The Run-Down
The Trail Of Lights will run from December 9 – 23, 2017.
- Dec 2: The festivities kick off with our annual Fun Run under the stars and lights.
- Dec 9: Our Grand Opening on Saturday, Dec 9 opens the Trail to the public greeting Austinites and visitors with a special opening ceremony.
Austin Trail of Lights 2017 Food Drive
With 400,000 attendees, the Austin Trail of Lights offers a perfect opportunity to make an enormous impact on the Central Texas community. This year, the Trail of Lights Foundation is partnering with the Central Texas Food Bank in our challenge to all attendees to bring a canned good to the Trail any public night of the Trail. With the support of Trail-goers, we can reach our goal to collect 25,000 MEALS for the Central Texas Food Bank, that’s enough food to feed 6 families for a year!
We’ll have drop off bins nightly at the Trail of Lights entrance. So, help us feed the hungry by bringing a can of food with you to Zilker Park on any night that you attend.
’Tis the season for giving, after all!
2017 Fun Run – presented by St. David’s HealthCare
Saturday December 2, 6:30pm – 10pm
Get some exercise in disguise with family and friends on Saturday, December 2 at the Austin Trail of Lights Fun Run –2.1 miles under twinkling lights, beginning at the Zilker Tree, moving through Austin’s beloved Trail of Lights and ending at our Finish Line Festival and fitness expo. Run or walk, you decide, through nostalgic displays and colorful lights with friends and family. Show your holiday enthusiasm in numbers and register as a team!
Gather post run with family and friends at our Finish Line Festival in the middle of Zilker Park for DJ entertainment and dance party, fitness expo, activities, food trucks, complimentary post-run beer or cocoa and more! Don’t miss our new VIP Fun Run options with access to a VIP Lounge, snacks, bar and other upgrades.
FULL TRAIL OF LIGHT DETAILS HERE
GRAND OPENING
Saturday, December 9, 20177pm-10pm
Opening Ceremony benefitting the Trail of Lights Foundation and H-E-B’s Read 3 program
Join us for our Grand Opening celebration as H-E-B helps us kick off the 53rd annual Austin Trail of Lights holiday season. The official first night at the Trail begins with a ceremonial flipping of the switch by AISD students lead by Mayer Adler and our H-E-B partners. One lucky student winner of our Austin Trail of Lights Holiday Writing Contest will be invited to flip the switch, turning on the front entry lights and opening the Austin Trail of Lights to the public for the first time of the season.
General Admission is free and open to the public on December 9th, and will include a variety of special entertainment and programming to ring in the holiday season! Make your Grand Opening experience extra grand! Platinum passes are also available on December 9th.
UT Night at the Trail – presented by The University of Texas at Austin
Sunday, December 10, 2017
7-10pm
We’re painting the Trail Orange! Join us as we celebrate Austin’s favorite holiday event with the fourth annual UT Night at the Austin Trail of Lights, a special evening dedicated to the vibrant community of The University of Texas at Austin. UT Night is a great way to ring in the holiday season together with students, faculty, alumni, family and friends! This night’s general admission is free and open to the public, and will include a wide variety of special UT-themed programming by university groups to showcase longhorn pride!
UT Night Tickets: General Admission is free and open to the public on December 10th.
Premium UT Night Tickets are also available in the form of ZIP Fast Passes and VIP Platinum Passes.
Heroes Night at the Trail – presented by Texas Lottery
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
7-10pm
Join us as we honor veterans, active military, first responders (police, fire, EMS, etc.) and natural disaster relief workers at our annual Heroes Night on Tuesday, December 12 from 7-10pm at the Austin Trail of Lights. In light of many the disasters and tragedies which occurred this past year all over the nation, this year’s Heroes Nights provides an extra special opportunity to recognize, honor and thank the hundreds and thousands of military, first responders, natural disaster relief workers and veterans for their countless hours and dedication to our communities and nation. Guests will have the opportunity to create holiday letters to send to troops and other activities to pay tribute to first responders’ service.
- Food Drive will be a big focus on this night to support those in our community who have been effected by many of the tragedies and natural disasters that have occurred this year.
Heroes are invited to wear their uniforms or bring an ID showing military, veteran status, first responder or disaster relief verification for you and your family to receive complementary ZIP Fast Pass perks on Heroes Night.
FULL TRAIL OF LIGHT DETAILS HERE
Ticket Types Available: GA & ZIP
GA Tickets
General Admission is free for half of the nights at the Austin Trail of Lights! Refer to the calendar to see which nights offer free entry and which nights carry a $3 entry fee for attendees 12 and over.
- Purchase a GA ticket online, in advance to skip the long gate admission lines at the Trail.
ZIP Fast Passes
ZIP Fast Passes are the ultimate convenience at the Austin Trail of Lights! Providing early access to the Trail at 6pm – one hour before the general public. ZIP guests also enter through a dedicated ZIP entrance, plus receive access our special ZIP Lobby and Zilker Lounge with holiday cookies, cocoa, comfy seating and heated washrooms!
ZIP Fast Passes are $15 from Dec 10-14 & 18-19 and passes are $20 on Dec 15-17 & 20-23.
Head to the event calendar to plan your trip, and choose a date with ZIP availability to purchase passes.
Platinum Passes
Discover a luxury experience at the Austin Trail of Lights with our Platinum program, presented by Kendra Scott. Platinum guests receive concierge service from start to finish – the Austin Trail of Lights Platinum team will work to make your experience at the Trail memorable and the planning truly hands-off!
All you do is pick the night you and your group would like to come!
Platinum guests enter early at 6:00pm through a dedicated Platinum entrance – one hour before the Trail of Lights opens to the general public. Ride in style via golf cart to the Trailhead and VIP Platinum Lounge – a private, heated lounge with comfortable seating and an exclusive bar!