Christmas lights in Austin: 2026 dates, costs, and parking.
The Trail of Lights fills Zilker Park Dec. 10 to 23, 2026, free on seven nights, and the Zilker Holiday Tree lights up Nov. 29.
Seven light displays inside Austin’s city limits are worth planning a holiday night around. The Trail of Lights runs Dec. 10 to 23 in Zilker Park, 7 to 10 p.m., free on Dec. 10, 11, and 13 to 17 and $8 for ages 12 and up on the other nights. The Zilker Holiday Tree is lit from Nov. 29 to Jan. 1. Luminations at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center ($30 for adults), Mozart’s Festival of Lights ($8), and Peppermint in the Park at COTALAND (from $19.99) are ticketed, and the 37th Street lights and UT’s Longhorn Lights are walk-through displays that have not posted 2026 dates yet. Every date, price, and parking rule here comes from the organizer’s own page, checked Oct. 30, 2026, and where an organizer has not announced its 2026 details, I say so and point you to its page. Displays in the suburbs are left out on purpose: this guide stays inside the city.
For dinner before the lights, subscribe free and the full Austin restaurant directory unlocks in this browser: every restaurant, ranked and filterable by cuisine and neighborhood. Then an email from Carissa on Thursday mornings.
At Zilker Park
- Zilker Park · Dec. 10-23, 7-10 p.m. · free on 7 nights, $8 on 701
Trail of Lights
The big one, running in some form since 1965: a 1.25-mile walking trail through Zilker Park with more than 2 million lights, free photos with Santa, a Ferris wheel and carousel, and food vendors that take cash and cards. General admission is free for all ages on Dec. 10, 11, and 13 to 17, with no advance ticket needed, and $8 for ages 12 and up on Dec. 12 and 18 to 23, when children 11 and under get in free with a ticketed adult. ZIP passes ($20 to $25) and Platinum passes ($95) buy 6 p.m. entry, an hour before the public. The catch is close-in parking: it is only by a pass bought online in advance ($25 to $35 a night), even on the free nights, and on the paid nights a $10-per-person shuttle from the Toney Burger Activity Center includes your admission. For a holiday night on real ice, the Four Seasons’ Ice Rodeo rink is in the ice skating guide.
- Zilker Park · lit Nov. 29-Jan. 1, 6-10 p.m. · no ticket listed02
Zilker Holiday Tree
The city’s 155-foot tree is strung around the Zilker Moontower, one of Austin’s original moonlight towers: 39 streamers of LED bulbs, 3,309 lights in all, under a 10-foot double star. The 2026 lighting ceremony is Sunday, Nov. 29, on the south side of the park at 2100 Barton Springs Road, with music from the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble at 5:15 p.m. and the lighting at 6 p.m. After that the tree stays lit through Jan. 1, with visiting hours of 6 to 10 p.m. (the park curfew) and first-come parking on the park’s paved lots, except on Trail of Lights nights, Dec. 10 to 23, when parking at the park is by the Trail’s advance pass only. The city lists no ticket or fee, warns of heavier traffic on weekends, and says more updates for the season are coming. For The Nutcracker, Blue Santa, and the rest of December’s events, see the guide to Christmas events in Austin.
Ticketed light shows
- Southwest Austin · select nights Nov. 20-Dec. 31 · $30 adults, $20 ages 3-1203
Luminations at the Wildflower Center
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, at 4801 La Crosse Ave., lights its garden paths on select nights from Nov. 20 to Dec. 31 (closed Dec. 24 and 25), with live music each night and hot chocolate and treats for sale. Tickets are timed and sold in advance only: $30 for adults, $20 for ages 3 to 12, and free for 2 and under, with member discounts, and entry runs 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. before the exhibit closes at 9. Parking is free at St. Augustine University, 5401 La Crosse Ave., with a free shuttle every 15 minutes, or $25 a car for a guaranteed spot on site. Daytime garden admission does not cover it, there is no re-entry, and the center puts a typical visit at about an hour.
- The full list
For dinner before the lights, subscribe free and the full Austin restaurant directory unlocks in this browser: every restaurant, ranked and filterable by cuisine and neighborhood. Then an email from Carissa on Thursday mornings.
- Lake Austin Blvd. · Nov. 21-Jan. 3, shows from 6 p.m. · $804
Mozart’s Festival of Lights
The lakeside coffee roaster’s 16th annual Festival of Lights runs Nov. 21 to Jan. 3 at 3825 Lake Austin Blvd., with a light show synchronized to holiday music across more than 2 million lights and a live holiday revue. Shows start at 6 p.m. and run until 9 or 10 p.m. depending on the night, so check Mozart’s festival calendar for that evening’s times. General admission is $8 from Nov. 21 ($7 early-bird before then), children under 18 months are free, and reserved tables and private decks are sold separately. Santa and Mrs. Claus come on select nights, and the Santa’s Tavern area is 21 and up. For the coffee side of the place, Mozart’s has its own entry in the Austin coffee shop guide.
