The holiday season has officially kicked off in Philadelphia with the Wanamaker Light Show now underway. People lined up outside on Black Friday, waiting to experience the beloved Philadelphia tradition that almost didn’t happen this year.
Crowds reached capacity for the inaugural Wanamaker Light Show of 2025, with a line wrapping the building outside and people waiting to get in.
Chris Hausner, who’s 70 years old, has been coming since she was a little girl.
“I came here all the time, and I sat on the floor right here by the eagle and watched the show, and it hasn’t changed,” Hausner said. “Very nostalgic.”
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This year is extra special for many people after the fate of the tradition was uncertain when Macy’s in the Wanamaker Building closed earlier this year, and a developer purchased the property.
“When we heard it on the news that Macy’s had closed,” Peggy Girard said, “they said, ‘What about the light show? What are we going to do?'”
But Philly found a way through donations, sponsorships, grants and sheer determination.
“Just a beloved treasure, a beloved experience and tradition and as Philadelphians,” Philadelphia Visitor’s Center President Kathryn Ott Lovell said. “We are nostalgic people.”
Along with the Light Show, visitors can also enjoy the other long-standing tradition, Dickens Village on the third floor, which brings to life the classic story of “A Christmas Carol.”
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New this year is the holiday market on the ground floor, showcasing 30 local vendors.
But it’s the holiday sights and sounds, including the historic Wanamaker organ, that bring people back every year.
The Kinsey family has been coming for four generations, thanks to Kimberly Witcraft’s grandmother, who started it all.
“A month ago, she passed away,” Witcraft said, “so this being the last year of this, at least for a while, is kind of a full circle moment for our family.”
The Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens village are open on select days through Christmas Eve. You might want to see it this year, because the Wanamaker Light Show will pause for a couple of years while the building is renovated. It’s set to return in 2028.