Illumination (2026)
Experience Illumination like never before, with dazzling new features in this one-of-a-kind spectacle of color, light, and sound.
Bring your family and friends to see Illumination, the dazzling holiday light show at The Morton Arboretum. Reimagined for its 14th year, the 2026–2027 season of Illumination brings its most enchanting and inventive winter wonderland experience to date! Guests of all ages will delight in four spectacular new installations and a new model train attraction—the Pine Whistle Railroad—winding through an indoor fantasy woodland. This year, four new large-scale installations will be added to the Illumination trail, including a mesmerizing, colorful canopy inspired by the northern lights stretching a length of over 400 feet. The Pine Whistle Railroad—the Arboretum’s new model train exhibit—will also be making a stop along the Illumination trail. Available as an add-on ticket, this family-friendly attraction features over 1,000 feet of model train track to explore!
Organizer
The Morton ArboretumVenue
The Morton Arboretum
Category
Installation ArtTag
HolidayStart date
November 14th, 2026
End date
January 2nd, 2027
Audience Role
Walker
Ages: All ages
Content Advisories
Interaction Advisories
Mobility Advisories
Tags
1
Events
1
Years on EI
About The Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized tree-focused botanical garden and research center. Its 1,700 acres of beautiful tree-filled landscapes are a place of enjoyment, a vibrant hub for nature education, and a world-renowned center for scientific research that studies trees and how to sustain them. Its vision is a greener, healthier, more beautiful world where people and trees thrive together. As a nonprofit organization, the Arboretum’s mission is to collect, study, display, and conserve trees and other plants from around the world to inspire learning, foster enjoyment, benefit communities, encourage action, and enhance the environment.