AUSTIN, Texas — You may be counting down to Halloween, but the city of Austin is already preparing for the winter holidays.
On Tuesday, Austin Energy crews started stringing up lights on Zilker Park's moon tower to create the 155-foot-tall Zilker Holiday Tree.
The tree is a beloved Austin tradition. The lighting of the tree typically takes place during a special ceremony, which will be held on Nov. 27 this year.
The lights go up on the park's moonlight tower, which is one of several moonlight towers standing across Austin. Austin is the only city in the world with moonlight towers, with 13 of the original 31 still standing and another four that were restored.
Across the street from the moon tower, the Trail of Lights takes place every holiday season as well. This year, half of the 14 nights will be free to the public, and children under 12 will get in for free every night. Tickets are currently on sale.
The city said the tree will be decorated with 39 strings of LED bulbs, each containing 81 red, yellow, green and blue bulbs. The strategic placement of the yellow bulbs on each string gives the tree its distinctive and dizzying swirl pattern. A double star tops the display, measuring 10 feet from point to point.
