A tradition since 2006, the Holiday Express festival is ready to roll at Blackberry Farm at 100 S. Barnes Road in Aurora.
The Fox Valley Park District’s holiday season event will have a Special Needs Night on Friday when the park will feature a lower-sensory environment. Opening night follows on Saturday, with the event running from 5 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 22.
Admission is $10 for those 1 year old and older and includes all attractions including the replica steam engine’s three-quarter-mile loop around Lake Gregory. Along with unlimited train rides, guests can also hop on the holiday hay wagon as often as they like.
Becky Harling, facility manager at Blackberry Farm, said the event has become a holiday tradition for thousands “because we’re a family-friendly facility that offers activities for such a low cost.”
“There’s so many fun things to do throughout the winter season and the holidays but sometimes they can cost an arm and a leg,” she said. “Ours is just $10 to come in and you get multiple photo opportunities for your Christmas cards and you get to see Santa and ride the train and enjoy the lights as you walk around beautiful Blackberry Farm. I think it checks a lot of people’s boxes by having to do only a one-stop shop which is really nice for people.”
Last year’s Holiday Express drew over 10,000 people, a number that Harling said “has been trending up since COVID.”
“We had a little bit of a hit after COVID, but this year, in general, the park has seen higher attendance and I expect it to continue that way into December,” she said.
New this year are a number of enhancements including “new light displays throughout the park,” she said.
“We try and add some pieces here and there to continue building on what we already have, and then some of our interior sights we’ve upped the interior decorations and themes within those spaces as well,” Harling said.
Harling said visitors “make an evening of it” and don’t just come for the train ride.
“It’s not a one-and-done with the train. Some people purchase the ticket thinking it’s just the train if they have never been here before, and then they are pleasantly surprised when they see the value that comes with the ticket and all the other activities they can enjoy,” she said. “Obviously the train is a huge draw but the other activities and Santa and the lights and everything makes it an opportunity for people to spend a couple of hours here. People like to visit things and some come back and ride the train again as it’s our most popular attraction.”
Other attractions at the farm include holiday displays and a chance for kids to color a Holiday Express coloring book inside Huntoon House; the North Pole Oasis in the Carriage Museum where Santa will appear and offer photo opportunities; the Candy Cane Village playground; the Sugar Plum Playland at Little Farmer’s Junction with a winter-themed sensory table and the chance to ride tricycles on surrounding paths; holiday stories inside the Gingerbread School House; a cafe offering treats and hot chocolate; and the Holiday Village in the Early Streets Museum which will offers crafts and holiday music.
Harling also said there are a number of places to take holiday photos at the farm, including new holiday-themed backdrops in the Train Depot.
For more information about Holiday Express or for tickets, go to https://www.blackberryfarm.info/special-events/holiday-express/.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
