DESIGN PREVIEW · Celebrating a chapter. Keeping the possibilities open.
A rainbow of illuminated arches stretching into the night along the Festival of Lights route.

A QUINCY CHRISTMAS TRADITION

Seven seasons.
A lifetime of
memories.

For every car full of family. Every wide-eyed child.
Every Christmas made a little brighter. Thank you.

Step back into the lights
WAVERING & MOORMAN PARKSQuincy, Illinois · Seven Christmas seasons
A NOTE TO OUR COMMUNITY

Our chapter at the parks has come to a close.

Festival of Lights will not return to Wavering and Moorman Parks for the 2026 Christmas season. We’re grateful for everything we created together—and open to what the future may hold.

THE PHOTO COLLECTION

Remember this feeling?

The familiar turns. The favorite displays.
A little journey through the nights we shared.

31 photographs

Find a favorite. Open it. Stay a little while.

The Festival of Lights welcome sign glowing beneath red poinsettias.Gingerbread characters above the illuminated Candy Lane sign.A familiar glow. A favorite tradition.

MORE THAN A DRIVE THROUGH THE PARK

It became part
of your Christmas.

For seven seasons, a trip through Wavering and Moorman Parks meant turning on the Christmas music, gathering the people you love, and watching the night come alive.

Children grew up visiting the lights. Grandparents brought grandchildren, and families welcomed relatives from out of town. We heard stories of first dates, proposals, and people returning year after year because the lights had become part of Christmas.

Behind every glowing scene were people building, repairing, testing, welcoming, and giving their time. The displays made the park shine. The people gave it meaning.

Thank you for making us part of your tradition.

Christmas lights and sweeping white beams reflected across the park’s pond.

THE MAGIC WE MADE TOGETHER

Some lights stay with you
long after the season ends.

A BRIGHTER CHRISTMAS, TOGETHER

The good went
beyond the glow.

The Festival offered a place to celebrate, a reason to gather, and opportunities to care for our neighbors.

The God Bless America display with an American flag and illuminated stars.
01

Gifts for children

Guests brought toys for children, adding their own generosity to the glow of the Festival.

02

Food for our neighbors

Guests brought food for local food pantries—a reminder of the care our community shares.

03

Recognition & community

The Festival offered opportunities to recognize veterans, foster families, and organizations serving our community.

04

A community tradition

For the families who returned each year, these evenings became memories to carry forward.

WITH LASTING GRATITUDE

The people who helped
make the lights possible.

Illinois Department of Corrections

  • Clayton Work Camp
  • Pittsfield Work Camp

Throughout all seven seasons, the work crews from Clayton Work Camp and Pittsfield Work Camp were an essential part of Festival of Lights. Their contribution year after year helped make this Christmas tradition possible. Without their assistance, the undertaking would have been nearly impossible.

We offer our heartfelt thanks to the individuals in custody who participated in these crews, the staff who supervised and supported their work, and the Illinois Department of Corrections.

To everyone from Clayton and Pittsfield who helped: your work mattered. You helped create memories for thousands of families, and you hold a lasting place in the Festival’s story.

Holiday displays reflected in still pond water at the Festival of Lights.
Part of the light. Part of our story.

TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED

You were part of the light.

A tradition this big is built by many hands—and sustained by people who believe it matters.

Our sponsors

You invested in something our community could share. Some of you helped create custom displays that became familiar favorites along the route. Your confidence and generosity are part of this story. We will communicate with sponsors directly about what comes next for the displays and partnerships they helped create.

Our volunteers & workers

From the first unloading day to the final strand packed away, you brought time, care, and persistence to an enormous undertaking. You helped make every evening possible.

Our partners & guests

Thank you to the Quincy Park District for allowing us to call the parks home for seven Christmas seasons. To our community partners and every family who came through the gates: thank you for giving the lights their meaning.

With gratitude, The Festival of Lights Team

THE NEXT CHAPTER IS STILL UNWRITTEN

Help us find
a future home.

We remain open to the right future home in the Quincy area—a place where a Christmas display and the everyday needs of the property can work well together.

If you own a suitable property, represent a potential venue, or would like to explore hosting a Christmas display in your community, we’d welcome a conversation.

A promising location could offer

  • A connected route for vehicles, with room for arrival traffic.
  • Open areas for displays and access for installation and teardown.
  • A workable plan for power, parking, and seasonal operations.

We’re exploring possibilities. No future Quincy location or reopening date has been announced.

Let’s start a conversation.

Tell us about the place or possibility you have in mind.

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Thank you, Quincy.

For seven seasons. For every visit. For the memories.Take another look through the lights

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS · PRESS RELEASE

After Seven Seasons, Festival of Lights Will Not Return to Wavering and Moorman Parks in 2026

QUINCY, Ill. — After seven Christmas seasons, Festival of Lights will not return to Wavering and Moorman Parks for the 2026 Christmas season.

We reached this difficult decision after months of consideration and conversations about a path forward. We know many people will be disappointed by this news. We are disappointed, too.

Quincy is extremely fortunate to have such wonderful parks. We have been witness to the incredible increase in popularity of Wavering and Moorman Parks as they have continued to both add activities and grow as active, year-round places for our community.

The Festival of Lights has grown, too, and safely installing and removing a display of this size requires considerable time and space in the parks. As new amenities have made the parks more active throughout the year, it has become increasingly difficult to complete that work without limiting access for other park users. A priority in our decision was balancing the Festival’s needs with the community’s everyday enjoyment of the parks.

We are incredibly proud of what our community created together and grateful to the Quincy Park District for allowing us to call the parks home for seven Christmas seasons.

Thousands of families made the Festival part of their Christmas traditions. Children grew up visiting the lights. Grandparents brought grandchildren, and families welcomed relatives visiting from out of town. We heard stories of first dates, proposals and people returning year after year because a drive through the lights had become part of Christmas.

We will also remember the generosity of guests who brought toys for children and food for local food pantries, and the opportunities to recognize veterans, foster families and organizations serving our community.

Our sponsors deserve special thanks for their investment and their confidence in this tradition. Many helped create displays that became a familiar part of the Festival. We will communicate with sponsors directly about what comes next for the displays and partnerships they helped create.

Thank you to the volunteers, workers, organizations, community partners and individuals who helped build, repair, operate and take down the Festival year after year. Your time and care made these seven seasons possible.

To every family that loaded into a vehicle, turned on Christmas music and came through the gates: you gave the Festival its meaning. We will always be grateful for the memories we shared.

And while this chapter is coming to an end, sometimes the end of one tradition simply makes room for the beginning of another. For now, we simply want to say thank you. Thank you for seven unforgettable seasons. Thank you for the memories and thank you for making the Festival of Lights at Moorman Park something we will never forget.

Thank you, Quincy, for allowing us to be part of your Christmas tradition.

Festival of Lights

YOUR INQUIRY · PREVIEW ONLY

A possible next chapter.

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