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Christmas lights at night in Austin
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Christmas lights · Austin, TX

Christmas lights in Austin

Austin's Christmas centers on Zilker Park — the Trail of Lights and the 155-foot tree made of lights next to it — plus one volunteer-run street near UT that's better on foot than by car.

4 displays · 2 free · 2 with 2026 dates announced

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Where to see them

Where to go: with kids, on a date, with friends

With kids

Short walks, Santa, rides and something to do besides looking.

For a date

Somewhere to walk slowly, a drink in hand, and look good in the photos.

With friends

Cheap by the carload, or a long evening with food and music.

Free neighborhoods

No ticket, but the best-known ones get very crowded. Go on a weeknight if you can, and read the card for how to get in.

37th Street LightsPhoto: That Other Paper · CC BY-SA 2.0
37th Street Christmas Lights37th Street Lights

Photos: Jon Lebkowsky · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photos: That Other Paper · CC BY-SA 2.0

Neighborhood·North of the UT campusFree

37th Street Lights

A few blocks of 37th Street where neighbours have hung homemade, quirky decorations for decades — including a stuffed-animal petting zoo. It's not glossy; it's community Austin.

🧒 With kids🎉 With friends✨ Date night

What's there

  • Homemade, quirky decorations
  • Stuffed-animal petting zoo
  • Free
  • Good for photos

What visitors sayGoogle 4.3 ★ · 170 reviews

Visitors love the friendly, unpretentious community feel and come back every year. Parking is hard — and the Domino's lot tows and boots, one reviewer paid $100 to get their car back.

A charming free hour — walk in, and don't park at the Domino's.

Season
Dates not published
Cost
Free
Start at
37th Street between Guadalupe and Home Street

Getting in and parking

  • Walk it. The street backs up with cars and you miss the details from a car window.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Don't miss the stuffed-animal petting zoo.

Checked 2026-09-23 · 37th Street Lights

Drive-thru shows

Paid per car, not per person, so a full car is the cheap way to do it. Weekends are the busy nights.

The Light Park — illustrationIllustration
Drive-thru·Round Rock

The Light Park

A drive-thru show at the Dell Diamond ballpark with lights synced to Christmas music on your radio, popcorn and light-up lemonade on the way in. One ticket per car.

🧒 With kids🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Music-synced lights
  • Popcorn and lemonade
  • Per-car pricing

What visitors sayGoogle 4.2 ★ · 423 reviews

Kids love it, and the per-car price is fair if you buy online — at the gate it cost one family $66 plus snacks. Lines on busy nights are long and staff keep traffic moving; a fast pass helps.

A good family drive-thru — buy online, ideally in the pre-season sale.

Season
Opens November 2026. Tickets go on sale October 1.
Cost
One ticket covers the whole car.
Where
Dell Diamond parking lot, 3400 E Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78665

Getting in and parking

  • At the Dell Diamond lot, 3400 E Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock. One ticket covers the car — buy it online.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • The operator says weekdays are the quiet nights.

Checked 2026-09-23 · thelightpark.com

Official site

Walk-through: gardens, zoo, parks

Mostly ticketed per person, and on foot. Check the hours before you set out.

2008 Trail of Lights 029Photo: nomis_7 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Trail of Lights AustinZilker Park Trail of Lights

Photos: That Other Paper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photos: MarkScottAustinTX · CC BY-SA 2.0

Park·Zilker Park

Austin Trail of Lights

Austin's big Christmas walk through Zilker Park: a trail of millions of lights and themed displays, food trucks and drinks, a Ferris wheel and photo spots everywhere, next to the famous Zilker tree.

🧒 With kids🎉 With friends✨ Date night

What's there

  • Millions of lights along a park trail
  • Food trucks and drinks
  • Ferris wheel
  • VIP option

What visitors say

Visitors call it beautiful and packed with things to see, eat and drink, with helpful info stations throughout. It's a lot of walking in a big crowd, so dress warm and wear comfortable shoes.

Austin's must-do Christmas night — buy tickets early and come by bike or rideshare.

2026 season
Dec 10 – 23, 2026 (free nights Dec 10–11 and 13–17; preview party Dec 4)
Where
Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Getting in and parking

  • Close-in parking at Zilker needs a pre-paid pass, sold online only; lots open at 5:30 pm.
  • Or take the shuttle from Toney Burger Center in South Austin — the shuttle pass includes general admission.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • No pets; trained service animals only.
  • Dedicated ADA entrance and earlier entry from 6 pm on Dec 10–23 for guests who need it.
  • Plan on walking 2.5 miles with all the side activities.

Checked 2026-09-23 · austintrailoflights.org

Full 2026 guideOfficial site
Zilker Holiday Tree — illustrationIllustration
Park·Zilker ParkFree

Zilker Holiday Tree

A 155-foot 'tree' of more than 3,300 colored lights hung from one of Austin's historic moonlight towers — stand in the middle, look up and spin. Free, and lit through New Year.

🧒 With kids✨ Date night🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Stand inside a 155-foot tree of lights
  • Free
  • Next to the Trail of Lights
  • Drive-up viewing on set nights

What visitors sayGoogle 4.5 ★ · 185 reviews

Visitors call it an iconic, nostalgic Austin tradition. Riding a bike there, as one family did, solves the parking problem entirely.

Free, quick and very Austin — go by bike and spin under the lights.

2026 season
Lit Nov 29, 2026 (lighting ceremony 6 pm) – Jan 1, 2027
Cost
Free

Getting in and parking

  • Parking at Zilker is first come, first served; the city suggests carpooling or CapMetro.
  • In 2025 drive-up viewing with free parking was allowed on set nights (Dec 2–6, 8–9 and Dec 24 – Jan 1).

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Spin under the tree — it's a tradition.
  • The park curfew is 10 pm.

Checked 2026-09-23 · City of Austin; CBS Austin (2025)

Official site

Before you go

Why some dates say 2025

Most displays announce the season in October or November. Until they do, we show last year's dates and say so, rather than guess this year's. Every card shows the day we last checked it and where the facts came from.

Santa services in the USChristmas markets in Austin

Christmas lights in other cities

Questions

Which Christmas lights in Austin are free?
Zilker Holiday Tree (Zilker Park), 37th Street Lights (North of the UT campus). None of them sell tickets, but some charge for parking and the busiest neighborhoods have long lines, so check each card and go on a weeknight.
When do the Austin light displays open this year?
So far Austin Trail of Lights (Dec 10 – 23, 2026 (free nights Dec 10–11 and 13–17; preview party Dec 4)) and Zilker Holiday Tree (Lit Nov 29, 2026 (lighting ceremony 6 pm) – Jan 1, 2027) have announced their 2026 dates. The rest publish in October and November; until then this page shows last year's dates, marked as such.