The annual Holiday Express fest is set to open on Thursday at Blackberry Farm at 100 S. Barnes Road in Aurora.
The Fox Valley Park District’s holiday season event will run Thursdays to Sundays through Sunday, Dec. 17.
The event’s hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Special Needs Night, a low-sensory environment with quieter music and fewer tickets sold, takes place Friday, Dec. 1.
The $10 admission to Holiday Express includes unlimited rides on the replica steam engine train and hay wagon, which are both ADA-accessible.
The Fox Valley Park District’s annual yuletide event began in 2006.
“Holiday Express is a tradition for so many families, and we’re starting to span generations,” said Abby Oldenburg, rentals and events manager at Blackberry Farm, in a press release about the event. “Moms and dads who used to be in the wagons and on Santa’s lap are here with their own kids now.”
Across the park, thousands of lights adorn streetlamps, trees and buildings, lighted candy canes illuminate walking paths and holiday music drifts in the background throughout the event, Blackberry Farm officials said.
Oldenburg recommends guests earmark a couple of hours to enjoy all of Blackberry’s attractions, and said evenings tend to be busier, “so plan for a short wait for the train and dress for the weather,” she said. “We encourage families to explore the park and check out the different holiday-themed scenes, make indoor crafts, warm up with a cup of hot cocoa – or all of the above.”
Santa can be found at the Carriage Museum, called the North Pole Oasis for the festival. There will also be Kringle’s Cafe in the Summer Kitchen offering treats and hot chocolate, and the gift shop with antique toys and stocking stuffers, Blackberry Farm officials said.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy craft projects and holiday music in the Early Streets Museum.
Oldenburg said the event is a fun one “whether you’re here to visit Santa, make crafts or simply stroll the park to look at lights and listen to music.”
“No matter your age, Holiday Express brings out the kid in all of us,” she said.
