Ravinia Announces Winter Weekend Lineup For December

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Ravinia Festival has announced its Winter Weekend 2026 lineup, a five-show holiday series scheduled for this December.

The performances include programs for adults and children, with styles ranging from Chanukah music and a cappella to gospel, brass and a family concert.

The series opens Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. with Chanukah: Songs of Light featuring Noah Aronson & The Or Collective. The Dec. 3 program at 7:30 p.m. features Cantus in Lessons and Carols for Our Time. Adrian Dunn Singers will perform Wonderful: A Soulful Celebration on Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m., followed by Dallas Brass in A Merry Christmas with Brass on Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The series concludes Dec. 6 at 1:30 p.m. with JAM Orchestra's Jingle Bell JAM!

Several performers will make their Ravinia debuts during the series. Ravinia identified Noah Aronson, Cantus and Dallas Brass as first-time Ravinia artists. Aronson's Dec. 2 concert is sponsored by Am Shalom and North Suburban Synagogue Beth El.

The festival's program notes describe Cantus as an ensemble in its 32nd season. The Washington Post has praised the group's sound for both “exalting finesse” and “expressive power." For the Dec. 4 program, Ravinia said Adrian Dunn Singers are Chicago's all-Black professional choral ensemble and noted the group previously appeared at Ravinia in 2022 and again this summer with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Carlos Simon's Good News Mass under Marin Alsop.

Ravinia said Dallas Brass will perform holiday selections including 'Deck the Halls,' 'Carol of the Bells,' 'Sleigh Ride,' 'The Christmas Song,' 'Frosty the Snowman,' and music from The Nutcracker Suite. The Dec. 6 family program, produced by Lark Creative Group, is described by Ravinia as an approximately 70-minute concert in which audiences become part of the show.

The park will also be decorated for the season, with food and drink offerings before each show, holiday shopping opportunities and photo spots. Tickets begin at $30 and are available only through Ravinia.org.

Tickets go on sale to the public at noon CDT on Friday, Sept. 25.