Tis the season… to be thinking about where to find the best lights displays in Austin. But that’s not the only way to celebrate the holiday season. Here in Texas’ Capitol city, there are more than a million ways to make the holidays special — but these 15 activities are Christmas in Austin’s best and brightest:
15.) Carol down Congress Avenue
In early December, festive Austinites gather in front of the Texas State Capitol Building to participate in yet another beloved city tradition: Austin’s annual Holiday Sing-Along and Downtown Stroll. The annual event, which is coordinated and run by the Downtown Austin Alliance, KUT 90.5 and KUTX 98.9, and the Sustainable Food Center, begins with Christmas caroling at 6 p.m., followed by the lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree, photos with Santa, live music, extended hours and fun activities at many downtown businesses, a farmers market, and more. You’ll even have the opportunity to donate canned goods to families in need.
14.) Buy locally-made treasures at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar and Blue Genie Art Bazaar
Starting mid-December, head down to the Palmer Events Center for the shopping extravaganza of your life: the Annual Armadillo Christmas Bazaar. Featuring more than 160 fine art and artisan vendors, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar basically ensures that you’ll find epic (if not quirky) holiday gifts for friends and family members — and all while savoring cold beer and great food. Expect to hear a heck of a lot of live music too; each year’s Bazaar hosts a slew of bands and musicians.
The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is also a fixture of the Austin holiday season and it’s FREE to attend! They have thousands of original works ranging from serious art to fun, kitschy items. Shopping at the Bazaar is a great way to buy holiday gifts in a hassle-free environment, all while supporting local artists.
13.) Walk through the Zilker Trail of Lights
Actually, forget walking: you’ll want to skip through this amazing lights display. With over 1.25 miles of Christmas lights, festive sculpture arrangements, live music, 30 food trailers, photo opportunities with Santa, and a huge Ferris wheel and carousel, the Austin Trail of Lights is an absolute must-have holiday experience. Generally attracting more than 425,000 people (which is more than ACL, F1, and SXSW draw individually) over the holiday season, the Trail has been a community fixture since 1965.
12.) Take part in the Trail of Lights Fun Run
Photo by Jonathan Faulkner.
Let’s admit it: the Trail of Lights can get pretty down crowded. Enjoy the lights a few days before it even opens to the pubic with the annual Trail of Lights Fun Run. The event helps to Keep Austin Active with a night where fun runners run, jog or stroll a 2.1 mile course through Zilker Park and the Austin Trail of Lights ending in the Finish Line Festival. Guests enjoy a fitness and wellness expo, DJ entertainment, a costume contest, photos with Santa, and more. Get more info here.
11.) Ooh and ahh over the biggest Christmas tree in town
The Zilker Holiday Tree is the biggest tree in ATX. Photo: Flickr user Jen W, CC licensed.
Spinning around beneath the 155-foot Zilker Holiday Tree while looking up is a sacred Austin tradition that you shouldn’t skip this season. Located at the Moonlight Tower in Zilker Park, this massive tree is a whopping 380 feet wide, and it’s the biggest one in town, so plenty of folks can perform their annual spins at once, with lots of space to fall down in the dizzying aftermath. The Zilker tree sports no less than 3,309 lights and a gigantic star that measures 10 feet between all of its points, so trust us — it’s definitely a sight worth seeing!
10.) Drink your weight in hot chocolate
Apple cider and eggnog are entirely different, but they do have two things in common. First, they’re both Christmastime beverages, bringing on the holiday cheer with every sip. And second, both of them pale in comparison to hot chocolate in terms of glorious deliciousness. Admittedly, that last statement is biased. But seriously, you can find some killer hot cocoa in Austin and December is the perfect time to guzzle gallons of it!
Expert tip: Here’s where to find the best hot cocoa in town.
9.) Have the Mozart’s Coffee Roasters holiday experience
Now in its third decade, this Austin institution is doing things a little bit different this year. The biggest change you’ll notice is they don’t have their rooftop light display that is synced to Christmas music. However, they still have piano music, live bands, and a few new offerings, including additions like a charming market featuring wooden chalets, spiked drinks, immersive igloos, and a variety of boat rides. Here’s everything you need to know.
