When they lived in Buffalo Grove, Kathy and Larry Thome almost never went into Chicago. They both worked full-time in the suburbs, and there was enough going on nearby to keep them entertained without the hassles of the city. Then, in 2012, they decided to check out Christkindlmarket in the Loop.
They’ve returned almost every year — even after retiring in Wisconsin — to carry on a tradition that’s lengthened to include a stay at the Palmer House, a stroll along the holiday windows at Macy’s, popping into Miller’s Pub for a Tom & Jerry, and buying ornaments and each year’s spiced-wine mug at the German-themed market to add to their keepsake collection.
“Chicago at Christmas,” said Kathy, 66, a former McDonald’s project manager, “is beautiful and fun.”
Anyone who has spent a summer in Chicago knows how exuberantly the city celebrates peak season, welcoming tens of millions of people from near and far with crowd-pleasers such as Lollapalooza, NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race and Cubs homestands at Wrigley Field. Many locals, it turns out, have a warm spot for the city when there’s a chill in the air, too.
A quarter of adults in the city and Cook County suburbs have a unique-to-Chicago winter holiday tradition, according to a new Harris Poll survey. Of that 25%, 71% say they plan to visit at least one Chicagoland holiday event or attraction this year. No. 1 on their top 10 list: light displays such as ZooLights in Lincoln Park and Lightscape at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Even many of those who haven’t made an annual habit of, say, visiting Chicago’s Christmas tree in Millennium Park or watching the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival seem to have a bit of a fear of missing out: About a third say they plan to take in a holiday light display this season, and 45% would recommend them to a visitor.
There’s more to these attractions than warm and fuzzy feelings. Growing this offseason fanbase would undoubtedly help Chicago’s hospitality sector finally recover from the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 and, in turn, provide much-needed tax revenue to a municipality operating deep in the red.
That’s not to downplay the uplifting effects of public holiday celebrations. Asked if they feel more connected to their community during the holiday season, 4 in 10 people with Chicago-specific holiday traditions such as attending “A Christmas Carol” at the Goodman Theatre or riding the CTA’s holiday train answer yes, versus just 14% of those without such a holiday custom.
Two-thirds of traditionalists also agree that Chicagoland is a good place to visit during the year-end holidays and that holiday events are a good way to attract more visitors. Additionally, two-thirds say that they look forward to celebrating the holidays in Chicago.
Public celebrants of the holidays aren’t necessarily who you’d think. Though boomers stereotypically are seen as old-fashioned and set in their ways, adults younger than 35 — younger millennials and older Zoomers — actually are the most likely to say they have a Chicago holiday tradition, plan to visit at least one holiday event or attraction, and have a yuletide spirit.
Gen Xers aren’t far behind. Kara and Ryan Korte of Lincoln Park have been taking their three kids annually to ZooLights followed by a family dinner nearby since their youngest was a baby 10 years ago. “It’s our absolute must,” said Kara, 47, a vice president of strategy and operations for an information technology consultancy. Typically, the family also goes out to shop at Christkindlmarket or get a new photo taken of their kids with Santa on North Michigan Avenue.
Downtown certainly has been more alive this year than anytime since 2019. Lollapalooza alone averaged more than 100,000 people every day over the music festival’s four-day run in Grant Park in August. Two newish Grant Park events, the two-day Chicago Street Race in July and the two-day Sueños (Dreams) Music Festival in May, attracted about 200,000 people combined.
The businesses that cater to festivalgoers — restaurants, bars, stores, hotels, etc. — need customers throughout the year, however. The expanded summer lineup shows how to make that happen. The Latino Sueños festival didn’t exist before 2022, while the NASCAR race started only in 2023. Both have been rebooked for 2025. A new holiday event or destination might similarly boost visitors in the waning months of the year.
Of course, it’s another thing to put on a weekend outdoor event when it’s cold, dark and maybe snowing and expect the same turnout and economic payoff. But spread out over weeks, attendance can add up. The Christkindlmarket reports that it reliably brings north of 1 million people into Daley Plaza each year. Before it first set up shop there in 1997, let’s not forget, that space was empty.
Will Johnson is the Chicago-based CEO of The Harris Poll, one of the world’s leading public-opinion research firms.
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