At 5:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, the Geneva High School drum and flag line will lead more than 100 bell-ringing marchers out of Graham's Fine Chocolates and Ice Cream at 302 S. Third St. They will carry the season's first candy cane to Mayor Burns, just before the tree lights up. That is Bob's Candy Cane Parade, and according to the Geneva Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Walk schedule, it opens the evening.
You don't need to plan for that night. Show up, follow the bells and you will catch most of it. The planning is for the weekend mornings. Santa visits, the carriage rides and the Lions Club pancake breakfast all happen in daytime windows that end by mid-afternoon, and some of them need a reservation or a ticket. Once it gets dark, the season's main event moves to the west side of town, to Peck Farm Park.
Friday, Dec. 4, is free and runs on its own
The Chamber's Christmas Walk page has the evening starting at 6 p.m. First comes the candy cane presentation. Then Santa Lucia arrives with her attendants, who walk through the crowd handing out Swedish Pepparkakor "wish" cookies. The tree lighting, sponsored by State Street Jewelers, follows shortly after 6, and then Santa arrives.
After the lighting, the stops are spread along Third Street and the blocks around it:
- Graham's 31st annual Candy Cane Pull, 6 to 9 p.m. at 302 S. Third St. Candymakers pull peppermint by hand, and every cane made that night is given away free.
- Roasted chestnuts at State Street Jewelers, 230 W. State St., all evening.
- Nutcracker Dancers and Land of Sweets, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on State Street between Second and Third streets. Midwest Dance Conservatory dancers perform scenes in the windows of INLURO, House of 423, Blinka Optical, Zazu Salons and Scout & Gem.
- Live Nativity at Geneva Lutheran Church, 301 S. Third St., at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m., with hot chocolate and cookies from the congregation.
- Carols in the Chapel at St. Mark's Church, 320 Franklin St., 6:30 to 8 p.m. The entrance faces Fourth Street.
- Cash for Cocoa at Harvey's Tales, 216 James St., 6 to 8 p.m. An 8-ounce hot chocolate costs $2, cash only, and all proceeds go to Anderson Humane.
- Shop Local, Support Local at 227 S. Third St. inside The Berry House, 6 to 9 p.m. Midwest Nice hosts a showcase for Rising Lights and has more than 100 local artists and makers under one roof.
Some events start before the parade, and they reward an early arrival. The Unitarian Universalist Church, 102 S. Second St., holds its 43rd annual Cookie Walk from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. A $20 pastry box holds two to three dozen homemade cookies, and the sale runs only while supplies last. The church's youth group also runs Cocoa on 3rd Street at the gazebo next to the Geneva History Museum from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. to raise money for a Habitat for Humanity trip. The Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St., has a Holiday Walk pre-party with crafts and face painting from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
For the 2025 Walk, the Daily Herald reported that downtown parking restrictions began at 3 p.m. Third Street from State Street to South Street closed at 5 p.m. and reopened at 10 p.m. That was last year's pattern. Check the City's notice for 2026 closer to the date.
Santa's visits run on a reservation calendar through Dec. 19
Santa makes his public appearance on Friday night. Visits with him after that take more planning. He sees children at the Geneva Visitor Center, 10 S. Third St., and the Chamber says reservations are required. The booking page lists a $12 price and asks families to pick a date and time. It also invites families to share any sensory needs ahead of the visit.
Visits begin at 6:40 p.m. on Friday and run until 9:30 p.m. Every other session is during the day:
| Date | Santa's hours at 10 S. Third St. |
|---|---|
| Friday, Dec. 4 | 6:40 to 9:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
McNally's Heating & Cooling sponsors the visits. On the Courthouse Lawn, the North Pole Post Office built by Hogan Design & Construction takes letters to Santa all season, as part of the holiday light display.
The carriage window is shorter than Santa's
The free horse-drawn carriage rides run on the same weekends, but in a shorter window. Elements Massage sponsors antique carriage rides through the historic district from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, from Dec. 5 through Dec. 20. Rides start and end at the corner of South Third and James streets. The route goes down Third Street and back to the Courthouse.
If you are planning a carriage ride and a Santa visit on the same day, the carriage has to come first. The rides stop at 1 p.m., and Santa sees visitors until 3:30. The corner of Third and James is also about a block from Harvey's Tales on James Street and from Preservation, 513 S. Third St., the Saturday and Sunday market described below.
Saturday, Dec. 5, starts at 7:30 a.m.