8.) Buy a real Christmas tree from a local farm
Instead of setting up an artificial tree, try this: load the family into the van, drive out to an actual Christmas tree farm, and select a real tree to adorn your home this holiday season. As long as no one in your home has a cedar allergy, decorating your living room with a real tree can be quite the fulfilling adventure. There are four local farms within reasonable driving distance of Austin. Here’s a list of all of them!
7.) Show off your ice skating moves at Four Seasons Austin
Skate beneath the stars near Lady Bird Lake at Austin’s premier ice-skating rink and winter experience. From November 22, 2024, through January 5, 2025, Ice Rodeo at Four Seasons Hotel Austin features an outdoor ice rink, outdoor dining cabins, pop-up lounges, immersive holiday décor and spectacular art installations. It’s fun for all ages, but we must warn you that it’s a bit pricey. One hour of skating and rentals is $40 per person.
6.) Be Santa for a kid who’s got it rough
APD’s Operation Blue Santa campaign is A-OK. Photo: Flickr user m01229, CC licensed.
Your Christmas in Austin would be grossly incomplete without gift-giving. Through the Austin Police Department‘s Operation Blue Santa campaign, you can give presents to kids who may not get presents otherwise. With help from the Austin Fire Department, Austin Energy, Austin Water Utility, the Texas National Guard, and a ton of other local businesses, organizations, and individual Austinites, APD provides 5,000+ families in the greater Austin area with full Christmas meals and presents for every little one.
If you’re looking to go big and adopt an entire family, the Foundation Community Holiday Assistance Program is always looking for adopters. The largest private affordable housing provider in Austin does lots to help out their residents around the holidays, but they can’t do it without help from the community. This is an excellent way for social groups, offices, and generous families to help out those in need. There are other ways to help the organization and its residents, including monetary donations, volunteering, and donating single items for their holiday drive.
5.) Infuse your holiday with weird on 37th Street
There’s really nothing else like 37th Street’s annual Christmas spectacle. The community of festive neighbors is a historic local wonder, boasting holiday lights that have kept Austin weird since the 1980s. When you head over, please remember that families, students, young professionals, and more are sharing their homes with you. Be respectful with noise after bedtimes and of the street overall.
4.) Take a trip down the road to see another Texas town’s light display
You can find all of the area’s best light displays here. But, we’d like to recommend one that’s definitely worth the drive. Head west of Austin for a breathtaking holiday display in Johnson City that you won’t soon forget, featuring more than 1.2 million LED lights! It’s so impressive that even NASA has reportedly seen the glow from space! The Johnson City Lights display is free to visit and fun for the whole family.
3.) De-Scroogeify yourself at A Christmas Carol
Another feel-good holiday classic that made it onto our must-see list is A Christmas Carol, a musical based on that Dickens story about crotchety old Ebeneezer Scrooge that we all know so well. But this isn’t your ordinary musical — this time the traditional Victorian story comes complete with a musical score that spans all genres and eras. Motown meets the HoHoHolidays in this family celebration at Zach Theatre, creating an infectious spirit that has everyone dancing in the aisles. If that isn’t totally and utterly magical, then we don’t know what is.
2.) Take in one of the city’s many many Holiday Pop-Up Bars
There’s no shortage of holiday pop-up bars in Austin. We’re always a fan of Miracle on 5th Street and Sippin’ Santa. This year, there’s more holiday fun around town then every before. Here are a fews more faves from our pals at Austin Monthly.
1.) Ride a train to the North Pole and back
Take a ride on the North Pole Flyer! Video: YouTube user TourTexasVideo.
Bet you didn’t know that you can take a train to the North Pole from Austin! It’s true — every holiday season, the Austin Steam Train Association will transform its vintage train into “The North Pole Flyer.” For $38-53, you can ride the train to Bertram and back with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, enjoying delicious Christmas cookies and hot chocolate, listening to the Christmas Story, and spending quality time with loved ones along the way. It’s not exactly the North Pole, but this train is so festive it might as well be a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer!
From live performances to charity and real Christmas trees to fake snow, every one of these fifteen seasonal activities is guaranteed to grant you a wonderful Christmas in Austin. Here’s to happy holidays for you and yours, and a nifty New Year’s too!
Featured photo: Flickr user Earl McGehee, CC licensed
