Andersonville's St. Lucia Festival Returns with Expanded Candlelit Procession on December 13

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Andersonville · December 3, 2025

Andersonville residents are preparing for one of the neighborhood's most cherished cultural traditions as the annual St. Lucia Festival of Lights returns on Friday, December 13, 2025. The Swedish American Museum will once again host this beautiful celebration featuring the traditional candlelit procession down Clark Street.

The festivities will begin at sunset around 4:45 PM when specially selected 'St. Lucia girls' wearing traditional white robes and wreaths of candles will depart from the Swedish American Museum. The procession will move down Clark Street as participants sing the lilting melody of the traditional Lucia song, ultimately arriving at the Christmas tree on Catalpa Avenue for an outdoor concert. Following the tree performance, the procession will continue to Ebenezer Lutheran Church at 1650 W. Foster Ave., where they will perform additional songs and give readings about St. Lucia, an Italian saint noted for feeding the homeless and poor around 284 AD in Sicily.

This celebration highlights Andersonville's rich Scandinavian heritage and provides a magical winter experience for visitors of all backgrounds. The Festival of Lights serves as a luminous complement to the neighborhood's other December celebrations, including the recently completed Julmarknad Holiday Market and upcoming Menorah Lighting ceremony on December 14. Community members are encouraged to line Clark Street to witness this beautiful tradition that brings light to one of the year's darkest evenings.

Sources:
1. https://chicagoonthecheap.com/st-lucia-festival-of-lights/