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Tickets
IllumiBrew tickets are now available to Arboretum members.
Purchase member tickets online.
IllumiBrew tickets will be available to all on Thursday, October 15.
Event Ticket
Cost: $95
Member cost: $85
Designated Driver Ticket
Cost: $50
Member cost: $45
Become a member to get early access and the best price on IllumiBrew and Illumination tickets.
Each IllumiBrew ticket includes entrance to Illumination, 18 three-ounce tastings, and a green light-up tasting glass. Samples of beverages with a higher ABV (alcohol by volume), such as meads, may be less than three ounces.
All attendees must be 21 or older and present a valid ID at check-in.
No infants or children, including those in strollers, will be permitted.
Designated Driver Tickets
Designated Driver tickets include entrance to Illumination, unlimited hot cocoa or hot cider, and the option to redeem for one can of nonalcoholic beer. Designated drivers must be 21 or older.
Pine Whistle Railroad Tickets
Make Pine Whistle Railroad a part of your IllumiBrew experience. During your IllumiBrew ticket purchase, add Pine Whistle Railroad to your cart to explore the model train exhibit in the Firefly Pavilion, along the Illumination trail.
Pine Whistle Railroad tickets are an additional $9 per ticket for the public and $7 per ticket for Arboretum members.
Vendors and Map
A list of participating vendors and an event map will be available closer to the event date.
Food and Drinks
A concession tent along the Illumination trail will serve snacks, hot beverages, and alcoholic drinks. The concession tent will be open from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. during IllumiBrew.
A concession and bar menu will be available closer to the event date.
Ultimate Blizzard Hot Cocoa
Bring home memories of Illumination with this year’s signature hot cocoa—the Ultimate Blizzard Hot Cocoa—served in a limited-edition Morton Arboretum mug.
The Ultimate Blizzard Hot Cocoa features traditional milk chocolate hot cocoa, whipped cream, large house-made cocoa marshmallow, topped with a mini snowflake cookie, and finished with iridescent snow dust.
The Ultimate Blizzard Hot Cocoa will be available to purchase online in advance or inside the main concessions tent during your Illumination visit.
Ginkgo Restaurant
A full dinner and beverage menu, including freshly-made sandwiches, salads, burgers, and assorted alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, is available until 8:00 p.m. from the Ginkgo Restaurant, located inside the Visitor Center.
Accessibility
The Illumination trail is a one-mile paved path that is ADA-compliant for those with limited mobility. The exhibition is not accessible by car.
The Arboretum has a small number of nonmotorized wheelchairs available for free loan in the Visitor Center on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests must leave a driver’s license or other photo ID to check out a wheelchair. Because the supply is limited, we recommend bringing a personal wheelchair to the Arboretum if one is needed. Personal mobility scooters may also be used on the trail.
Arboretum staff make their best efforts to clear the path of ice and snow.
Sensory Needs
Please be aware that Illumination features moving and flashing lights along the trail. There are no strobe lights in the exhibition. Laser features are directed away from guests and follow International Laser Display Association safety standards.
Service Animals
The Morton Arboretum welcomes visitors with task-trained service animals to Illumination. Please note that pets are not permitted at Illumination except on four specially designated Illumination Dog Admission Nights, December 2, 9, 16, and January 1.
Parking
Parking is available near the entrance for those with a disability placard on their vehicle. Please notify the parking attendant as you drive in. Otherwise, parking is first come, first served, and is directed by parking attendants.
Guests directed to a secondary lot (parking lot P-21), near the Thornhill Education Center on the Arboretum’s West Side, can take advantage of a shuttle bus that will transport them to the main event area. Please note that this is the only shuttle bus during Illumination and it only runs between parking lot P-21 and the Visitor Center. The bus does not have a wheelchair lift.
If you do not have a disability placard and someone in your party has mobility concerns, you are also welcome to drop off passengers in the circle drive adjacent to the Visitor Center before you park. Please notify the parking attendants and they will direct you accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Accordion List
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Food and beverages will be available to purchase along the Illumination trail until 9:30 p.m.
Indoor dining and to-go orders will be available from the Ginkgo Restaurant until 8:00 p.m.
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Yes, designated driver tickets are available for this event. Designated Driver tickets include entrance to Illumination, unlimited hot cocoa or hot cider, and the option to redeem for one can of nonalcoholic beer. Designated drivers must be 21 or older.
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No, additional samples will not be available for purchase. Each ticket includes 18 three-ounce samples. Samples of beverages with a higher ABV (alcohol by volume), such as meads, may be less than three ounces.
