Best Austin Holiday Light Displays
Wondering where to see Christmas light displays to put you in the holiday spirit? Austin Christmas lights rank among the best in the nation according to CNN. We compiled this list of the most popular places for Christmas lights in and around Austin so you can get out and see the best Austin has to offer!
Best Christmas Lights in Austin
- Mozart’s Christmas Light Show
- Winter Wonderland at Circuit of the Americas
- Lake Austin’s Boat Trail of Lights
- Lalas Little Nugget Christmas Bar
- The Capital Holiday Stroll
- Austin Trail of Lights
- The Driskill Hotel Christmas Tree
- Project Xmas
- The Domain Holiday Display
- Donn’s Depot Holiday Display
- Willis Littlefield’s House
- Heritage Park Neighborhood Christmas Lights
- Frozen Medley Show by Dennington Decor
- Anna Court Christmas Lights
- Rhodes Family Christmas Lights
- Chinati Court Christmas Lights
- Elfvis and the Kringles Christmas Lights
- Rock N’ Lights Holiday Tour
- Shady Oaks Christmas Lights Display
- Harlien Family Christmas Lights
- Toungate Klub Kringle
- Sights and Sounds of Christmas
- Lights Spectacular
- Walkway of Lights
- Lights of Tejas
- Lakeway Trail of Lights
- Santa’s Ranch
- Budafest
- Bastrop River of Lights
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Mozart’s Christmas Light Show
Central Austin
Visitors to Mozart’s annual Christmas light extravaganza! This year their light show has a new immersive, interactive experience surrounded by more than one million LED lights! Come with eager eyes and ears (there will be music, too). Thousands of dazzling lights have been sculpted into giant iconic objects; which evoke Austin’s culture and the Christmas season. Plus, there will be an audio-activated wall of lights. The light show will be placed on Mozart’s lakeside deck. Mozart’s acclaimed coffee and hot chocolate can be purchased at the coffee house and kiosks outdoors. Special holiday goodies from Mozart’s bakery will also be available. The best part is that the light show is free!
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Winter Wonderland at Circuit of the Americas
Austin, Texas
TThe Circuit of the Americas will be having their first winter wonderland this December! There will be many things to do and see such as a skating rink, a human snow globe, singing trees, a petting zoo, camel rides, Santa’s workshop, carnival rides, a hot air balloon float, Christmas movies on The Lawn, food, shopping and a Tunnel of Lights! This is a great new Christmas activity for you and your family to experience!
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Lake Austin’s Boat Trail of Lights
Central Austin
Lake Austin is a beautiful site year round, but during Christmas time, boat owners adorn their boats in holiday decorations. There’s even a contest between boats to see who decked out their boat with the best theme and a prize for the best light display. There will be very limited VIP tickets/tables sold this year. Boaters and people who park, launch or spectate at 360 bridge will need to pay normal entrance fees. Be prepared to make Austin history and celebrate the holidays as a community!
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Lala’s Christmas Bar
Central Austin
Lalas Little Nugget has long been one of the divining and endearing bars of Austin for decades. Lalas Little Nugget keeps Christmas lights, Santa and his reindeer up year-round in their bar; which creates a cheery atmosphere, perfect for sipping a delicious drink and enjoying the season! Lalas is a North Pole oasis in Central Texas. They throw a Christmas party in December every year that has a white elephant gift exchange!
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The Capital Holiday Stroll
Downtown Austin
Let’s face it, the Capitol building and its grounds are majestic all by themselves. Throw in a Christmas tree lighting, adorned with thousands of ornaments, and enjoy one of Austin’s longest celebrated holiday traditions. Their annual Holiday Sing-Along and Stroll is a free, family-friendly event that celebrates the arrival of the holiday season. There will be live music, shopping, and photos with Santa and of course a sing-along! Shops, restaurants, galleries, and museums will also be open late and will feature special activities and offers.
