What does $5 get you at a 100-year-old movie palace in December?
At the Rialto Square Theatre on North Chicago Street, it gets you a holiday film on the big screen. Before the film starts, you also get half an hour of the theatre's pipe organ. That is close to the Rialto's original job. It opened on May 24, 1926, as a vaudeville movie palace. Its 2026 holiday calendar runs in two price bands. Touring acts fill a lot of the dates. The cheapest band belongs to the movies, the organ and Joliet's own performers, and that band holds the parts of the season most closely tied to the building's history.
A centennial year that started with an organ and a silent film
The anniversary has been running since winter. In February, WJOL reported a centennial fundraising campaign. Its donation tiers were $19.26, $192.60 and $1,926, matching the year the theatre opened, and the money supports operations, preservation and future programming.
The first big public event looked back to how the building began. On April 14, the Rialto showed the silent film One Week with organist Dennis Scott playing live, as WJOL reported. The same station listed a free public celebration for May 3, with tours, demonstrations, children's activities, a ribbon-cutting and a screening of Cars. According to The Herald-News, the May 3 event drew more than 400 visitors.
The holiday season closes out that year. A $25 commemorative book is still for sale at the Rialto's administrative office.
Reels at the Rialto: three holiday films, $5 each, organ included
The Rialto's movie series, Reels at the Rialto, describes itself as "a nod to our Vaudeville movie palace past." Films play on the theatre's retro screen through a new projector donated by the Rialto Square Volunteers. Doors open 30 minutes before each film. For that half hour, house organist Taylor Trimby plays the Barton Grande Theatre Pipe Organ.
Three holiday films are on the schedule:
| Film | Date | Time | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Polar Express | Saturday, Nov. 28 | 7 p.m. | $5 |
| It's a Wonderful Life | Saturday, Dec. 5 | 2 p.m. | $5 |
| Elf | Saturday, Dec. 19 | 2 p.m. | $5 |
The Polar Express is rated G and runs one hour and 40 minutes. Its event page calls the 30-minute organ set before the film a free concert. The two December films play at 2 p.m., so a family can see the film and still have most of a Saturday evening left. The organ is the main reason to arrive when doors open.
Joliet's own performers take the stage for less than a touring ticket
Three of the season's events are presented by local groups or for local causes, and each is priced below the touring shows.
Lights of Love, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 6 to 9 p.m. This is a Lightways Hospice memorial tribute, held the night before Thanksgiving. A $35 donation covers two tickets and a memorial ornament, and additional tickets are $5.
Joliet American Legion Band, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m. Admission is free in exchange for a donation of non-perishable food. The catch is the pickup date. Tickets are handed out in advance in the Rialto Ticket Lobby on one day only, Monday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and food donations are collected then. Doors open an hour before showtime on the 13th. Anyone who works weekdays will need to plan a lunch-hour stop at 102 N. Chicago St. that Monday.
Joliet Symphony Orchestra, Sunday, Dec. 20, 3 p.m. The program mixes orchestral selections with sing-alongs and a reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. As The Times Weekly reported when tickets went on sale in September, seats are $20 for the show alone, $60 with a cocktail hour, and $5 for children 12 and under.
The orchestra's Dec. 20 date is the last December event on the Rialto's current calendar. The next listing is in January 2027. The year's holiday programming ends with a Joliet ensemble on the stage.
Where the touring shows and the ballet fit in
The rest of the calendar costs more and covers a wider mix of shows. If you're planning around a budget, it helps to know where these dates fall next to the cheaper ones.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. A live conversation with Chevy Chase after a screening of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- Sunday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m. The Nutcracker, Chicago Festival Ballet's 36th-anniversary production, with local dancers performing alongside the company, from $51 before fees
- Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m. A Magical Cirque Christmas
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m. STOMP
- Friday, Dec. 11, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
- Wednesday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. Terry Fator's A Very Terry Christmas
- Thursday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. Wizards of Winter, from $40
The Nutcracker falls between the two price bands. It's a ballet company production with neighborhood dancers in the cast, three days after Thanksgiving.
Put these dates beside the cheaper ones and some weeks fill up fast. The Legion Band ticket pickup on Dec. 7 falls between STOMP on the 3rd and Mannheim Steamroller on the 11th. The weekend of Dec. 19 and 20 has Elf on Saturday afternoon and the symphony on Sunday afternoon. At listed prices, a family of two adults and two children 12 or under can see both for $70.
Thanksgiving Friday puts the Rialto and City Square on one block
The biggest downtown day of the season is Friday, Nov. 27. The Rialto and City Square face each other on North Chicago Street, so the day can be done on foot.
- 9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. The Rialto's Teddy Bear Tea. Each session includes a brunch buffet, an appearance by St. Nick and a keepsake teddy bear, and every attendee needs a ticket.
- Noon to 4:30 p.m. North Pole Park in City Square, with family activities and holiday entertainment. It's part of the 28th annual Light Up the Holidays Festival & Parade, organized by the Joliet City Center Partnership. First Secure Community Bank of Joliet is this year's sponsor.
- 5 p.m. The City of Joliet's Christmas tree lighting in City Square, with fireworks.
- 5:30 p.m. The Light Up the Holidays Parade steps off along Chicago Street.
North Pole Park opens at noon and runs until 4:30, so families at either tea session can walk across the street to the festival when brunch is over. According to the Joliet City Center Partnership's parade FAQ, downtown parking that day is first come, first served, there are no reserved spots, and parade staging areas are closed to parking.
The tree stays up after the 27th. The City of Joliet's event page says the City Square tree will be on display through Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027, with Santa's Mailbox for children's wish lists. That means the tree is up across the street for every December event at the Rialto, from It's a Wonderful Life to the symphony.
The December dates that need a plan
Most of the season only needs a ticket. A few dates need planning ahead:
- Monday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The only day to pick up free tickets for the Joliet American Legion Band, with a non-perishable food donation in hand.
- Any Reels at the Rialto date. Arrive when doors open, 30 minutes before the film, to hear Taylor Trimby on the Barton organ.
- Friday, Nov. 27. Choose a Teddy Bear Tea session before the day, since every attendee needs a ticket, and get downtown early for parking.
- Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027. The last day the City Square tree is on display.
The Rialto's box office number is 815-726-6600.
At Hexagon Real Estate, we keep track of downtown Joliet's calendar because the days our clients ask about are often days like Thanksgiving Friday on Chicago Street. If you're thinking about how downtown's growing event schedule fits into your plans in Joliet, we'd be glad to talk it through. Schedule Your Consultation.
