Wanamaker Light Show, Dickens Village Saved For 2025

Thanks to a fundraising campaign led by the Philadelphia Visitor Center and TF Cornerstone, sufficient funds have been raised to ensure the return of the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village for the 2025 holiday season.

Despite the sale of Macy's earlier this year, the Light Show and Dickens Village, both cherished Philadelphia holiday attractions, will be removed from storage and put on display. While news this summer indicated that a fundraising effort would ensure the shows lasted for at least one more holiday season, the question remains: What does the future of the Light Show look like?

Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, is leading the effort to Save the Light Show. Lovell told The Philadelphia Inquirer that nearly 700 individual donors and gifts from philanthropic foundations allowed the group to raise enough money to produce the Light Show and Dickens Village this holiday season. Both shows will remain free to the public.

“We're not sure how many days we can do it and how long each day,” she said about the Light Show, which was last performed five times a day during the holiday season. “The more we raise, the more hours it can be open. The more accessible it can be.”

Longtime community members and visitors, such as Robin Shreeves and Beth D'Ercole, expressed strong emotional ties to the Light Show in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Renovations on the Macy's building are set to begin in February 2026 and are expected to last for two years. As a result, the Light Show will likely have to find a new home during that time. 

While helping to ready the building and providing operational support for this year's show, Jake Elghanayan, senior vice president at TF Cornerstone, said he is glad that a private group is trying to secure the show's future.

Since 1956, the Wanamaker Light Show has served as a cherished Philadelphia holiday tradition.