Guide
Christmas Lights in Austin 2026: The Shows Compared
By the Farms & Fairs editorial team · Updated November 8, 2026 · How we check listings
Austin's holiday lights fall into three groups. In town there's the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park, free on most nights, and the lakeside shows on Lake Austin Boulevard. Around the edge of the city there's a drive-thru in Round Rock and a theme park at Circuit of the Americas. Then there are the free small-town displays in Johnson City, Wimberley and Bastrop, each about 35 minutes to an hour away. Which one suits you depends on three things: whether you'd rather walk, drive or ride, what you want to spend, and how late the kids can stay up.
We compared the shows using each organizer's own website, checked on November 8, 2026. Where something isn't confirmed for 2026, we say so.
The 2026 shows at a glance
| Show | Where | How you see it | 2026 season | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail of Lights | Zilker Park | Walk | Dec 10–23 | Free Dec 10–11 & 13–17; up to $8 other nights |
| Zilker Holiday Tree | Zilker Park | Walk up | Nov 29 – Jan 1 | Free |
| Mozart's Festival of Lights | Lake Austin Blvd | Light show on the decks | Nov 21 – Jan 3 | $8 |
| Lake Austin Lights | Hula Hut, Lake Austin | 45-minute boat cruise | Nov 21 – Jan 3 | Adults $34.95, kids 4–13 $19.95 |
| The Light Park | Dell Diamond, Round Rock | Drive-thru | Nov 6 – Jan 3, nightly | Per car; cheaper Mon–Thu |
| Peppermint in the Park | COTALAND, Del Valle | Rides + lights | Nov 20 – Jan 3 (select dates) | From $39.99 |
| Lights Spectacular | Johnson City | Walk the town | Nov 27 – Jan 3 | Free |
| EmilyAnn Trail of Lights | Wimberley | Walk | Nov 28 – Dec 26 | Free ($20 family donation suggested) |
| River of Lights | Bastrop riverwalk | Walk | Nov 27 – Jan 4 | Free |
What a night out costs a family of four
Five of Austin's light outings cost nothing to get in, and the rest range from $16 to about $160. Here is the real bill for a family of four.
| Show | Family of 4 | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Trail of Lights (free nights) | $0 | Dec 10–11 & 13–17. Zilker parking is $25–35 if you drive. |
| Zilker Holiday Tree, Johnson City, Bastrop | $0 | Free to walk around; only the drive costs. |
| EmilyAnn Trail of Lights | $0 ($20 suggested) | Free entry; a $20 family donation is suggested. |
| Trail of Lights (paid nights) | Up to $16 + parking | Kids 11 and under free; on Dec 12 & 18–23 the shuttle is $10 a person instead of parking. |
| Mozart's Festival of Lights | $32 | $8 each ($7 early bird until Nov 20). |
| Lake Austin Lights cruise | $109.80 + fees | Adults $34.95, kids 4–13 $19.95; parking free. |
| Peppermint in the Park, COTALAND | From $159.96 | Holiday passes from $39.99 each; includes the rides. |
| The Light Park, Round Rock | One price per car | Cheapest Monday to Thursday; the price shows when you pick a night. |
The cheapest proper night out is the Trail of Lights on a free night if you can get there by bus, bike or rideshare. Otherwise Mozart's is the best value of the paid shows, and The Light Park makes sense if you'd have more than four people in the car.
How we worked it out: two adults and two children aged 7 and 10, tickets bought online in advance at the prices each organizer published when we checked (November 2026), before sales tax. Where a price changes by night we show the range. Shows that hadn't published a family price aren't in the table.
The Austin season, in three parts
Austin's big show, the Trail of Lights, only runs for two weeks in December. So the useful question here isn't only which show, but when: what to do before the Trail opens, during its fortnight, and after it closes.
November 6 to December 9: before the Trail opens
Five weeks of the season happen before Zilker lights up, and most of the other shows are already running.
