Austin does the holidays well, and most of the best of it is close to home.
Here are eight traditions worth planning around this year, in the order they open, with dates, prices, and the drive time from The Wayback on Bee Cave Road. All eight are within twenty minutes of our cottages.
1. Bee Cave on Ice
November 13 through January 18 · Hill Country Galleria · 12 minutes away
Bee Cave on Ice is an outdoor rink of real ice behind Bee Cave City Hall, at the Hill Country Galleria. A 50-minute session costs $16 with skates, or $11 on Tuesday community nights. The Galleria lights its tree on Saturday, November 28, with live music from 5 to 8pm.
2. Luminations at the Wildflower Center
November 20 through December 31 · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center · 20 minutes away
The Wildflower Center opens its gardens after dark for Luminations, with the Fortlandia forts lit along the paths. It runs on weekends starting November 20, then every night from December 17 through 31, except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Tickets are timed and sold in advance: $30 for adults, $20 for ages 3 to 12.
3. Mozart’s Festival of Lights
November 21 through January 3 · Mozart’s Coffee Roasters · 15 minutes away
Mozart’s has put on a holiday light show over Lake Austin for sixteen years, with the lights set to music. This year adds a live holiday revue. Shows start at 6pm every night. Tickets are $8, or $7 if you buy by November 20.
4. The Pumpkins at The Wayback
Pumpkins at the café door at The Wayback, fall 2023.
From Thanksgiving Day, November 26 · The Wayback
On Thanksgiving Day, a pumpkin installation goes up at The Wayback, and it stays into the following week. Come see the pumpkins, and stay for a meal at the café.
5. The Zilker Holiday Tree
Lit Sunday, November 29 · Zilker Park · 15 minutes away
Austin’s holiday tree is 155 feet of lights hung from one of the city’s 1890s moonlight towers, and 2026 is its 60th year. It lights on Sunday, November 29, at 6pm, with the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble playing from 5:15. Tradition says you stand in the middle and spin. The tree is free and stays lit every night through January 1.
6. Ballet Austin’s Nutcracker
December 4 through 23 · The Long Center · 15 minutes away
Ballet Austin’s 64th Nutcracker, choreographed by Stephen Mills, with the Austin Symphony Orchestra playing live. Matinees are at 2pm and evening shows at 7:30pm.
7. The Trail of Lights
December 10–23 · Zilker Park · 15 minutes away
The Trail of Lights puts more than two million lights along a mile and a quarter of Zilker Park. It started as Yule Fest in 1965. Seven nights are free this year: December 10, 11, and 13 through 17. Other nights cost $8 for ages 12 and up, and kids 11 and under are always free. The trail is open 7 to 10pm. Parking passes are sold online only, or you can take the shuttle from the Toney Burger Center on paid nights.
8. The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar
December 12–21 · Palmer Events Center · 15 minutes away
Austin’s holiday art market started at the Armadillo World Headquarters in 1976. This is its 51st year, with nearly 200 artists and live music every day. Admission is $15 for the day, and kids 12 and under get in free. It is a good place to finish the gift list.
Stay With Us
The Wayback is fifteen minutes west of downtown on Bee Cave Road: eight cottages under the live oaks, a saltwater pool, a fire pit, and a farm-to-table café. Cottage Eight has a gas fireplace and a kitchenette, if family is staying a while.
December in Austin averages highs of 64 and lows in the low 40s. That means lunch outside and the fire pit at night.
Thanksgiving week is wide open, and so are most December weeknights. Christmas week still has cottages available. New Year’s Eve is booked.
Gift Cards
Wayback gift cards work for cottage stays, the café, drinks, and pool passes. Buy a gift card.
Holiday Parties
We host holiday parties in the café, on the patio, in the cabana, or across the whole property, catered by our kitchen and bar. Ask about dates.
Also on the calendar this season: jazz brunches, wine tastings, cookie decorating classes, and watercolor workshops.
The Holidays in Austin: Quick Answers
When is the Trail of Lights in 2026? December 10–23 in Zilker Park, 7 to 10pm. It is free on December 10, 11, and 13 through 17, and $8 for ages 12 and up on other nights.
When is the Zilker Holiday Tree lighting in 2026? Sunday, November 29, at 6pm. The tree stays lit every night through January 1, and it is free.
Where are the best Christmas lights in Austin? The Trail of Lights and the Zilker Holiday Tree in Zilker Park, Mozart’s Festival of Lights on Lake Austin, and Luminations at the Wildflower Center.
What holiday events in Austin are free? The Zilker Holiday Tree, seven free nights at the Trail of Lights, and the Hill Country Galleria tree lighting on November 28.
Where can you go ice skating near Austin? Bee Cave on Ice, an outdoor rink at the Hill Country Galleria, open November 13 through January 18.
What is the weather like in Austin in December? Average highs are about 64 degrees and lows about 43.
Where should you stay in Austin for the holidays? The Wayback has eight private cottages and a farm-to-table café on Bee Cave Road, fifteen minutes from Zilker Park, the Long Center, and downtown.
Go see the lights. Then come back to the fire.
Prefer to start with dinner? Reserve a table at the café.