The first weekend morning is the busiest of the season. The Geneva Lions Club hosts its Pancake Breakfast with Santa from 7:30 to 11 a.m. at Geneva High School, 416 McKinley Ave., with live music, photos and crafts. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for ages 4 to 12, children under 3 eat free, and tickets are sold through the Geneva Lions Club.
Here is what else that weekend offers, in time order:
- Girl Scout performances on the Courthouse Lawn Saturday morning.
- Friends of Geneva Library Book Sale at 227 S. Seventh St. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. A $5 entrance fee applies for the first two hours on Friday, and everything is half price on Sunday.
- Preservation's Christkindlmarket at 513 S. Third St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with local artisans, lunch, warm drinks and live music.
- Art by Rozanne at The Little Traveler, 404 S. Third St. Artist Rozanne Priebe shows original holiday and winter artwork from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. both days. The Little Traveler keeps late hours that weekend: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
- The Steeple Walk on Sunday from 2 to 4:15 p.m. Four historic churches each host a 20-minute musical performance. Concertgoers split into two groups, one starting at the United Methodist Church of Geneva and the other at Geneva Lutheran Church. Tickets are sold through the Geneva Foundation for the Arts.
Saturday has one downtown event after dark. The St. Mark's Players stage Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at 6 p.m. at St. Mark's Church, with a set and Dickens-era costumes. It is free and open to the public.
The Chamber's Holiday House Tour also runs that weekend. Five decorated homes are open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The Geneva History Museum at 113 S. Third St. keeps its holiday displays up later into the month than the weekend events. Its 18th-century Neapolitan nativity has 46 figures and was first displayed by the founder of The Little Traveler in the 1930s. The museum shows it from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 23. Its Geneva Giving Trees are decorated by local charities, and voting runs through Jan. 1.
After dark, the season is at Peck Farm Park
After the Friday Walk, most downtown programming ends by late afternoon. Saturday night's A Christmas Carol is the main exception. The evenings belong to the Geneva Park District at Peck Farm Park, 4038 Kaneville Road. Winter Wonder Lights runs nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. from Nov. 28 through Jan. 1, with a kickoff on Nov. 28. Visitors walk illuminated paths, and no registration or fee is required.
Three dated Park District events are spread across the month:
- Gingerbread Barn Raising, Sunday, Dec. 6, 4 to 6 p.m. at Peck Farm. It starts 15 minutes before the Steeple Walk ends downtown, so you will have to pick one of the two.
- Lights & Flights Craft Beer Festival, Saturday, Dec. 12, 4 to 7 p.m., for ages 21 and older. Tickets are $55 general admission, $70 VIP and $15 for designated drivers.
- Bagpipes & Bonfire, Monday, Dec. 21, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Peck Farm picnic shelter, two days after Santa's last downtown session.
Put together, a Saturday can run from downtown in daylight to the west side at night. On Dec. 12, for example, a family could ride the carriage at 10:30, see Santa before 3:30 and reach Peck Farm when the lights come on at 5. Both venues are open that day.
Third Street this December, and the drive in from the east
A few storefronts have changed since last year's Walk. Tri-Cities Central reported that Bread & Vine closed abruptly in late October. The restaurant was in the former Graham's 318 Coffeehouse building on Third Street, and The Kate at 318 continues to host gatherings in the building's event space. Farther south, Audyn Boutique is bringing a second shop to 500 S. Third St., Suite 117. Its original shop in Rochelle is staying open.
Several restaurants on the Walk route are running specials. Livia Italian Eatery, 207 S. Third St., and GIA MIA, 13 N. Third St., have holiday drink specials all day Friday and Saturday. Ella's Italian Pub, 407 S. Third St., serves s'mores from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and keeps going into Saturday until they run out.
If you are coming downtown from the east side, plan around Route 38. In its Nov. 6 East State Street update, the City of Geneva said traffic was shifted to the north side of the road from the Fox River to just west of Kirk Road, with one lane open in each direction. Construction hours include Saturdays. IDOT expects the full reconstruction to be finished in late 2027, and the City posts schedule changes through its Notify Me updates.
For more on the town around these events, see our Geneva neighborhood guide and our earlier look at downtown Geneva's riverfront shops and dining.
At the Lori Johanneson Team, we pay attention to how a town's calendar works, which weekends fill up and which mornings sell out. We think that knowledge matters as much as any price sheet. If you live in Geneva and you're wondering how your home fits into the market around Third Street this winter, start with our What's My Home Worth? tool, and we're glad to talk it through over a candy cane.
