Nothing puts you in the holiday spirit more than experiencing spectacular Christmas lights displays while drinking a warm hot chocolate in the cold and crisp December weather. With Austin having so many Christmas light displays, it’s no surprise that Austin ranks among the best for holiday displays in the country, according to CNN. So, check out our list of the most popular places for Christmas lights in Austin and enjoy a magical night full of bright lights and holiday spirit!
Best Christmas Lights in Austin:
- Anna Court Christmas Lights
- Austin Trail of Lights
- Bastrop River of Lights
- Budafest
- Chinati Court Christmas Lights
- Donn’s Depot Holiday Display
- Frozen Medley Show by Dennington Decor
- Harlien Family Christmas Lights
- Heritage Park Neighborhood Christmas Lights
- Lakeway Trail of Lights
- Lake Austin’s Boat Trail of Lights
- Lala’s Little Nugget Christmas Bar
- Lights of Tejas
- Lights Spectacular
- Maywald Christmas Display
- Mozart’s Christmas Light Show
- Rhodes Family Christmas Lights
- Round Rock Christmas Towne
- Santa’s Ranch
- Shady Oaks Christmas Lights Display
- Sights and Sounds of Christmas
- The Capital Holiday Stroll
- The Domain Holiday Display
- The Driskill Hotel Christmas Tree
- Toungate Klub Kringle
- Walkway of Lights
- Willis Littlefield’s House
- Winter Wonderland at Circuit of the Americas
Anna Court Christmas Lights
Anna Ct, Cedar Park, TX 78613
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!
Austin Trail of Lights
2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704
An Austin tradition since 1965, the Trail of Lights provides miles or walking amongst thousands of lights and scenes. The Zilker Tree, another holiday favorite, stands 155 feet tall in the middle of Zilker Park and boasts 39 multi-colored streamers, 3,309 lights and bulbs, and a very bright star with 150 lights on the top. With so many lights, it’s hard to miss amongst the Downtown Austin Skyline during the holidays!
Bastrop River of Lights
1200 Willow St, Bastrop, TX 78602
Bastrop River of Lights walking trail is located in Fisherman’s Park and continues all the way down the Lower Colorado River to Ferry Park, about a half mile. It started in 2002 with over 100 sponsors for displays the first year. Many individuals opted to sponsor a memorial or honorarium for a loved one or to cover one of the beautiful trees in the Park with lights. We have about 20 groups that come down and build their own display each year. The River of Lights is open the day after Thanksgiving and every night until New Year’s Eve. Non-profits and civic groups from the area host the trail each night and use the event to spotlight their mission or to sell treats to raise money or to visit with those who come to walk the trail!
Budafest
880 Main St, Buda, TX 78610
Budafest attracts artisans, craft workers and craft enthusiasts from all over Texas! This year, the Budafest parade will be a lighted, nighttime parade through the heart of Downtown Buda complete with a lighting ceremony to kick-off the holiday season in Buda! This is an opportunity to sell your wares in a fun, open-air atmosphere. And of course, Santa Claus will be there to take pictures!
Chinati Court Christmas Lights
Chinati Ct, Cedar Park, TX 78613
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; a program that provides assistance to underprivileged children and their families in Travis County and senior residents of local retirement centers in Travis County.
Donn’s Depot Holiday Display
1600 W 5th St, Austin, TX 78703
Donn’s Depot is a piano bar on West 5th street and provides interior Christmas lights throughout the entire year! Deck the halls with your family and friends, enjoy their legendary seasonal (limited time) drink menu, listen to world-class musicians singing your holiday favorites and get all warm and fuzzy for the holidays! 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 and let Donn’s Depot make all your Christmas dreams come true!
Frozen Medley Show by Dennington Decor
3802 Prairie Ln, Austin, TX 78728
The holiday lights installation firm Dennington Decor illustrates its specialty in grand fashion with a customized light show from the owner’s home. It’s a genuine display of Christmas spirit that also doubles as a very persuasive commercial of sorts for the business. Either way, it’s pretty spectacular. They can even customize Christmas lights for your own home!