- Circuit of the Americas · Nov. 12-Jan. 3 · walking pass from $19.9905
Peppermint in the Park at COTALAND
The old Peppermint Parkway website now forwards to COTALAND, the theme park on the Circuit of the Americas campus at 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd., which Austin annexed in 2012. Its 2026 holiday event, Peppermint in the Park, brings holiday lights, nightly tree lights and entertainment, a Christmas market, and Santa, on select days from Nov. 12 to Dec. 6 and then every day from Dec. 10 to Jan. 3. The park’s hours page lists 4 to 10 p.m. on most weekdays and noon to 10 p.m. on weekends and from Dec. 19, closing at 9 p.m. on Jan. 3. For the lights without the rides, the Holiday Evening Walking Pass starts at $19.99 and is valid from 4 p.m., passes with rides start at $39.99, and you pick a date when you buy. Parking is a separate daily fee, and the campus is cashless. Entertainment and Santa times are still to come, and the park flags Dec. 5 and 6 and Dec. 29 to 31 as race days with more noise.
Neighborhood and campus lights
- West 37th Street · run by the neighbors · 2026 dates not announced06
The 37th Street lights
The odd one: a volunteer-run block of homes on West 37th Street, mostly between Guadalupe and Home streets, that its own neighbors bill as “the weirdest lights you will see this holiday season.” Their page says to navigate to 519 W. 37th St., to walk rather than drive because the street backs up with cars, and not to miss the Stuffed Animal Petting Zoo. As of Oct. 30, 2026, the page has posted no 2026 dates, so check it before you go. It mentions no ticket and asks for donations, preferably LED lights, extension cords, and weird sculptures.
- Back to top
- UT campus, South Mall · no ticket listed · 2026 dates not announced07
Longhorn Lights at UT
UT strings its lights through the trees along the South Mall, the stretch known as the “six-pack,” at 21st Street and University Avenue, framing the Tower. The university’s page lists no ticket or fee, and the 2025 run lasted Nov. 18 to Jan. 1, lit 5 to 10 p.m. nightly. UT had not announced 2026 dates as of Oct. 30, 2026.
How to choose, checked Oct. 30, 2026
A side-by-side of the seven displays above, from the same organizer pages. It adds no new facts, and every time is Austin time.
Four of the seven list no ticket: the Zilker tree, Longhorn Lights, the 37th Street block, and the Trail of Lights on its seven free nights. Luminations, Mozart’s, and Peppermint in the Park charge every night, and the Trail charges $8 on its other seven.
Christmas light displays in Austin, 2026 season, checked Oct. 30, 2026. Times are Austin time. Display Where 2026 dates Cost Before you go Trail of Lights Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Road Dec. 10 to 23, 7 to 10 p.m. Free Dec. 10, 11, and 13 to 17. $8 for ages 12 and up on Dec. 12 and 18 to 23, with 11 and under free. No ticket on free nights. Parking is by advance online pass only, every night. Zilker Holiday Tree Zilker Park, south side Lit Nov. 29 to Jan. 1, 6 to 10 p.m. Lighting ceremony Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. The city lists no ticket or fee. First-come parking on paved lots, except Dec. 10 to 23, when it is the Trail’s advance pass only. Expect heavier traffic on weekends. Luminations Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave. Select nights Nov. 20 to Dec. 31, closed Dec. 24 and 25. Entry 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. $30 adults, $20 ages 3 to 12, 2 and under free. Timed tickets in advance only. Free parking at St. Augustine University with a shuttle, or $25 on site. Mozart’s Festival of Lights 3825 Lake Austin Blvd. Nov. 21 to Jan. 3. Shows from 6 p.m. $8 general admission, $7 early-bird through Nov. 20. Under 18 months free. Nightly showtimes are on Mozart’s festival calendar. Peppermint in the Park COTALAND, 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. Select days Nov. 12 to Dec. 6, then daily Dec. 10 to Jan. 3. Evening passes from 4 p.m. Walking pass from $19.99. Passes with rides from $39.99. Parking is a separate daily fee. Dated passes bought online. The campus is cashless. 37th Street lights West 37th Street, mostly between Guadalupe and Home streets Not announced as of Oct. 30, 2026. No ticket mentioned. The neighbors take donations. Walk it. The neighbors say the street backs up with cars. Longhorn Lights UT’s South Mall, 21st Street at University Avenue Not announced as of Oct. 30, 2026. The 2025 run was Nov. 18 to Jan. 1. UT lists no ticket or fee. Lit 5 to 10 p.m. nightly in 2025. Free or ticketed. If free is the point, the Trail of Lights’ free nights are Thursday, Dec. 10, Friday, Dec. 11, and Sunday, Dec. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 17, and none of them needs an advance ticket. Driving still costs a parking pass on those nights, bought online ahead, since none is sold on site. Luminations, Mozart’s, and Peppermint in the Park are the three to budget for.