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Austin Trail of Lights
Downtown Austin
The Trail of Lights is one of the three largest events in Austin and receives national appraise held at Zilker Park. Zilker Park’s light display is complete with a trail of lights and the Zilker Christmas Tree. Each year, the display kicks off with the Christmas tree lighting of the Zilker Tree, a huge 155-foot tall tree of lights draped from a Moontower in the Park.
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The Driskill Hotel Christmas Tree
Downtown Austin
Austin’s most historic downtown hotel will be hosting their annual lighting of The Driskill tree followed by a performance of holiday carols. Additionally, the Driskill Hotel puts on Christmas events throughout the holiday season, including holiday music in the evenings, photos and cookies with Santa Claus for the children, and a Christmas dinner on the 25th.
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Project Xmas
North Austin
Since 2011, Project Xmas in Wells Branch has put on a light show paired with Christmas music that performs numerous times a day for spectators. This is a great site for families to come and celebrate the holidays!
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The Domain Holiday Display
North Austin
Each year the Domain, an upscale, mixed-use outdoor shopping center, showcases a Christmas lighting tree show and provides a live musical accompaniment and Santa Claus. The 40-foot tree boasts over 200,000 lights, 400 ornaments, and a 5-foot tall star on the top of the tree, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, and dance in synchronization to holiday music! And of course, we can’t forget about shopping for the holidays!
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Donn’s Depot Holiday Display
West Austin
Donn’s Depot is a piano bar on West 5th street and provides interior Christmas lights throughout the entire year! This keeps the public in the holiday mood, no matter what time of the year it is! So get ready for hundreds of snowflakes, thousands of lights and seasonal cocktails galore!
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Willis Littlefield’s House
West Austin
Since 1998, Willis Littlefield has decorated his home in Clarksville with a dazzling light show that has amazed everyone every year. Not only does he set up and break down decorations every day, but he stands in the street and hands out candy canes to all his visitors! Willis’s light display is incredible and worth a stop!
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Heritage Park Neighborhood Christmas Lights
Cedar Park, Texas
It’s a tradition in Heritage Park Neighborhood to light the largest Live Oak Tree in Cedar Park with over 65,000 lights! Santa’s Workshop will be there and will feature live music, carriage rides, games and prizes, inflatables, photos with Santa, and arts and crafts projects. They also host a holiday coloring contest for kindergarteners and first graders; the winner will get to light up the Live Oak Tree! Make sure to bring your own camera if you want pictures with Santa Claus.
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Frozen Medley Show by Dennington Decor
Cedar Park, Texas
The owner of Dennington Decor, a holiday light installation company, customizes a Christmas light show for his own home and who better to do it than an expert! They can even customize Christmas lights for your own home!
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Anna Court Christmas Lights
Cedar Park, Texas
Anna Court boasts a display greater than 175,000 Christmas lights and the street Christmas tree alone has 7,200+ lights. While touring the lights, they play a list of 54 songs that lasts up to 2 hours! Anna Court cul-de-sac also collects toy and cash donations for SafePlace; a local Austin shelter for women/families. They also collect donations for Blue Santa. This is a neighborhood you must visit this holiday season!
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Rhodes Family Christmas Lights
Cedar Park, Texas
Come out and enjoy the Christmas spirit with the Rhodes Family! This home was featured on ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight; which means their display will not disappoint! They also a collect perishable food items for the Cedar Park Area Food Bank.
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Chinati Court Christmas Lights
Cedar Park, Texas
Celebrate the holidays with your family and friends by going to the Chinati Court cul-de-sac! All the homes in the cul-de-sac light up each night and they collect cash and toy donations for Brown Santa.
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Elfvis and the Kringles Christmas Lights
Round Rock, Texas
Elfvis and the Kringles entertains the masses with singing, dancing, and animatronics with an addition of “Olaf” from Frozen that benefits an Annual Toy Drive for Brown Santa and Blue Santa. Every year they do not disappoint!