Harlien Family Christmas Lights
400 Liscio Cove, Georgetown, TX 78628
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. With your help, they have raised $90,000 over the past four holiday seasons enabling them to sponsor the wish trips of 18 children from their local area! The Harlien Family is hopeful you will partner with them again in achieving their goal to raise $20,000, sending four more children on a trip of a lifetime in 2019!
Heritage Park Neighborhood Christmas Lights
875 Quest Pkwy, Cedar Park, TX 78613
It’s a tradition in Heritage Park Neighborhood to light the largest Live Oak Tree in Cedar Park with over 65,000 lights! The Tree Lighting and Santa’s Workshop in Cedar Park will feature live music, fun carriage rides, plenty of games and prizes, big inflatables, photos with Santa (make sure to bring your own camera), and arts & crafts projects! The best part is that admission is free. So, bring out your friends and family and enjoy a night of Christmas celebrations!
Lakeway Trail of Lights
105 Cross Creek, Lakeway, TX 78734
One of Lakeway’s most cherished traditions is the Trail of Lights! Come out and see thousands of twinkling lights with your friends and family! See amusing tableaus, all accompanied by delightful seasonal music! Please be aware that skateboards, scooters, bicycles, and motorized vehicles are not permitted (neither are pets).
Lake Austin’s Boat Trail of Lights
5300 N Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, TX 78730
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!
Lala’s Little Nugget Christmas Bar
2207 Justin Ln, Austin, TX 78757
Lala’s Little Nugget has long been one of the divining and endearing bars of Austin for decades. Lala’s 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!
Lights of Tejas
1038 PR 2191, Giddings, TX 78942
You’re invited to come to Tejas for Christmas! Each year during the holidays, Tejas is a flurry of Christmas festivities as we transform their campus into one of the best light festivals in all of Texas! Lights of Tejas is a Christmas light festival you won’t want to miss that boasts over one million Christmas lights, offers many family-friendly activities, and multiple accommodation options for you and your group to stay in overnight. Centrally located among Austin, Houston, College Station, and San Antonio, Lights of Tejas takes place in Giddings, Texas, so be sure to put Lights of Tejas on your Christmas list this holiday season!
Lights Spectacular
101 W Pecan Dr, Johnson City, TX 78636
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!
Maywald Christmas Display
10505 Twilight Vista, Austin, TX 78736
The Maywald Christmas Display has about 120,000 lights, large wooden structures, and many vintage decorations. The display is on about 2.5 acres of land and the Maywald Family invites you and your family and friends to come and park in their parking lot and walk through their holiday lights display for free! Donations from the display will help raise money for Make-A-Wish to grant children’s wishes so we appreciate donations. This is the family’s 11th year of putting up the display and they will continue to do so for years to come! And this holiday season, The Maywalds will compete in ABC’s show The Great Christmas Light Fight! Let’s hope they can claim that title!
Mozart’s Christmas Light Show
3825 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703
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!
Rhodes Family Christmas Lights
2410 Sharon Dr, Cedar Park, TX 78613
Come out with family and friends and enjoy the Christmas spirit with the Rhodes Family! This home was featured on ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight; which means their extensive Christmas lights display will not disappoint! They also collect perishable food items for the Cedar Park Area Food Bank.
Round Rock Christmas Towne
4111 E Old Settlers Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78665
Bring your family and friends to the free Christmas Towne at the Old Settlers Association and the Dell Diamond parking lot and get into the holiday spirit! The event will feature amazing light displays including a walking tunnel of lights, thousands of lights wrapped around more than a hundred trees, full-scale carnival rides, holiday refreshments and more!
