At 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, Santa arrives at Memorial Hall and the tree is lit, which starts the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce's 60th annual Christmas Walk. For the next two hours downtown Hinsdale and Burlington Park have Santa visits, carousel rides and train rides, and downtown businesses are open to the crowd. The Chamber's attendee page shows no ticket and no sign-up for any of it.
Much of Hinsdale's holiday season works differently. Several of its most popular events are run by the Village's Parks & Recreation department or by local nonprofits, and they have fixed capacity and registration windows that open weeks ahead. By mid-November, the Village's resident-only train trip had already been open for registration for more than a month. A household planning December now is choosing among the events that still have room, and most of those are in Burlington Park.
The Holiday Express Fills in Fall
The Village's Holiday Express is the clearest example. It's a Sunday trip by Metra train from Hinsdale to the Two Brothers Roundhouse, with holiday guests, a meal and family activities at the other end. This year's trip is Sunday, Nov. 29. Tickets are $55, only Hinsdale residents can register, and registration opened Monday, Oct. 5 at 10 a.m.
The 2024 run shows how quickly that window can close. The Village's September 2024 Parks & Recreation Commission packet said Metra gave the Village 135 tickets for a 9 a.m. train and 135 for a 1 p.m. train. Resident registration opened at 9 a.m. on Aug. 23, and by 10 a.m. the event was sold out, with more than 100 people on the waitlist.
| 2024 Holiday Express | 2026 Holiday Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Nov. 24 | Sunday, Nov. 29 |
| Departures | Two trains, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. | Four trip times: 9 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. |
| Registration opened | Aug. 23 at 9 a.m. | Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. |
| Eligibility | Residents | Residents only |
This year there are twice as many departures as in 2024. The Village's 2026 page lists the trip times but no ticket count, and it notes that times may change with the Metra schedule. The trip has a long history. The same 2024 packet lists Holiday Express enrollments of 254 in 2016, 264 in 2017, 265 in 2018 and 258 in 2019, so its yearly size stayed close to what two trainloads hold. Anyone who missed the Oct. 5 opening should check the Village's registration page for openings or a waitlist.
Winter Wonderland Works the Same Way
Winter Wonderland, the Village's other big family event, also needs advance registration. It runs Sunday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to noon at Katherine Legge Memorial Park, 5901 S. County Line Road. The cost is $20 for residents and $25 for nonresidents, and every participant, parents included, must preregister. The Village lists photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a craft station, a meet-and-greet with the Frozen characters, and reindeer.
This is the sixth year. The Hinsdalean called the 2025 edition the fifth annual and described sign-ups by time slot, with guests asked to bring a new toy for the Toys for Tots drive. In 2024 the Village planned room for up to 800 people across several areas of KLM Park around the Lodge, and 160 people had enrolled by Aug. 23 that year. Winter Wonderland can hold far more people than the train, but it still runs on a sign-up list, not on whoever shows up that morning.
Ticketed Evenings Still on the November Calendar
Several events from local organizations are still ahead in November. Each needs registration or a ticket.
- Zook Candlelight Home Tour & Cocktail Party, Saturday, Nov. 14, 4 to 9 p.m. The Hinsdale Historical Society's fundraiser takes guests by trolley to three landmark homes designed by Zook. It ends at the future site of Zook Commons at KLM Park, with live jazz and food by Chef Paul Virant, and supports the Zook Legacy Campaign. The Hinsdalean's community calendar lists tickets at $200.
- Jingle Dash 5K Family Run, Sunday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. The Hinsdale Junior Woman's Club's fifth annual race starts at Robbins Park, at Vine and Sixth streets, on a USATF-certified course. The Hinsdalean listed photo ops with Buddy the Elf, swag bags and a merry market. Prices were $45 for adults, $25 for ages 11 to 18 and $15 for ages 10 and under, with strollers free, and the calendar said prices would rise after Nov. 8. Proceeds fund grants for charities serving women and children.
- Deer in the 'Dale, Saturday, Nov. 28, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Historical Society's family event at Immanuel Hall, 302 S. Grant St., opens the holiday season the day before the Holiday Express.
The Village's 2026 economic development calendar lists Small Business Season as running Nov. 1 through Dec. 24. Over the same period, the downtown blocks host most of the free events.
Free Events Center on Burlington Park
From December on, the season moves to Burlington Park, and most of what happens there needs no ticket. The Christmas Walk starts the run. After Dec. 4, the Chamber puts Santa back in Santa's Workshop in Burlington Park on two more Saturdays. On the first of those, Dec. 12, the Village holds Hinsdale for the Holidays in the same park. It's free and runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with gingerbread cookie decorating, horse-drawn carriage rides and visits with Santa.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 5 to 7 p.m. | 60th annual Christmas Walk: tree lighting, Santa, carousel, train rides | Memorial Hall, downtown, Burlington Park | No ticket listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Santa's Workshop and Hinsdale for the Holidays | Burlington Park | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 19, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Santa's Workshop | Burlington Park | No ticket listed |
Families who missed the November registration windows still have three dates in Burlington Park where they can simply show up. On Dec. 12, both listings put Santa in the same park during the same hours, so Santa's Workshop and Hinsdale for the Holidays work as one stop.
Dec. 4 to 6: Three Events in Three Days
The first weekend of December stacks three events, and each one runs differently.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 7 p.m. The Christmas Walk downtown and in Burlington Park, with the tree lighting at Memorial Hall at 5.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 3 p.m. Holiday Favorites with Hinsdale's Jolly Boys, a drop-in program at Hinsdale Public Library, 20 E. Maple St.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to noon. Winter Wonderland at KLM Park, preregistration only.
Friday and Saturday are walk-up. Sunday needs a booking. A family registered for Winter Wonderland gets two Santa visits in three days, one at Memorial Hall on Friday and one with Mrs. Claus at KLM Park on Sunday.
Weeknight Events in Mid-December
The library and the Historical Society fill the middle of the following week. Hinsdale Public Library hosts Gingerbread Houses on Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Thursday, Dec. 10, the Hinsdale Historical Society runs its 9th annual Holly Jolly Trolley from Immanuel Hall, 302 S. Grant St., from 5 to 9 p.m. Its event page invites guests to see "the best holiday lights in Hinsdale," with seasonal snacks and refreshments.
The Historical Society uses trolleys at both ends of the season. In November the trolley visits Zook-designed homes. In December it goes out to see the lights.
Downtown has one more seasonal storyline at the Brush Hill train station. In April, The Hinsdalean reported that Hometown Coffee and Juice had been selected for 25 E. Hinsdale Ave., and its owners planned to open by the end of 2026. Christmas Walk guests will pass that corner on their way into downtown.
The full sequence runs from the Jingle Dash at Robbins Park on Nov. 15 to the Holiday Express on Nov. 29, the Christmas Walk on Dec. 4, Winter Wonderland on Dec. 6 and the last Santa's Workshop visit in Burlington Park on Dec. 19. Hinsdale has kept the Christmas Walk going for 60 years, and the dates above are what this year's version adds up to.
If the season has you thinking about which Hinsdale blocks are closest to Burlington Park, the tree lighting or the train, McCleary Group knows these streets house by house. When you're ready, request your complimentary home valuation, and we'll show you how your address compares with recent sales nearby.
