Joliet’s Slammers Stadium ready to light up for Glow Holiday Festival

The Glow Holiday Festival lights and decorations arrived in Joliet this week along with the owner of the holiday light show that is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors.

The Glow Holiday Festival will be shown at Slammers Stadium from Nov. 27 through Jan. 5.

“It’s selfies galore. That’s the show,” said Randy Levy, majority owner of the Glow Holiday Festival, which comes to Joliet after proving to be a popular attraction in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Levy said the event draws families and couples fascinated by the lights on display that include walk-through ornaments for kids, a light-animated tunnel for all ages, and an assortment of attractions aimed at providing a unique holiday outing.

“We get all ages,” Levy said. “It’s something for families or date nights or couple’s activities.”

Levy, whose background is as a promoter for rock concerts, talked about his experience with the Glow Holiday Festival after the first of several semitrailers arrived Tuesday with decorations to be set up for the event in Joliet.

He bought the array of holiday lights from a group that had used it in Nashville, Tennessee.

Levy set it up as a drive-thru experience at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We get all ages. It’s something for families or date nights or couple’s activities.”

—  Randy Levy, majority owner of the Glow Holiday Festival

“47,000 people drove through,” Levy said. “I thought, ‘What a great business.’ The second year, we made it a walk-through, and it went great.”

He moved the show to CHS Field, home of the St. Paul Saints minor league team, where it drew 99,000 people last year.

The Veeck family, which formerly owned the St. Paul Saints and became majority owners of the Joliet Slammers this year, encouraged Levy to bring the show to Joliet.

Levy said the show will replicate what was staged in Minnesota, and he expects it to be the same kind of attraction for families and couples in Joliet that it has been there.

“I’ve seen in St. Paul that grandma’s there with her daughter and her daughter’s daughter,” he said. “It’s very date-driven. It’s selfies and fun.”

A team of workers from the Joliet Job Corps is setting up the light show.

“It’s a good thing because it’s going to look good, but it’s going to take a lot of work,” said Joliet Job Corps student Brandon Jurlds, who is serving as a supervisor on the job.

Attractions for the Glow Holiday Festival include:

• Fairytale Castle – a castle with turrets and spires “adorned with thousands of twinkling lights that shimmer like captured constellations,” according to a news release.

• Enchanted Forest – a lit landscape that includes trees, large mushrooms and play huts.

• S’mores and More – s’mores enjoyed over fire pits.

• Penguin Playground – a winter playground for children and teens that will feature seesaws, swings and climbing structures in lights.

• Color Blossoms – a field of changing, illuminated blooms throughout the stadium.

• Exclusive VIP opportunities – heated suites available for family gatherings, corporate events and New Year’s Eve parties.

$1 from every festival ticket bought for the festival at Slammers Stadium will be donated to charities in the Joliet and Chicago area, according to the release.

Ticket prices are $19.75 for those 13 and older and $12.75 for children 12 and younger. Kids 3 and younger are admitted for free.