Last winter, the Oak Brook Park District's AI trail counter logged more than 70,500 visits to Winter Lights at Central Park between November 21, 2025, and January 4, 2026. Over that 45-day run, the counter averaged roughly 1,570 visits a night on a half-mile paved loop off Forest Gate Road. This year the lights come back on November 20. The corner of the park where the walk starts has been a construction site since August, and part of that work will still be unfinished when the lights come down on January 3.
The Start of the Path Is Where the Money Went
On the park district's 2025 Winter Lights map, the path's START marker sits in a tight cluster: the Cocoa Cabin at Central Park West, the Tennis Center, the pickleball courts, and the parking that serves them. The Sled Hill is just to the south.
That same cluster is where the park district put its largest project of the year. On July 20, 2026, the Board of Commissioners accepted Abbey Construction's bid for the Tennis Court and Parking Lot Project at $1,348,120.49. The plan rebuilds the eight outdoor tennis courts within their existing footprint and renovates a nearby Central Park parking lot. By the district's project page update of August 28, the old fencing was gone and the old courts were being removed.
The project reaches beyond the courts. Deputy Director Bob Johnson's October 12 report to the board said the contractor had installed the new fence posts and perimeter curb. It also said earthwork and gravel base preparation were underway for a new trail system along the soccer fields and the sand volleyball court. Third-party testing had turned up soft spots in the sub-base under the east and west courts, and those areas had to be undercut and stabilized.
A Sewer Line by the Sled Hill Raised the Price
The first change order came before the board on October 19. In the September 21 minutes, Johnson explained that Village permitting "required upsizing the sewer line by the sled hill to accommodate greater capacity before the project could proceed." The resolution in the October 19 board packet shows what the change order covers:
- Added storm sewer built with HDPE pipe in place of PVC, plus a private utility locate
- About 30 linear feet of additional silt fence
- Extra site preparation, removals and earthwork for the revised asphalt trail, plus about 50 square yards of trail paving
- About 60 square feet of concrete paving at a frisbee golf tee box
- About 245 square yards of landscape restoration, including fine grading, seed and erosion blanket
The change order adds $42,010, which brings the contract to $1,390,130.49. As a share of the job, that is about 3 percent. Measured on the ground, it is the drainage, trail and turf work in the same few acres where people line up for the lights each night.
Why the Courts Stay Bare Until Spring
The original schedule called for work to start in mid-August and be substantially complete in October, with an acrylic color coating applied in spring 2027. The spring date is a curing requirement. Johnson told the board in September that the courts need time to cure properly before the coating can go on, and that US Tennis Court Construction Co., a TIPS cooperative vendor, will do that work next spring.
So the whole Winter Lights season falls inside a planned pause. The courts are built, but they won't be playable until the coating goes on. The Family Recreation Center side of the campus is further along. The same October 12 report lists the Family Recreation Center Exterior Maintenance Project and the Parking Lot Maintenance Projects as complete.
The Lights Run Nightly. The Cabin Runs on a Calendar.
The Winter Lights listing gives the season as November 20 through January 3, from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. every day, at 1500 Forest Gate Road. The Discover DuPage listing adds a sensory-friendly half hour each day from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m., when moving lights hold still and the music is off. The park district introduced that window last season.
The displays include dancing trees, rainbow arches, cascading snowflakes, twirling icicles, butterflies and musical hearts. The paved path has benches along the way, so anyone can walk or roll the full half mile.
The Cocoa Cabin at Central Park West keeps a much shorter schedule than the lights. Last season it sold more than 4,400 cookies and 6,500 cups of hot cocoa, the highest sales in its history. Against 70,500 visits, that works out to about one cup of cocoa for every 11 visits, and every one of those cups was sold on a night the Cabin was open. Here is the Cocoa Cabin calendar for this season:
| Week | Cocoa Cabin nights | Special programming |
|---|---|---|
| Opening weekend | Fri. Nov. 20, Sat. Nov. 21 | None listed |
| Thanksgiving weekend | Fri. Nov. 27, Sat. Nov. 28, Sun. Nov. 29 | None listed |
| Dec. 3 to 6 | Thu. through Sun. | Chicago Street Markets Winter Market on Dec. 3; Oak Brook Historical Society fundraiser night on Dec. 4 |
| Dec. 10 to 13 | Thu. through Sun. | None listed |
| Dec. 17 to 23 | Thu. through Wed. | Chicago Street Markets Winter Market on Dec. 17; Brews & Views, an Oak Brook Park District Foundation fundraiser, on Dec. 20 |
| After Christmas | Sat. Dec. 26 | None listed |
The Cabin page lists three fundraising partners: Alter Brewing Co., the Oak Brook Historical Society and the Oak Brook Park District Foundation. No Cabin nights are listed between December 26 and the January 3 closing, so the last week of the season is lights only.
One night is set aside for adults 60 and older. Pioneer Night at Winter Lights is Tuesday, December 8. After the walk, guests gather at the Cocoa Cabin for holiday treats, coffee and hot cocoa. The event is free, and registration is required.
Where the Donations Go, and What They Point Toward
Last season, donations collected along the walk topped $7,500. That money went to the People's Resource Center and the Oak Brook Park District Foundation. The Foundation is also behind the next project planned for this part of Central Park.
Its campaign, Raise It for Rao, supports construction of outdoor pickleball courts, planned as an ADA-accessible, multigenerational amenity with free programming. The campaign is named for Apparao "Rao" Devata, an Oak Brook resident and Park District participant who became an advocate for the sport. The goal is $250,000, raised from 250 donors giving $1,000 each. Leadership Supporters listed on the memorial fund page are Pete's Fresh Market and the Andalcio Family. Founding Supporters include Grand Appliance-Downers Grove, CNH, Victory Badminton and the Skah Foundation.
The tennis courts and the pickleball courts were planned together. In January 2026 the board voted 3 to 2 to hire Upland Design for planning and engineering on both the tennis rebuild and the pickleball and parking expansion, for up to $296,450. At that meeting, the executive director said pickleball lacked funding and would move forward only when funding became available. In a March 16 follow-up, the board described the pickleball project as on hold, with no planned court-closure timeline.
That sets the order for this corner of Central Park. The tennis courts are built and get their color coat in spring 2027. The new trail along the soccer fields and sand volleyball court is part of the current contract. Pickleball moves forward when the Foundation's campaign reaches its funding goal. The Brews & Views fundraiser on December 20 is one of the Foundation's events this season, held at the Cocoa Cabin a short walk from the courts.
Park projects like this one are the kind of local detail Scott Heichert follows when he prices homes in Oak Brook. If you live near Forest Gate Road and want to know how your home's value looks this season, Scott can pair his certified appraiser training with current local sales to give you a clear number. Move Confidently and request your market-accurate valuation.
