Joyous news
Austin's treasured Trail of Lights unwraps return to traditional format for 2022 holidays
Here’s an early holiday gift for you: A beloved Austin tradition is returning to its normal pre-pandemic format.
The nonprofit Trail of Lights Foundation says this year’s Austin Trail of Lights will once again be a walk-through event rather than a drive-through event. In 2020 and 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trail of Lights let visitors drive along the trail but not walk along it.
“As we return to an in-person, interactive event, we cannot wait to share exciting new additions and Austin’s favorite longstanding traditions with the community at the trail,” says Nicholas Miller, the newly appointed board president of the Trail of Lights Foundation.
The 58th annual event, whose title sponsor is H-E-B, will be December 8-23 at Zilker Park. A sneak-peek party will be held December 2, while the Austin Trail of Lights Fun Run will happen December 3.
What began in 1965 as a small community gathering around a yule log now attracts more 400,000 guests a year. The Trail of Lights features more than 2 million lights illuminating Zilker Park, 90 lighted holiday trees, and more than 70 other holiday displays and lighted tunnels.
General admission will be free on seven of the event’s 14 nights; children under age 12 will be admitted every night at no charge.
In early October, the full calendar for the Trail of Lights, along with the ability to buy tickets online, will go live on the event’s website.