The Light Park in the Dell Diamond parking lot is the area's drive-thru. It opened first, on November 6, and is open every night until January 3, rain or shine. One ticket covers the car, and dogs can come along. Go Monday to Thursday: tickets are cheaper, and the park says the wait is usually under 5 minutes, against 30–45 minutes at busy times.
Peppermint in the Park at COTALAND, the theme park at Circuit of the Americas, adds lights, a Christmas market and Santa to its rides from November 20. Passes start at $39.99. It runs on select dates only, so check the park's hours page before you go. Many rides have height limits, which matters if your children are small.
Mozart's Festival of Lights is the easiest of the big shows. It's on the coffee house's lakeside decks, the light shows are synchronized to music, and general admission is $8 (children under 18 months free). Shows start at 6 pm. You can see one, drink a hot chocolate and be home before bedtime, which is what makes it good with small children.
Along the same stretch of Lake Austin Boulevard, Lake Austin Lights takes you out on a 45-minute cruise through two floating tunnels of lights, with hot cocoa and blankets. It's the most expensive way to see lights per person (adults $34.95, kids 4–13 $19.95, plus taxes and fees), so it suits a special night or visiting family more than a casual outing.
If you want to start the season before the trail opens, the Zilker Holiday Tree is lit from Sunday, November 29, with a free lighting ceremony at 6 pm. It's free to visit any evening until January 1.
Johnson City, about an hour west on US-290, covers its downtown in more than 2 million lights from November 27, on from dusk to midnight, free. Opening weekend (November 27–28) has a holiday market from noon. In Wimberley, the EmilyAnn Trail of Lights is a walking path through about 8 acres of displays built by local families and businesses. Entry is free, with a suggested $20 donation a family, since it's the nonprofit's main fundraiser.
Bastrop's River of Lights runs along the riverwalk by the Colorado River, free, from 6 to 10 pm every night from November 27 to January 4. It's a short walk, so combine it with a downtown event: Wassail Fest on November 28 or Merry on Main on December 12.
December 10 to 23: the Trail of Lights fortnight
The Trail of Lights runs for just two weeks, December 10–23, but general admission is free on seven of those nights: December 10–11 and 13–17. On the other nights it's up to $8, and children 11 and under never pay. The catch is getting there. Parking at Zilker is only sold online in advance, at $25–35 a car, and the organizers tell you to follow the route on your parking pass, not your GPS. On the busiest nights (December 12 and 18–23) a shuttle runs from the Toney Burger Center in south Austin for $10 a person, admission included. Plan on a lot of walking: the trail is about 1.25 miles, and the city reckons most people walk about 2.5 miles in all.
The Trail also has two events before it opens to everyone: a preview party on December 4 and the fun run on December 5.
December 24 to January 4: after the Trail closes
Once the Trail of Lights closes on December 23, there is still plenty to see over the school break. The EmilyAnn trail in Wimberley stays open until December 26 (walking trail only on December 24–25), and the Zilker tree until January 1. Mozart's, Lake Austin Lights, The Light Park, COTALAND and Johnson City all run until January 3, and Bastrop's River of Lights until January 4. That makes the week after Christmas a good time for visiting family.
Getting it right on the night
- Use the free nights. Trail of Lights entry is free December 10–11 and 13–17, and the organizers say the weeknights in the week of December 10 have the smallest crowds.
- Sort out parking first. Zilker parking sells out and is never sold at the gate. The Light Park and COTALAND have their own lots, Lake Austin Lights has free parking, and the small-town displays are free to park.
- Book weekends ahead. Mozart's decks and Lake Austin Lights cruises have limited space on December weekends.
- Make a day of it. In Wimberley, Market Days on December 5 ends at 4 pm and the EmilyAnn trail opens at 6. In Austin, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar at the Palmer Events Center (December 12–21) is just east of Zilker on Barton Springs Road. See all holiday markets around Austin.
How we checked: dates, hours and prices come from each organizer's website as of November 8, 2026. Things change during the season, so confirm on the official site before you buy. How we verify listings.