Lincolnshire's Holiday Stretch: Frozen at the Marriott, Lights on the Village Green, and the Dates in Between
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
On Wednesday, November 4, at 7 p.m., the Marriott Theatre opens Disney's Frozen. It runs until January 3, 2027, about nine weeks across two calendar years. On the Village Green, Lincolnshire Lights lasts sixty minutes on one Friday evening. The theatre and the resort around it set the pace from early November to New Year's Eve. The Village's tree lighting falls in the middle of that run, during the most crowded few weeks of the season.
Frozen is the Marriott Theatre's main holiday production this year. Ashley Rodbro directs and Katie Spelman choreographs. The theatre lists Morgan Anita Wood as Elsa, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez as Anna, David Moreland as Kristoff, Nick Berninger as Olaf and Justin Albinder as Hans. The show runs about two hours and twenty minutes with one intermission. The theatre's note for families rounds that up to two and a half hours, which is the better number to plan a child's bedtime around.
The box office lists the first performance on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 p.m., with tickets starting at $85. Availability for that opening night was listed as good. With a run this long, early November weeknights are likely to have more open seats than the weeks closer to the holidays.
Between Frozen's opening and the busier weeks later in the month, the Lake County Forest Preserves' calendar for Ryerson Conservation Area gives the season a slower pace. The Forest Preserves calendar lists:
There's a family date in town that same week. Half Day Brewing Co., at 200 Village Green South, hosts a kids' Princess Party on Sunday, November 15. It lands five days before SpongeBob opens at the Marriott.
On Friday, November 20, the Marriott starts its second holiday show. The SpongeBob Musical is a Theatre for Young Audiences production that runs about 70 minutes. Justin Brill and Shanna VanDerwerker direct and choreograph. The first performance is at 10:00 a.m. on opening day, and the run lasts through January 3. From that day on, the theatre has two holiday shows running at once, one in the morning and one full-length evening musical.
The next two and a half weeks are the busiest part of Lincolnshire's season:
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | SpongeBob opens, 10 a.m. | Marriott Theatre |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Restoration workday, 9 a.m. to noon; Native Plants From Seed, 1 to 2:30 p.m. | Ryerson Conservation Area |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Handmade Holiday Market, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Lincolnshire Marriott Resort |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Give Thanks to Nature, 10 to 11 a.m. | Ryerson Education Center |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving buffet | Eddie Merlot's, 185 N. Milwaukee Ave. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Family Drop-In: Project FeederWatch, 1 to 3 p.m. | Ryerson Welcome Center |
| Through Dec. 6 | Toys for Tots collection | Vernon Area Public Library |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Lincolnshire Lights, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. | 100 Village Green |
The Handmade Holiday Market falls on the Sunday after SpongeBob opens, so a 10 a.m. children's show and a market that opens at 11 a.m. could fit into the same weekend. Vernon Area Public Library has Toys for Tots collection boxes in its lobby through December 6, which gives anyone shopping at the market a place to drop off a toy within two weeks.
Lincolnshire Lights is on Friday, December 4, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 100 Village Green. The Village's Spring 2026 newsletter listed the date and said details for each special event would follow closer to the day. Check the Village's event page that week for the evening's program.
The timing works in residents' favor. The lighting ends at 6:30 p.m., which leaves time for dinner afterward. On a Friday in early December, the theatre will be in its second month of Frozen and its third week of SpongeBob. That makes Lincolnshire Lights the one hour of the season the Village itself runs, held during the weeks when the Marriott campus nearby is at its busiest.
The restaurants closest to the season's main events are on Milwaukee Avenue, Parkway Drive and the resort campus. Several have holiday offers already posted:
A new grocery store may or may not open in time for holiday cooking. The Village's Summer 2026 newsletter said Park To Shop, at 475 Milwaukee Avenue, was working through logistical delays and targeting a fourth-quarter opening. As of that issue, the Village had not received a building permit application. The same newsletter said the new owner of the Regal Cinemas building at 300 Parkway Drive, M&J Property Holdings LLC, is exploring family entertainment and recreation uses. Neither is on this year's holiday calendar yet.
After the tree lighting, the Village's calendar goes quiet, and the theatre adds two short special events. A Motown Christmas with Chester Gregory plays Monday, December 14, and Tuesday, December 15. Lake County Forest Preserves holds its last listed Ryerson restoration workday of the year on Saturday, December 19, from 9 a.m. to noon.
On December 31, the theatre hosts Rockin' New Year's Eve with Nat Zegree. The Lincolnshire Marriott Resort offers Rockin' New Year's Eve dinner and breakfast packages that cover December 31 through January 1. Frozen and SpongeBob both play their last performances on Sunday, January 3, 2027. Performance times can change, so check the Marriott box office before booking.
If family visits this year have you thinking about whether your home still fits how you live, The GGL Group is happy to talk it through over coffee. Schedule a call when the time is right for you.