Austin Trail of Lights opens this weekend
AUSTIN, Texas - Starting November 28, Zilker Park will welcome visitors who want to get in the holiday spirit by taking in more than 2 million lights set up along the Trail of Lights.
This year, instead of walking in Austin's version of a winter wonderland, visitors will be driving through the show. Trail of Lights attendees will experience 90 decorated holiday trees and more than 70 displays and lit up tunnels.
Returning customers may notice the trail goes the opposite direction this year so it can more easily accommodate cars.
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"The most difficult part of the transition was the rethinking it. So we had to pretend the Trail of Lights has never happened before, because it was essentially planning a whole new event,” said James Russell, executive director of the Trail of Lights Foundation.
Instead of paying per person, admission will be based on vehicles. General admissions passes cost between $25-35, dash passes will be $60.
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Once you enter the trail, the drive will take about 20 minutes. For safety reasons, everyone will need to wear a face-covering as they enter, if they use the bathroom and when interacting with staff.
The Trail of Lights Foundation said safety was the number one concern this year, which is why they started working with the health department in July.
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"So it was hard to see all the events that are traditional in Austin get canceled and we were watching the events drop throughout the year, so really we got to work early to see what we can do to ensure that we could function as an event this year," Russell said.
Pets will be allowed to join, but must be leashed and cannot exit the car at any time.
The Trail of Lights helps support the Central Texas Food Bank each year. Because money will not be accepted on-site, the Trail Foundation is asking people to make donations online.
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The event will run a little longer than usual this year. Closing night will fall on January 3. To buy passes, click here.