Macy’s Christmas Light Show

A Philadelphia tradition since 1956
A source of awe and wonder for children of all ages

The Grand Court Spectacle of Lights and Music

If past years are any guide, in 2019, Macy’s Light Show should run from November 29 through December 31. Usually there is an event the Saturday before Thanksgiving featuring a Light Show preview with the Magic Christmas Tree, and an unveiling of the spectacular Market Street Windows. Macy’s frequently displays a mailbox in the Grand Court for letters to St. Nick.

Daily Light Show Showtimes: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm, 8 pm. (In the past, on occasion, additional unscheduled shows have been presented when the Store became too congested. Good times for viewing are Monday through Thursday.) The Store is closed on Thanksgiving and on Christmas Day but open on New Year’s Day.

Macy’s DICKENS CHRISTMAS VILLAGE

Third Floor Holiday Lane (walk below the Magic Christmas Tree for up escalators. Elevators are on Market Street.) The redemption story of Ebenezer Scrooge runs the day after Thanksgiving through December 31 (Closed Christmas). Open daily: 10am-7pm. Viewers of the classic film Miracle on 34th Street will not be at all surprised that Macy’s has a special relationship with a certain gentleman from the North Pole, and indeed Santa may be visited here through December 24.

Macy’s Market Street Animated Christmas Windows

Beautiful windows and holiday music grace the bustling Market Street street scene outside the Store.

Macy’s is located inside The Wanamaker Building at 13th & Market Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Basic store Information is at 215-241-9000. There is parking underneath the Store with lot entrances on Juniper and 13th Streets. (Note that most weekdays the lot fills early with commuter parking, with more spaces opening in the early afternoon.)

PLANNING A LIGHT SHOW TRIP? BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN FOR LOTS OF HELPFUL INFORMATION!

Shoppers waiting for the next show will want to take in the Dickens Christmas Village on the Third Floor, Market Street, which is also free and is open on a continuous basis from 10 am. The Light Show itself lasts about eleven minutes. Buying Wanamaker Organ items from the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ webstore helps support the Organ as you fulfill your holiday gift list. Just click on the link below!Immediate Direct Shipping!

The Macy’s presentations are the grandest of Philadelphia traditions, and many customers’ Yule celebrations would not be complete without taking in the Delaware Valley spectacle.Macy’s beautiful Market Street Windows, created by the Parade Studio, are also a special attraction. They are usually unveiled the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

At the Dickens Christmas Village (Third Floor Market Street) there is also a concession for photos with Santa (open through Christmas Eve), a studio to design a personalized teddy bear, and a Christmas gift shop (“Holiday Lane”) nearby. There is covered public parking under the Wanamaker Building with elevators leading to Street Level.

THE WANAMAKER ORGAN is used for the finale of the noon Light Show (except Sundays), and at the end of the 6 pm Light Shows (except Wednesday, Friday and Sunday). Recorded Wanamaker Organ versions conclude the show at all other times.

The Wanamaker Organ is played daily (except Sundays) at noon. It is also played on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 5:30 pm, and each Wednesday and Friday at 7pm. Note: this is the regular yearly schedule. The Wednesday show is stream-cast live over YesterdayUSA.com, also accessible from the Tune-In smartphone APP.

When the Wanamaker Organ is included with the Light Show, it features the Grand Finale (“Deck the Halls”) of the Light Show, then the daily recital continues. Other Light Show endings feature a taped finale by the Wanamaker Organ. All Organ recitals are 45 minutes long. The majestic Wanamaker Organ is the largest playing pipe organ in the world and has more than 28,677 pipes. Through the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ and Macy’s, several million dollars have been invested in its matchless sound during the ongoing restoration.

VIEW THE original Light Show here, and here, and see a vintage TV segment with organ here.

CHECK OUT our Yuletide webstore!

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve Alert

Christmas Eve Day and New Year’s Eve day Wanamaker Organ concerts are generally cancelled due to potential curtailed store hours. The final daily light show on any given day might also not be held if it falls exactly at closing time.

More Store and Light Show Handy Tips

MEALS, LODGING, NEARBY ATTRACTIONS, TIPS AND OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION IS HERE. Covered parking is available under the Wanamaker Building, but additional options are here. Read the fascinating story of Bert Medland, father of the Magic Christmas Tree here. An annotated bibliography by Adrianna Riccioni tracing the history of the Light Show is here. Our Philadelphia Visitors Guide is here. Escalators are located [Read More]

Macy’s “Millennium” Makeover

Retailers have always kept the Light Show up-to-date, and the latest version, produced by Macy’s, is no exception. While retaining all the beloved elements of the John Wanamaker original, the revamped production — dubbed the Millennium Edition by designer Larry Kerecman — modernizes the equipment while allowing the Grand Organ to cast its holiday spell. [Read More]

More on the Makeover

As far as the Wanamaker Organ was concerned, the main problem with past Christmas shows was that the instrument was covered by a huge theater curtain, muffling the Organ’s sound and robbing the hall of reverberation. Until the Grand Court was repainted for the American Bicentennial in 1976, this sound-deadening continued throughout the year as [Read More]

The Holiday Light Show

Fun Facts and Figures Past and Present There are 34,500 LED lights on the Macy’s Magic Christmas Tree in six colors: red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and cool white, which breaks down to about 5,750 lights in each color. It is topped by a red Moravian (or Advent) star. The lights on the tree, the [Read More]

Wanamaker-Organ-Case-with-Giant-Candles-in-Color-Christmas

Beginnings

The Store’s famous light show has always been one of Philadelphia’s most hallowed traditions since its inception in November 1955. It was devised by Frederick Yost, a Yale University theatre-lighting graduate who came to John Wanamaker and pioneered many of the beautiful Grand Court displays that kept the store in the forefront of retailing. Yost [Read More]

The Show Evolves

During the 1960s various panels of figures set on plywood panels, were added, based on a narrative similar to that used today. Mrs. Yost’s voice was used for the Sugar Plum Fairy. The stentorian voice of legendary Philadelphia WCAU-TV newsman John Facenda, voice of NFL Films, added a powerful note of authority. Over the years [Read More]

Characters in Use Today

Today’s show features two Bears, four Frostys, eight Reindeer, 50 Snowflakes, two Toy Soldiers, three Clocks, five Ballerinas, one Nutcracker, one Girl, one Prince, one Princess, two Candy Canes, Santa and the Conductor on the Santa Express Train.

Macy’s Dickens Christmas Village

Macy’s acquired the celebrated Dickens Christmas Village from Philadelphia’s Strawbridge & Clothier Department Store. Numerous animated figures depict scenes in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (1843). While not as popular as the Wanamaker Light Show, the village drew customers to the fourth floor Strawbridge’s, and on one occasion a Dickens descendant presided at the season opening. [Read More]

Macy’s Animated Windows

Macy’s has also enlivened Market Street with a series of fanciful windows spreading holiday cheer to the sidewalks.

Light Show Storage

During the off-season the show is stored in the passageways around the Organ, making the area look like Santa’s workshop. The Magic Christmas Tree is kept on the second floor, Chestnut Street, behind the ladies suit department. The branches are hung from trusses in the ceiling and the endpoints are color-coded for easy installation on [Read More]