Walk or drive. The Trail of Lights is pedestrian only, and its own FAQ puts the average visit at about 2.5 miles on foot, counting the walk to and from parking. The 37th Street neighbors say to walk the block rather than drive it, since the street backs up with cars. If walking far is the issue, the Zilker tree has first-come parking on paved lots outside the Trail’s Dec. 10 to 23 run, and Luminations says most of its route follows wheelchair-accessible paths and lends manual wheelchairs at no cost.
Weeknight or weekend. The Trail’s paid nights are Saturday, Dec. 12, and the last six nights, Dec. 18 to 23, and its own accessibility FAQ suggests a weekday during the week of Dec. 10 for the smallest crowds. The city warns of heavier traffic at the Zilker tree on weekends. Luminations runs Friday through Sunday in November and Thursday through Sunday through Dec. 13, then nightly Dec. 17 to 23 and Dec. 26 to 31.
What we considered and didn’t include
The things we passed on are part of the value. Documented for editorial discipline.
- Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Village of LightsA free December event at the nonprofit’s village on Hog Eye Road, which sits just outside Austin’s city limits, and this guide stays inside them.
- Maywald Christmas DisplayIt still turns up in searches for Austin lights, but the display’s own site says 2025 was its final year.
- Downtown Holiday Sing-Along and StrollA one-night downtown event, Saturday, Dec. 5, 5 to 8 p.m., per the Downtown Austin Alliance, rather than a display you can visit across the season. The Alliance says more details are coming.
- Suburban and Hill Country light showsDisplays in Georgetown, Round Rock, Johnson City, and New Braunfels sit outside the city, so they make day trips rather than entries here.
Common questions
- When does the Trail of Lights 2026 start?
- The Trail of Lights opens to the public on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026, and runs nightly through Wednesday, Dec. 23, from 7 to 10 p.m. in Zilker Park. ZIP and Platinum pass holders can enter at 6 p.m., and a ticketed Night Lights Preview Party fundraiser comes first, on Friday, Dec. 4.
- Is the Trail of Lights free?
- On seven of its 14 nights. General admission is free for all ages on Dec. 10, 11, and 13 to 17, with no advance ticket needed. On Dec. 12 and 18 to 23 it is $8 per person for ages 12 and up, plus fees at the box office, and children 11 and under are free with a ticketed adult.
- Where do you park for the Trail of Lights?
- Close-in parking is only by a pass bought online in advance, $25 to $35 a night, including on the free nights; none is sold on site, and parking in the surrounding neighborhoods is prohibited. On Dec. 12 and 18 to 23, a $10-per-person shuttle from the Toney Burger Activity Center at 3200 Jones Road, with free parking there, includes general admission. The Trail also suggests CapMetro routes 3, 30, and 803 or the 550 rail, and has bike racks across Barton Springs Road.
- When is the Zilker tree lit in 2026?
- The 2026 Zilker Holiday Tree lighting ceremony is Sunday, Nov. 29, with pre-event music at 5:15 p.m. and the lighting at 6 p.m. The tree then stays lit through Jan. 1, with visiting hours of 6 to 10 p.m. and first-come parking on the park’s paved lots, except during the Trail of Lights, Dec. 10 to 23, when parking is by the Trail’s advance pass.
- Where can you see free Christmas lights in Austin?
- The Zilker Holiday Tree (lit Nov. 29 to Jan. 1), UT’s Longhorn Lights on the South Mall, the 37th Street block, and the Trail of Lights on Dec. 10, 11, and 13 to 17 list no ticket. Longhorn Lights and the 37th Street neighbors had not posted 2026 dates as of Oct. 30, 2026.
- Do you need tickets for Luminations?
- Yes. Luminations at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center sells timed tickets in advance only, $30 for adults and $20 for ages 3 to 12, for select nights from Nov. 20 to Dec. 31, closed Dec. 24 and 25. Daytime garden admission does not include it.
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