Gather the family and kick off the holiday season with the arrival of the Holiday Train in Gurnee, IL, on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. This FREE event will take place from 4-6PM. The train is estimated to arrive at 5PM, followed by a holiday concert starting at 5:15PM.
The Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Holiday Train is nearly 1,000 feet long with 14 rail cars, each decorated with hundreds of thousands of technology-leading LED lights and holiday designs.
The Holiday Train is anticipated to arrive on the east side of railroad tracks near Depot Rd. Park your vehicle at one of the locations below and walk over to Depot Rd. and Old Grand Ave.
Park your vehicle at one of the locations below and walk over to Depot Rd. and Old Grand Ave.
Food Donations Needed
If you'd like to help our community, our staff will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Northern Illinois Food Bank. If you can, please bring one or more items to donate—every contribution makes a difference. Thank you so much for your generosity!
Parking Available
- Viking Park 4374 Old Grand Ave.
- Viking Middle School 4460 Old Grand Ave.
- Warren Township High School - 500 N. O’Plaine Rd.
Full train schedule can be viewed here
Entertainment
- Holiday Concert: TBD
- Free pictures with Santa Claus
- Patch 22 Petting Zoo
- DJ Frank Wright playing holiday Music
Thank you to our Event Sponsors & Partners
Although the event is free, staff will be collecting non-perishable food to support the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
About the Holiday Train
The Holiday Train raises awareness of local hunger issues by encouraging attendees to bring a non-perishable food item for donation to a local food pantry. All donations will benefit the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
The Holiday Train program has raised more than $9 million and more than 3.9 million pounds of food since the first Holiday Train ran in 1999. Thousands of people gather trackside at depots, railroad crossings and other unusual venues along CPR’s route to enjoy the arrival of the brightly decorated trains lighting up the winter night. The musicians, who ride in vintage private cars at the end of the 14-car train, hop out and climb aboard a boxcar in the middle of the train that opens to reveal a stage where they perform live holiday concerts and invite crowds to sing along.
Learn about the Holiday Train at cpkcr.com/en/community/HolidayTrain
