Driving around to see Christmas lights is a holiday tradition for many families, and thanks to a new ranking, we now know where to go to see the biggest and brightest display in Illinois.
Financial news site 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of the neighborhoods in each state with the “most outrageous Christmas lights.”
Illinois’ winner is in suburban Elburn, located roughly 45 miles west of Chicago in Kane County.
The reason Elburn took the title? The “Larsen’s Light Show,” a free display with over 1 million lights programmed to dozens of holiday songs.
The show is presented at the home of Chicago-area landscaper Brian Larsen, a tradition he began in 2006 to give families “the chance to create a fun evening and tradition they can pass down to their kids,” according to the show's website.
Located at 42W891 Beith Rd, the show runs every hour each evening, for about 15 to 25 minutes, beginning in early December through the end of the year.
Visitors are guided to a parking lot, where they can tune their radio to listen along as the lights and lasers dance.
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Thanks to their efforts, the Larsen family has gained national recognition, winning an episode of reality television series “The Great Christmas Light Fight’’ in 2013.
That victory, coupled with local news reports, image galleries and award archives led 24/7 Wall St. to crown Elburn as the “most outrageous Christmas lights” in Illinois.
To the east, Monument Circle in Indianapolis took home Indiana’s title, and to the north, the area of 96th Street and Oklahoma Avenue in West Allis leads Wisconsin.
