The Wanamaker Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village will return for the 2025 holiday season thanks in part to support from IBEW Local 98, which provided a three-person crew to assist with the lighting system installation. The public can also help preserve this longtime Philly tradition by supporting the Save the Light Show fundraising campaign.
The Wanamaker Light Show presented by PECO is a Philadelphia holiday tradition dating back half a century, housed in the historic Wanamaker Building. The free show uses more than 100,000 LED lights to project snowflakes, ballerinas and reindeer upon a four-story-high velvet curtain in the Grand Court atrium, accompanied by festive music from the world-renowned Wanamaker Grand Organ.
Limited - IBEW members working on the light showProvided Courtesy/Philadelphia Visitors Center
Shane Williams, IBEW Local 98 Member working for M. Gitlin installing the 2025 Wannamaker Light Show.
The Light Show will run every hour on the half hour beginning at 12:30 p.m. each day of operation, with select plays accompanied by live performances of the historic Wanamaker Organ (expect Sundays). Additionally, Wanamaker Organ concerts will follow the Light Show twice per day, at approximately 12:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. (12:45 p.m. ONLY on December 24).
Limited - Behind the scenes of light showProvided Courtesy/Philadelphia Visitors Center
Behind the scenes wiring of the Wanamaker Light Show, courtesy of IBEW Local 98.
Floors above, is another holiday tradition: Dickens Village. The 6,000-square-foot walk-through experience transports visitors to 1840s London with 26 heart-warming scenes from A Christmas Carol and is available with free timed-tickets. Tickets will be available 5 days in advance of each date starting November 24th.
For more information and ways to donate, click here.
Kathryn Ott Lovell, President & CEO, Philadelphia Visitor Center:
“We can’t thank IBEW Local 98 enough for the critical role you played in bringing the Wanamaker Light Show, Presented by PECO, back for the 2025 holiday season. Quitesimply, it would not have happened without you, and the union’s commitment exemplifies what it means to give back to the community. Your members should be incredibly proud to know that Local 98 helped save a beloved, decades-long Philadelphia tradition. We arenow partners in ensuring these traditions shine on for generations!"
Mark Lynch Jr., Business Manager:
“The Wanamaker Holiday Light Show has brought magic to Philadelphia for nearly 70 years, and it means a lot to us to help keep that tradition alive. Every year, our members at IBEW Local 98 pour their hearts into setting up this display — not just as electricians, but as Philadelphians who grew up watching those lights shine. It’s an honor to give back to the city we love and to help make the holidays brighter for everyone.”