CHICAGO (WLS) -- Time now for Festival Friday, and this is the weekend that just about everything holiday-related opens in the city and suburbs!
We'll start with all three Christkindlmarkets open today for your holiday shopping pleasure! New this year at Daley Plaza, you can purchase a fast entry pass on the weekends to avoid the inevitable long lines! Daley Plaza and Aurora Christkindlmarket run through December 24, Wrigleyville stays open until December 31.
The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival gets underway Saturday with pre-parade activities on Michigan Avenue from 11 to 4 p.m. The parade, with Grand Marshalls Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, steps off at 5:30 from Michigan Avenue and Oak St.
For holiday light shows, Lincoln Park Zoo's popular Zoo Lights is back starting tomorrow evening. New displays, photo ops and interactive programs will be featured among the more than one million twinkling lights in this winter wonderland!
Sparkle Light Festival is back at Impact Field in Rosemont! You'll be able to explore five illuminated villages, visit with Santa, hop onboard tree Holly Trolly train, or ice skate! It runs through December 31.
Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light opens Saturday at the Museum of Science and Industry. A favorite holiday tradition, the museum's four story Grand Tree is surrounded by 50 trees and displays representing holiday traditions from cultures around the world. It runs through January 7.
On the pop-up beat, Frosty's Christmas Bar Pop-Up on the North Side opens Saturday, with three levels of holiday fun - including three bars, two dance floors, non-stop holiday music and delicious drink creations!
And on the holiday theatre beat, A Christmas Carol opens this afternoon at the Goodman Theatre. Larry Yando returns as the miserly Scrooge. The holiday classic runs through December 31.