa stays for nearly three hours.
The Calendar Between the Two Lightings
A handful of smaller dates fill the weeks around the two big nights. Here they are in order, starting Saturday, November 7:
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to noon: Pumpkin Smash. Bring your carved or uncarved pumpkins and gourds to the Pleasant Dale Rec Center parking lot and smash them with the tools provided. With support from GROOT and help from the Boy Scouts, the pieces get hauled off for composting. It's free, and everyone who takes part is entered in a prize raffle.
- Week of Nov. 15: Holiday Card Creations. The Indian Prairie Public Library has this program on its November calendar, during the week of November 15 to 21.
- Friday, Nov. 20: turkey coloring entries due. Pleasant Dale's free Thanksgiving Turkey Coloring Contest is for kids ages 2 to 10, in three age groups. Coloring sheets are on the park district website, and extra copies are at the Rec Center starting November 2. Every entry gets displayed at the Rec Center.
- Friday, Nov. 20: Deck the Green and the first night of the Winter Market.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Winter Market, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Nov. 24 to 30: community trees get decorated at Walker Park.
- Wednesday, Dec. 2: Santa's Merry Tree Lighting.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Photos with Santa at The Hampton Social. It's free, with holiday treats and activities, at Burr Ridge Village Center.
Santa makes three stops in this stretch. He's on the Village Green on November 20, on Wolf Road on December 2, and back at the Village Center on December 5. If your kids miss one, there's still time to catch another.
The coloring contest entries are due the same day Deck the Green lights the Village Green, and the Wolf Road trees start going up four days later. That puts the busiest stretch of Burr Ridge's holiday season between November 20 and December 5.
If your family, block club, or business is decorating a tree at Walker Park this year, we'd love to see it. And if you have questions about your home's value or your neighborhood while you're out at the lightings, the team at Lena Matariyeh is local and quick to respond. Connect Now and get your free home valuation.
