A holiday season without Wanamaker Light Show, Dickens Village
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Behold the Wanamaker Light Show in all its glory! Photo: Mike D'Onofrio/Axios
The Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village are MIA this holiday season as the historic Center City building undergoes redevelopment.
Why it matters: For the first time in generations, the Philly holidays will go without the beloved Christmastime attractions.
State of play: The panels of snowmen, reindeer and sugar plum fairies, along with the bulk of the components for the show, remain tucked away in what's known as "Frosty Central" — a sealed hallway in the building behind the Wanamaker Organ.
- "They're safely stored," Ray Biswanger, executive director of the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, tells Axios.
Plus: The animatronic characters and displays for Dickens Village are housed and preserved on the building's third floor.
The big picture: New York-based TF Cornerstone, which owns the Wanamaker, recently revealed a bar and restaurant concept for the Grand Court, home to the famous eagle statue and former site of the light show.
Plus: The redevelopment includes converting office space into 600 apartments.
What we know: The holiday attractions are paused for at least this year and in 2027 during construction, per the Philadelphia Visitors Center.
The intrigue: It's still TBD on whether the light show and Dickens Village will ever return to Wanamaker Building.
Flashback: TFC scooped up the building last year after Macy's shuttered its flagship store there.
- The light show was originally canceled for 2025, but a fundraising effort organized by the Philadelphia Visitors Center kept it alive last year.
- The visitors center also managed last year's light show and Dickens Village.
What they're saying: Philadelphia Visitors Center leadership has ongoing discussions with TFC to return the light show and village to the Wanamaker Building, visitors center spokesperson Elissa Hill tells Axios.
- TFC did not return a request for comment.
Worth noting: The Wanamaker Organ is expected to resume public concerts in the summer of 2028.
🗣️ Your take: Should the light show and Dickens Village move? If so, where?
- Email your suggestions to [email protected].