Credit: image courtesy of Austin Trail of Lights

It doesn’t even feel like fall yet in Austin, but today is a good day to get pumped for winter’s arrival, because as of this morning you can now buy tickets for the Austin Trail of Lights.

This year marks the diamond anniversary of the Austin holiday tradition originally known as Yule Fest. Regularly voted by Chronicle readers the Best Family Festival in Austin, the Trail of Lights has pretty dramatically scaled up in the past 60 years. The two-week-long celebration now features 2 million lights strung in Zilker Park, 90 lighted holiday trees, and more than 70 other holiday displays and lighted tunnels. There’s also a fun run, musical performances, and, debuting this year, wedding packages that let Trail of Lights super-fans say their vows with a “real Santa to bless your union.”

Tickets go on sale today, Oct. 1, for Austin Trail of Lights, which will take place Tuesday, December 10, to Monday, December 23. Tickets range from general admission ($8, children under 12 free), ZIP Passes ($25, children under 6 free), which enable early admission and access to lounge with free cookies and cocoa, and Platinum Passes ($95), which includes early admission via the Platinum entrance with dedicated valet, golf cart shuttle service from the heated Platinum Lounge to the Trail entrance, a drink and ride ticket, and complimentary cookies and cocoa.

Additionally, passes will be offered free to the public for seven of the fourteen nights via the STARS at the Trail nonprofit program. Guests can explore the 2024 Austin Trail of Lights event calendar to see which nights offer free entry and which require a ticket fee.

Purchase tickets and find out more about Austin Trail of Lights, powered by H-E-B, at austintrailoflights.org.

This article appears in September 27 • 2024.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...