Prairie Farms is hosting a free Winter Nights, a holiday light display, every Thursday through Sunday from 5-9 p.m. until Dec. 28.
Located at 2202 W. Kirby Ave. in Champaign, the farm will feature an accessible experience that includes festive light displays. On Friday and Saturday nights, the farm will also serve complimentary hot chocolate.
In a written statement to The Daily Illini, Chelsea Norton, director of marketing and development for the Champaign Park District, wrote that the event has become a staple to the community after its launch in 2020.
“We love providing opportunities for people to come together as a community and enjoy the outdoors,” Norton wrote. “We hope people get all of that and more. We’ve heard of families making it an annual tradition to visit the farm, people proposing to their partners and more, so I think it has certainly become a special thing for our community.”
The event first took place at Porter Family Park to create community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was moved to Prairie Farms in 2021 and has been there ever since.
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“People really enjoyed it, but the lack of power at Porter Park made it difficult to bring it to its full potential,” Norton wrote. “That’s when we decided to move the event to Prairie Farm, which wasn’t being used during winter months!”
Service dogs are welcome at Winter Nights, but no other pets are allowed. The Champaign Park District encourages donations, which community members can make both on site and online.
