The City of Chicago's official Christmas Tree was lit up Friday evening, bringing holiday spirit and joy to hundreds who gathered for the illumination in Millenium Park.

Reaching the height of a six-story building, this year's tree is a 68-foot-tall Norway Spruce that grew up in north suburban Glenview .

Adorned with 39,000 feet of string lights carrying 119,000 LED bulbs, the 2025 tree is one of the largest in city history.

Crowds gathered around the tree in anticipation of the lighting that took place around 6:25 p.m. Friday, with parts of Michigan Avenue closed to traffic for the event.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the crowd ahead of the lighting, followed by an especially jolly guest: Santa.

After the tree's switch was flipped, fireworks erupted to mark the completion

See Full Page