Austin Trail Of Lights Road Closures For Dec. 10-23, 2019

AUSTIN, TX — Tonight's the big night for the grand opening of the 55th annual Austin Trail of Lights at Zilker Park — arguably the city's most beloved traditions yielding joy and goodwill to all. But the event also creates traffic congestion, so it's good to know which streets will be closed ahead of driving in proximity.

From Dec. 10-23, all lanes on Barton Springs Road and Stratford Drive will be closed from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., organizers advised on the event website. Moreover, Barton Springs Road will close from Azie Morton Road to Andrew Zilker Road starting as early as 4 p.m. until 11 p.m.

Some traveling suggestions:

• Eastbound traffic should instead take the MoPac Expressway to Cesar Chavez Street to Lamar Boulevard.
• Westbound traffic should take Lamar Boulevard to Cesar Chavez Street to MoPac.
• Event parking at Zilker Park is pre-paid. To learn more, go online for details.

The official first night at the Trail on Tuesday begins with a ceremonial flipping of the switch by AISD students lead by our H-E-B partners, officials wrote on their website. 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 for all guests on Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and will include a variety of special entertainment and programming to ring in the holiday season, officials wrote. Platinum admission passes are also available for Grand Opening and permit entry beginning at 6 p.m., one hour before the general public, plus other amenities.