Christmas Lights near Austin

The Trail of Lights in Zilker Park is the one most Austin families go to, and in 2026 it's free on seven of its fourteen nights (December 10–11 and 13–17). It only runs December 10–23, though, so the rest of the season belongs to the other shows on this page. How to choose comes down to how your family likes to see lights: on foot, from the car, from a boat or between rides.

Walk it, drive it, cruise it or ride it

For a walk, there's the Trail of Lights, or Mozart's synchronized show on Lake Austin, which takes an hour rather than a night ($8). The only drive-thru is The Light Park at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, open every night from November 6, with one ticket per car. Lake Austin Lights takes you through floating tunnels of lights on a 45-minute cruise. For rides as well as lights, COTALAND at Circuit of the Americas runs Peppermint in the Park from November 20.

Free, from Zilker to the Hill Country

Besides the Trail of Lights' free nights, the Zilker Holiday Tree is free from November 29. Three small towns put on free displays too: Johnson City, about an hour west, lights its downtown from dusk to midnight. In Wimberley there's the EmilyAnn Trail of Lights, which asks for a suggested donation. Bastrop has its River of Lights along the Colorado River.

Weeknights are the sweet spot

The Light Park opens first, on November 6. Most others open the week before or after Thanksgiving, and the Trail of Lights waits until December 10. For the calmest visit, pick a weeknight: that's when Trail of Lights entry is free and drive-thru tickets are cheapest. Our full comparison of Austin's light shows has every date and price side by side.