Frankfort's Holiday Calendar Mostly Fits Into Ten Days This Year, and Dec. 11 and 12 Carry the Most

On Thursday, Dec. 3, the village of Frankfort holds its Lighting of the Green. Nine days later, on Saturday, Dec. 12, Breidert Green hosts Holiday on the Green. Apart from two Park District dates in November, almost every holiday event on the 2026 village, Park District and Chamber calendars falls between those two dates. The busiest stretch is the last two days of that window, a Friday night and a Saturday afternoon back to back.

That is a change from last year. In 2025 the village held its holiday celebration over a full weekend, and this year it lists one day. Here is what is on the calendar, what has been confirmed so far, and how the pieces fit together.

The full calendar, in order

The season starts almost four weeks before the lighting. The Frankfort Park District holds its 33rd annual Holiday Craft Show on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Founders Community Center, 140 Oak Street. After that, the dates go like this:

The Park District events on the first weekend of December come with full programs. Santa Photos & Workshop includes crafts, holiday games, cookie decorating and visits with Santa. The Polar Express Storytime Train leaves from the Hickory Creek Metra Station in Mokena. On board there is a story, elves making balloon animals, a stop to see Santa at the "North Pole," cookies and music.

The village has not posted programs for its two events yet. Both pages on frankfortil.org still say "Details coming soon." For now, the best guide to what those events will look like is what the village did last year.

Last December's Saturday was a two-day weekend

In 2025 the lighting was on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. Patch reported that the program included Santa and Mrs. Claus, the Hickory Creek Middle School Choir and the Lincoln-Way East Madrigals, a countdown to the lighting, cocoa and cookies, and photo spots with decorated public safety and public works vehicles. The 2026 lighting falls on the same weeknight, one day earlier on the calendar.

The bigger celebration a week and a half later went by another name. The village called it "Home For The Holidays" and held it on Breidert Green from noon to 5 p.m. on both Saturday, Dec. 13, and Sunday, Dec. 14. Patch listed the Saturday activities: trackless train rides, real reindeer, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a lantern parade, horse and carriage rides, cookies and hot cocoa. Sunday had live holiday performances on the Breidert Green stage and costumed characters walking through downtown. Shaw Local's preview described Sunday as focused on downtown shopping and dining along with the stage performances.

For 2026, the village lists "Holiday on the Green" with one date, Saturday, Dec. 12, at Breidert Green. So far, the confirmed changes are the new name, one day instead of two, and a date one day earlier. The program has not been posted. Last year's reindeer, carriages and lantern parade may come back, or the lineup may be different.

One day instead of two means that whatever the village plans now happens in a single afternoon. That afternoon follows the Chamber's biggest shopping night of the year.

Friday night already has two things on it

The Frankfort Chamber of Commerce holds its 31st annual Midnight Madness on Friday, Dec. 11, from 6 p.m. to midnight. According to the Chamber's events page, more than 30 area businesses usually take part, staying open late with deals, giveaways and refreshments. In announcing this year's event, the Chamber described it this way to Patch:

"Come celebrate 31 years of tradition, community, and shopping local at Midnight Madness."

The Chamber has not published the list of participating businesses yet.

The same evening, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Park District runs Puzzle Mania, Holiday Edition at Founders Community Center on Oak Street. The two events start at the same hour. Puzzle Mania wraps up at 9, and downtown stores stay open three more hours after that.

Holiday on the Green takes place the next day on Breidert Green. That puts the Chamber's late shopping night and the village's main Saturday celebration roughly 18 hours apart. Last year they were spread across a full weekend.

The Trolley Barn may have a new kitchen open by then

One more piece could arrive just in time for that weekend. Avocado Theory, the restaurant chain whose own site calls it "America's 1st Avocado Based Restaurant," is getting ready to open at 11 S. White St. in the Trolley Barn. Its nearest current location is at 17302 Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park. The planned Frankfort opening date has moved back more than once:

1. In July, Patch reported that the village had approved the permit and that the founder planned to open Nov. 1.
2. In late August, WhatNow reported a target of the end of November.
3. The restaurant's own events page now lists "Downtown Frankfort Opening - December 2026" alongside a second listing that says the date is TBD. Its Frankfort address is still marked "Coming Soon."

The site lists the Frankfort location's planned hours as 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. If it opens in early December, it will be on White Street during the weekend of Midnight Madness and Holiday on the Green. If it slips past that, the date is still open.

The Trolley Barn already has other tenants. Express Med Spa lists its Frankfort clinic at 11 S. White St., Suite 104. Azul Boutique describes itself as being inside the Trolley Barn on White Street, and WhatNow named This & That Gifts as another tenant.

A little farther from downtown, Patch reported on Oct. 6 that the village board had approved a permit for Jamaican Jerk Choice, a carry-out restaurant at 19955 S. La Grange Road in Hickory Creek Market Place. No opening date has been announced.

How the ten days fit together

Taken together, the calendar comes in two parts. The first weekend of December is mostly the Park District's: Santa at Founders Community Center on Saturday the 5th and the storytime train out of Hickory Creek Metra on Sunday the 6th. Both have set session times listed on the Park District's page. The second weekend is downtown's, starting when the stores open late on Friday the 11th and ending on Breidert Green on Saturday the 12th.

For anyone planning around the second weekend, here is the order of things:

• Friday, Dec. 11, 6 p.m.: Midnight Madness begins downtown, and Puzzle Mania begins at Founders Community Center.
• Friday, 9 p.m.: Puzzle Mania ends.
• Friday, midnight: Midnight Madness ends.
• Saturday, Dec. 12: Holiday on the Green on Breidert Green. The village has not posted start and end times. Last year's event ran from noon to 5 p.m.

The Park District has more going on outside the holiday events. The renovated, inclusive Fort Frankfort playground at Commissioners Park held its ribbon cutting on July 7, 2026. The new site includes two pavilions and two public EV charging stations. A larger round of Commissioners Park work is scheduled to start this fall. It includes lighted pickleball and tennis courts, walking paths, parking and a ballfield, and the Park District has not posted a completion date.

The village's two event pages are the ones to check again before Dec. 3. Times for the lighting and the program for Holiday on the Green will show up there first.

Tim Sullivan knows Frankfort's downtown calendar the way he knows its streets. If December in Frankfort has you wondering what your own home might be worth, or what selling around the holiday season would involve, Sullivan Property Group is happy to walk you through it. Schedule a Consultation, and we will build a plan around your timing.