AUSTIN, Texas — The weekend is here and, as always, there are a ton of things going on in the Austin area! From twinkling lights to a nightmare before Christmas, there's no shortage of fun activities happening over the next few days.
Here’s a breakdown of just some of the events you can attend this weekend.
One of Austin's most famous holiday traditions is back! The 58th annual Austin Trail of Lights has returned to Zilker Park, this time in its traditional, walk-through format.
The trail, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests each year, now features more than two million lights, including 90 lighted holiday trees and more than 70 other lighted tunnels and holiday displays.
For everything you need to know about hitting the trail, check out this FAQ. You can purchase tickets online here.
When: nightly (except Mondays) through Dec. 23
Where: Zilker Park, located at 2100 Barton Springs Road
Perhaps lesser known than the above lights spectacular but still much beloved, the 37th Street Lights also kick off this weekend!
Put on for decades, the 37th Street Lights is an event that prides itself on keeping the holidays weird. The event page for opening night states, "This ain't no Trail of Lights-from giant dinosaurs, to the stuffed animal petting zoo, to a Santa disco party, these are not your ordinary holiday displays!"
While you can drive through the lights, organizers recommend you park and walk your way thorough so you don't miss anything.
When: sunset until 10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31
Where: Entering 507 West 37th Street into your GPS will get you in the right area. The lights are located on 37th Street between Guadalupe Street and Home Lane
Looking for a fright before Christmas? Austin's best-known haunted house has just the thing to turn your holiday cheer into holiday fear.
House of Torment has transformed its location into a nightmare before Christmas that it's calling "Krampus: A Christmas Haunted House." Organizers say the immersive, themed experience is complete with horrifying Christmas characters, Christmas-themed photo-ops and a "shriekeasy" serving up holiday cocktails, themed cookies and seasonal-but-spooky décor.
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: House of Torment, located at 2632 Ridgepoint Drive
Other events happening this weekend:
- Texas Men's Basketball vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff – Saturday at Moody Center
- Texas Women's Basketball vs. Alabama State – Sunday at Moody Center
- Austin's Jingle Jam ft. Ja Rule and Ashanti – Sunday at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
- Austin Foodie Fest – Sunday at Republic Square
- Asian Culture Fair – Sunday at Oskar Blues Brewery Taproom
- SantaCon Crawl Austin – Sunday at Elysium
- "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" – through Sunday at Bass Concert Hall