Christmas lights · Austin, TX
Austin's Christmas centres 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 · 0 with 2026 dates announced
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.
A volunteer-run street display, complete with a stuffed-animal petting zoo.
Getting in and parking
On the map
Checked 2026-09-23 · 37th Street Lights
Paid per car, not per person, so a full car is the cheap way to do it. Weekends are the busy nights.
Drive-thru light show synced to music, at the ballpark north of the city.
On the map
Worth knowing
Checked 2026-09-23 · thelightpark.com
Official siteMostly ticketed per person, and on foot. Check the hours before you set out.
Millions of lights, food vendors and holiday activities along a trail through Zilker Park.
On the map
Checked 2026-09-23 · austintrailoflights.org
Official siteA 155-foot tree of more than 3,300 colored LED bulbs, topped with a 10-foot double star.
Getting in and parking
On the map
Checked 2026-09-23 · City of Austin; CBS Austin (2025)
Official siteBefore you go
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.
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