Fifty acres of woods have transformed into a magical winter wonderland for Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum.
“The whole idea behind Illumination is really to get people to see trees in a different light, and during a season that they may not consider them as much,” said Public Relations Specialist at the Morton Arboretum, Patti MacMillan.
Over 150,000 visitors will take in thousands of colorful lights glowing throughout the one-mile walking path.
“It is a holiday lights event but in a very non-traditional way,” said MacMillan. “So you can come to Illumination and hug a tree and watch it respond and change color, you can sing to a tree and watch lit tinsel change and pulse and alter in intensity which is a really neat effect. We also have some really neat effects where there’s these projections on trees and it saturates them with these really bold, deep colors.”
Fire pits and concession tents provide warmth along the trail and spots to stop and enjoy the holiday fun.
And some new features this year will make you a part of the shining show.
“New this year are Illu-medallions which are a wearable pendant you wear around your neck and it is a snowflake design and that will, once turned on, change color and pulse and alter based on the features you see during your Illumination trail,” explained MacMillan. “So you can really be a part of the show this year which is an exciting new feature.”
A limited supply of 30,000 Illu-medallions will be available for visitors to purchase so be sure to get yours soon.
Fun fact about Illumination – about 20 miles of cables run beneath the ground to power the lights, and installation of it all took about a month.
Illumination is open now through January 1.
Naperville News 17’s Christine Lena reports.
