The Philadelphia Visitor Center announced that the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village, based on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, has returned for the 2025 holiday season.
“The Wanamaker Light Show presented by PECO is a Philadelphia holiday tradition dating back half a century, housed in the historic Wanamaker Building,” the visitor center stated. “The free show uses more than 100,000 LED lights to project snowflakes, ballerinas and reindeer upon a four-story-high velvet curtain in the Grand Court atrium, accompanied by festive music from around the world-renowned Wanamaker Grand Organ.”
The Light Show will run every hour on the half hour beginning at 12:30 p.m. each day of operation, with select plays accompanied by live performances of the historic Wanamaker Organ (except Sundays). Additionally, Wanamaker Organ concerts will follow the Light Show twice per day at approximately 12:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
Three floors above is another holiday tradition: Dickens Village. The 6,000-square-foot walk-through experience transports visitors to 1840s London with 26 heart-warming scenes from A Christmas Carol and is available with free timed-tickets. Tickets are available here.
Tickets will be available five days in advance.
“Since 1956, the Light Show has been managed and operated by the various department store tenants of the Wanamaker building, most recently Macy’s. The installation of the Light Show and Dickens Village is a massive undertaking involving dozens of skilled technicians and depends on high levels of institutional knowledge and technical expertise.
“The attractions themselves draw tens of thousands of visitors daily during the holiday season, requiring staffing to help manage crowds safely and provide positive visitor experiences.”
The Wanamaker building is located at 100 E Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
You can call the Philadelphia Visitors Center at 800-637-7676.