Santa’s Ranch
9561 IH 35 North, New Braunfels, TX 78130
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! Bring your friends and family and enjoy one of the best holiday light exhibits in the state! You’ll take a drive through over a mile of winding country roads while taking in the beautiful lights, animated Christmas displays, and enjoying homemade hot cocoa, kettle corn, and snacks. You’ll be awestruck by over 1.5 million lights!
Shady Oaks Christmas Lights Display
107 Shady Oak Drive, Georgetown, TX 78628
This featured home in Shady Oaks, Georgetown has been putting on Christmas light shows since 2011 and are known to put on a spectacular holiday display! So, come out and take your family and friends for a light show that will not disappoint!
Sights and Sounds of Christmas
401 E Hopkins St, San Marcos, TX 78666
The City of San Marcos is excited to welcome you to one of the most anticipated holiday events, The Sights & Sounds of Christmas! Every year this family-friendly Christmas festival brings the holiday spirit to San Martians and visitors from across Texas and beyond. You’ll find popular carnival rides for all ages, a variety of delicious festival food, live performances, and even a visit from Santa Claus. All events take place amidst a sea of beautiful Christmas lights spread throughout the park. Sights & Sounds has something for everyone to help celebrate the holiday season!
The Capital Holiday Stroll
1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701
Kickstart your holiday season at the Downtown Austin Alliance’s Holiday Stroll on December 1st along Congress Avenue between 9th and 11th streets! Join the City of Austin for a night of holiday cheer in downtown, including the annual KUT Austin and KUTX 98.9 Holiday Sing-Along and the lighting of the downtown tree. A free, family-friendly event, Holiday Stroll has something for everyone including photos with Santa, a petting zoo, live ice sculpture, holiday arts & crafts, a live mural painting, local food trucks, artisan vendors, and more! Plus, enjoy a full night of live music with performances by the Austin Children’s Choir, GirlFriend ATX, Shy Beast, and many others yet to be announced.
The Domain Holiday Display
11410 Century Oaks Terrace, Austin, TX 78758
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!
The Driskill Hotel Christmas Tree
604 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701
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!
Toungate Klub Kringle
2305 Arroyo Grande, Leander, TX 78641
This year, Toungate Klub Kringle is back for their 7th annual light show! 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!
Walkway of Lights
305 Buena Vista Dr, Marble Falls, TX 78654
The time has come, Walkway is upon us! Join us in Lakeside Park as we celebrate the holidays with over two million lights, 400 beautiful sculptures, photos with Santa, and so much more! Make the Walkway of Lights your new family tradition, and experience the magic year after year! Admission is always free, yet donations are much appreciated! Don’t forget, concessions and Santa photos are fundraisers for local non-profit organizations. Make the Walkway of lights a family tradition and an experience you won’t forget!
Willis Littlefield’s House
W 12th Austin, TX 78703
Since 1998, Willis Littlefield has decorated his home in Clarksville with a dazzling light show that has amazed everyone every year. His home turns into a fount of a winter wonderland due to his mix of decorations and year-round vintage shops and homes. 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!
Winter Wonderland at Circuit of the Americas
9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd, Austin, TX 78617
Winter Wonderland at the Circuit is back and brighter than ever! This year will feature The World Famous Chinese Lantern Festival, a remarkable display of illuminated sculptures, each hand-crafted using a tradition that extends back centuries. The lanterns are created using steel frames surrounded by colorful rayon “skins” and illuminated from within by LED lights. It’s a wondrous cultural experience for people of all ages! Also featured this year will be Texas’ largest outdoor Ice Skating Rink, the Tunnel of Lights, Trips to the top of the North Pole, Carnival Rides, Camel Rides, Singing Trees, a Petting Zoo, Santa’s Workshop, a Live Music Stage and much more holiday fun for everyone!
Map of The Best Christmas Lights in Austin
Related links
- Where to Buy Christmas Trees in Austin
- Best Ice Skating Ranks in Austin
- Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season