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Rock N’ Lights Holiday Tour
Round Rock, Texas
Bring your family to the Rock N’ Lights Holiday Tour! This year the light show will be relocated to the heart of Round Rock! The event will feature amazing light displays including a walking tunnel of lights, thousands of lights wrapped around more than a hundred trees, lighting along the building facades facing Main Street, garlands hanging on street lights, carnival rides, and holiday food!
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Shady Oaks Christmas Lights Display
Georgetown, Texas
This home in Shady Oaks, Georgetown has been putting on Christmas light shows since 2011! This light show is an amazing event for the entire family to attend!
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Harlien Family Christmas Lights
Georgetown, Texas
The Harlien Family has decorated their home during the holidays for the neighborhood kids and families for 24 years! The Harlien family, Santa, and their team of supporters are raising money for Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas. Help the Harlien Family achieve their goal to raise $20,000 to send four more children on a trip of a lifetime in 2018.
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Toungate Klub Kringle
Leander, Texas
Klub Kringle has an amazing Christmas light display with over 25,000 red, white and blue LED lights. There will be an 18ft tall Christmas tree with 2000 LED lights that change up to 2 million different colors with pictures, words, and designs on it! All which is synchronized to music. A tribute song to the troops overseas is played as well!
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Sights and Sounds of Christmas
San Marcos, Texas
Every first weekend of December, Sights and Sounds of Christmas hosts a carnival along the San Marcos River. They offer an outside ice skating rink, food court, live performances, arts and crafts, and much more for the whole family! Come out and see the beautiful display and enjoy all that the lovely San Marcos has to offer it’s visitors.
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Lights Spectacular
Johnson City, Texas
Since the late 70s, Johnson City has been offering a lights display worthy of the Texas Hill Country with 100,000 lights twinkling on the Blanco County Courthouse and Memorial Park on Main Street! In fact, it is the largest lights display in Texas! This holiday celebration is family and pet-friendly with no admission and lasts until New Year’s Day. There will also be ornaments and holiday crafts to purchase!
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Walkway of Lights
Marble Falls, Texas
Join Lakeside Park as they celebrate the holidays with over two million lights, 400 beautiful sculptures, take pictures with Santa, and more! Admission is always free! There will also be opportunities to donate to non-profit organizations at the concession stands. Make the Walkway of lights a family tradition and an experience you won’t forget!
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Lights of Tejas
Brenham, Texas
Each year during the holidays, Tejas transforms their campus into one of the best light festivals in Texas. They boast over one million Christmas lights, have many family-friendly activities, and you can even stay overnight! Lights of Tejas is a great way to celebrate the holiday season with your family and friends.
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Lakeway Trail of Lights
Lakeway, Texas
Come see thousands of twinkling lights at the Lakeway Trail of Lights! You can also see amusing tableaus which are all accompanied by delightful seasonal music! Skateboards, scooters, dogs, bicycles and motorized vehicles are not permitted. The best part is that there is no charge to park or to attend!
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Santa’s Ranch
New Braunfels, Texas
This holiday season take a trip through the winding country road and take in the beautiful Christmas displays like the lit up gingerbread houses, nativity scenes, depictions of the North Pole, and more! You’ll be awestruck by over 1.5 million; custom-made lights all put up! Also, enjoy homemade hot cocoa, kettle corn, and snacks while touring the lights.
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Budafest
Buda, Texas
Get ready to start the holiday season with a Christmas parade, carnival, and over 125 artisans selling handcrafted items of every type! And of course Santa Claus will be there to take pictures!
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Bastrop River of Lights
Bastrop, Texas
Come out with your family and enjoy Bastrop’s little trail of lights! Non-profit organizations from Bastrop will be hosting the trail each night and use the event to raise awarness to their cause and sell treats to raise money.
Map of Christmas Lights in Austin
Related links
- Where to Buy Christmas Trees in Austin
- Best Ice Skating Rinks in Austin
- Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season
