"Very successful, with over 200 attendees on the coldest day of the year." That is how the Geneva Park District's May 2026 recreation committee minutes describe the first Lights & Flights Craft Beer Festival at Peck Farm Park. Park staff wrote it as a line item in a review. It is also the clearest sign yet that Geneva now has a second home for the holidays.

For most of the year, Peck Farm Park at 4038 Kaneville Road is a daytime park. People go for the prairie trails, the Hawks Hollow nature playground and the history exhibits. In December it turns into an evening place, and the Park District has the visitor counts to show it. The 2026 Winter Wonder Lights season is the first one planned after a full year of that data. The schedule reflects what the district learned.

Nearly seven times the foot traffic, from one switch

Last winter the Park District put a trail counter at Peck Farm Park. In November 2025 it recorded an average of 55 visitors a day. Starting December 1, when the lights came on, the average jumped to 378 a day. That is the same park, the same trails and the same parking lots, with almost seven times as many people.

The January 2026 board minutes record Commissioner Cladis calling the event "fantastic and attended by many." The counter puts a number on it. Once the lights are on, Peck Farm becomes one of the busiest evening spots in Geneva in December. It also happens to be a spot that charges nothing to walk.

This is not a brand-new idea. The Park District's calendar listed a Winter Wonder Lights kickoff at Peck Farm Park in December 2024. Its winter program guide describes Winter Wonder Lights as a "monthlong illumination" that "kicked off for the first time" and gave the community a free stroll through the park. The 2025 season added the visitor counts, the first beer festival and an honest review of the results.

What last winter taught the Park District

At the May 12, 2026 recreation committee meeting, Peck Farm Park Manager Adam Dagley reviewed the season. Winter Wonder Lights brought in about $17,000 in revenue against about $16,000 in expenses. That is roughly break-even, which leaves little room for add-ons that don't draw a crowd.

The minutes named one add-on that fell short. "Santa visits proved to be not as popular as staff had hoped," and the district lost money on them. Gingerbread Barn Raising "proves to still be popular," though the bakery has raised the price of the barns. The bakery and the Park District promote each other. The bakery puts up event signs in its store, and the district features the bakery in its own marketing.

The 2026 schedule follows those findings. The free kickoff lists a courtyard lighting, hot cocoa and s'mores by the fire pit, letters to Santa, and holiday music. It does not list Santa visits. The Gingerbread Barn Raising is back. Lights & Flights returns for a second year, and the 2026 ticket prices of $55, $70 and $15 are the same as last year's.

The tree program also changed. Organizations can decorate a tree, and the 2026 listing describes it as part of a "four-week long light celebration." The 2025 listing called it a "two-week long" celebration. If you belong to a scout troop, a PTA, a church group or a local business, your decorated tree now has twice as long to be seen.

The 2026 Peck Farm calendar, in order

The lights stay on every night from November 28 through January 1, 5 to 10 p.m. You don't need to register or pay to walk the lit paths. The ticketed and registered events fit around that:

1. Friday, November 20. Organizations can start decorating their trees. Registration is required and costs $50. Trees and lights are provided, and groups bring their own decorations.
2. Saturday, November 28, 5 to 7 p.m. The free Winter Wonder Lights Kickoff, with the courtyard lit at 5:00 sharp.
3. Sunday, December 6, 4 to 6 p.m. Gingerbread Barn Raising at the Orientation Barn. It costs $72 per group for residents and $92 for nonresidents, and one barn covers up to six people. The price includes frosting, candy, hot cocoa and holiday music.
4. Saturday, December 12. Lights & Flights Craft Beer Festival, ages 21 and up. VIP entry starts at 3 p.m. and general admission at 4 p.m. Tickets are $55 for general admission, $70 for VIP and $15 for designated drivers, and each guest gets 15 sample pours and a commemorative glass. The 2026 brewery list includes Penrose Brewing, Art History Brewing, Alter Brewing, Stockholm's, Riverlands Brewing, Sew Hop'd, Noon Whistle, Obscurity Brewing from Elburn and Blind Corner Brewery.
5. December 21, the winter solstice, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Bagpipes & Bonfire at the Peck Farm Picnic Shelter. Adults pay $10 for residents and $15 for nonresidents, children pay $5 and $7, and kids 2 and under get in free. The price covers the bonfire, a bagpipe show and a hot drink. The Park District's bill list for last year's event shows a payment to Chicago Garda Pipes and Drums.

The Lights & Flights page for 2026 still calls it the "very first" festival. The Park District's own minutes describe the December 2025 edition as the inaugural one, with more than 200 people attending.

The first weekend of December runs in two places

Geneva's traditional holiday center is still downtown, and it still comes first. The Geneva Chamber's Christmas Walk is Friday, December 4, at 6 p.m. The mayor gets the season's first candy cane, Santa Lucia lights the Great Tree, and Santa arrives. There are also carolers, a live nativity and roasted chestnuts.

The next morning, the Park District's Polar Express Storytime Train starts from the Geneva Train Station. It runs Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6, with sessions from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $40 for ages 1 to 17 and $45 for adults at the resident rate. As of early October, the Park District lists it as full. On Sunday afternoon, the Gingerbread Barn Raising starts at Peck Farm at 4 p.m.

So in about 46 hours, the holiday season moves from Third Street to the train station to Kaneville Road. A family with young kids could do all three. You would need to have registered for the train already, since it's full, and to sign up for the barn raising before it fills too.

Planning a Peck Farm evening this winter

Weather is the main risk to any of these plans. A snowstorm postponed the 2025 kickoff, which moved to December 10. The lights themselves stay on every night through January 1, so a snowed-out evening only costs you one night. Events with set dates are different. Before you leave for the kickoff, the barn raising or the solstice bonfire, check the Winter Wonder Lights page on the Park District site.

Parking is still an open question. The Park District's trail map shows an east entrance leading to the baseball parking lot and a separate west entrance to a parking lot. No 2026 parking or shuttle plan for Winter Wonder Lights has been published. With nightly crowds averaging several hundred last December, it's sensible to call the Park District before a big event night.

If you want to spend an afternoon there before the lights come on, Hawks Hollow is open dawn to dusk all year. Its eight learning stations stay open in winter, and only the water features close for the season. Inside, the History Gallery, Discovery Room and Gift Shop have a short film, interactive exhibits about the Peck family and live animals. Check those hours with the park before you go, because the lights start at 5 p.m.

Mark these dates on the calendar now. Tree decorating registration opens for a November 20 start. The gingerbread barns have limited spots. Lights & Flights tickets are already on sale for December 12, and last year's festival drew more than 200 people on the coldest day of the year.

At Kathryn Pinto, we follow how Geneva actually spends its Decembers, from the Christmas Walk downtown to the lit paths at Peck Farm. If you want a hand planning your own season here, or have questions about the west side of town, Let's Connect.