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Culture Bright Winter Series brings holiday fun to QCA

By Sharon Wren,

1 days ago

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The 2026 Culture Bright Winter Series, which runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 20, promises a garden-wide silent disco, a Redstone Room turned pink and a new train ride at venues around the Quad Cities. Click here for event details, ticket links and reservation information. Admission and reservation requirements vary by event and separate tickets or reservations may apply to opening night activities.

Winter Lights 10th anniversary Opening Night is on Friday, Nov. 20. The exhibit opens at 6 p.m. and the lighting will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Avenue in Rock Island. Winter Lights features 400,000 lights throughout the gardens. Culture Bright adds a garden-wide silent disco, where guests can switch among three competing DJs through wireless headphones, along with cocktails, craft beer tastings and hot cocoa. The Culture Bright Neon Forest is another setting to explore and new Culture Bright Igloos give families and friends a private place to gather. Igloos must be reserved.

Elfin concert is on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Adler Theatre, 136 E. 3rd Street in Davenport. Guests can enjoy family-friendly holiday activities through Culture Bright and then listen as the Quad City Symphony Orchestra performs John Debney’s score live while Elf plays on the big screen.

Hard Candy Christmas: A Dolly Parton Tribute is on Sunday, Nov. 22. The doors open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. in the Redstone Room at Common Chord, 129 N. Main Street in Davenport. Rhonda Vincent, Dolly Parton’s friend and musical collaborator, will celebrate Dolly’s music, kindness and generosity. The Redstone Room will turn into a pink, Dolly-inspired Christmas setting with performances from local tribute acts. The show brings national and local talent together to support cancer research and treatment at the University of Iowa’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Santa’s Village is Friday and Saturday, December 11–12 at the Quad City Botanical Center. Santa will visit the gardens beneath the Winter Lights display. Families can ride the train, visit Santa, take photos and write letters to the North Pole. The Figge Art Museum’s team will lead art activities.

The Polar Express Pajama Party 20th anniversary is Friday through Sunday, December 18–20 at the Putnam Museum and Science Center, 1717 W. 12th Street in Davenport. For the first time, families can ride a train inside the Grand Lobby. Guests can wear their pajamas, watch The Polar Express on the Giant Screen, visit the Shimmer Salon and Claus’ Crazy Conveyor Belt, enjoy hot chocolate and bring a flashlight for the museum’s reindeer hunt.

“These traditions already hold memories for so many families,” said Jen Lewis-Snyder, president & CEO of The Cultural Trust. “Culture Bright helps our partners add something new while keeping what people love. We invest in these organizations all year, then bring their talents together to create experiences they can share. We want people to come with someone they love, feel welcome and leave with a reason to return.”

The Winter Series follows the inaugural Culture Bright Summer Series that brought nationally recognized artists, sold-out performances and new audiences to cultural venues around the area.

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