Each year, the much-anticipated Elmhurst University Festival of Lessons & Carols brings together the campus and community to usher in a new holiday season.

This year’s festival takes place on Friday, December 4, and will mark the 65th anniversary of this joyous, spiritual tradition.

Held on the Elmhurst University campus since 1961, the Festival of Lessons & Carols bridges the season of Advent and Christmastide with nine Scriptural readings that tell the story of the birth of the Messiah. The Elmhurst University choirs perform time-honored songs to accompany each reading and set the holiday mood.

The University will offer two Lessons & Carols services, at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel. Doors open half an hour before each start time. For those who are unable to attend in person, the 7:00 p.m. service will be livestreamed on the University’s YouTube page.  The event is free and all are welcome. For more information, email [email protected].

The rich, diverse cultural programming at Elmhurst University, which includes concerts, public lectures, art exhibitions, theatre performances and more, supports community engagement and lifelong learning.