It’s the holiday season, and while a lot of the big events around town have gotten more expensive, there are still lots of things you can do to celebrate and get in the holiday spirit for free with your family!
We’ve got Christmas events, light displays, music, movies and more to help ring in the holidays without the hit to your wallet! Here’s a list of 12 free kid-friendly things you can do for the holidays in Austin in 2025.
In This Post
1. Celebrate on Campus
Enjoy 24 Heritage Oaks along the Drag lit up in orange and white at Longhorn Lights. You can walk or drive by the twinkling lights and listen to holiday music and music by the Longhorn band. Nightly November 18 – January 1 from 5 to 10 p.m.
2. Sing Christmas Carols at the Capitol Tree
On December 6, join your fellow Austinites downtown for a sing-along and lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree! The Holiday Sing-Along and Stroll is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with lots of family-friendly activities and vendors (even Santa!) on Congress Avenue between 8th and 11th streets.
3. Embrace the Weird
37th Street Lights is a quirky, little lights display that’s running from December 12 to New Year’s. Walk the street to see the untraditional light displays, write letters to Santa, vote for which cat should be 37th Street Mayor, and more. It’s casual and a little strange and an easy night out!
4. Check out the Trail of Lights
This classic Austin light display in the middle of Zilker Park has been going on for six decades! Celebrate the 61st year of Trail of Lights with a spin under the Zilker tree and walk through the magic of the lights. General admission is free on select nights: Dec. 10-12 and Dec. 15-18.
5. Get Colorful on South Congress
Take a walk through a holiday rainbow at Winter Wanderland at Austin Motel, Dec. 4 through 31. Walk through the courtyard of the motel to see a colorful display of Christmas trees (perfect for photos!). Rocky’s Bar is open Thursdays through Sundays from 2-9 pm, so you can grab a drink or shaved ice (both virgin and alcoholic!).
This spot is aimed more toward adults, but is a fun, pretty stop with kids during the day!
6. See a Model Train Display
The Tinplate Trackers of Austin put on a holiday model train exhibit in the Austin area each year. The 2025 display will be located in Hill Country Galleria across from Barnes and Noble. You can catch it through January 4th. Kids and grown-ups alike will love looking at all the details in the display.
You can watch the trains for free — or drive them for a $5 donation!
7. Watch Holiday Movies Outdoors
One of the best things about Austin is the mild winters, which means we can have outdoor movies in December! Watch your favorite holiday movies in the parks and favorite spots this season.
Nov. 29: Muppet Christmas Carol at Veterans Memorial Park (Dripping Springs)
Dec. 5, 19: The Grinch and Elf at Ski Shores
Dec. 3, 10, 17: Movies at The The Fieldhouse
Dec. 3, 10, 17, 24: Holiday Movie Nights at St. Elmo
Dec. 4, 11, 18: Holiday Movie Nights at Meanwhile
Dec. 12: The Santa Clause at Mary Kyle Hartson Park (Kyle)
Looking for even more chances to see movies outside this season? Check this list.
8. Head to a Suburb Celebration
All the towns around Austin have their own celebrations, tree lightings, parades, decorations and more! If you’re looking for a free way to enjoy the season, go to a nearby suburb to find some fun. Here are just a handful:
Budafest: Dec. 5-7. Parade, Cocoa Jingle, carnival, pictures with Santa, snow play area, fireworks.
Light Up the Lake in Round Rock: Dec. 5-6. Giant balloons floating over the lake, live music, light show, yule log, holiday activities.
Grinch on the Green in Kyle: Dec. 13. Market, live music, photos with the Grinch, a chalk graffiti station, carnival games, and Grinch screenings.
Plugerville Pfestival of Lights and Christmas Parade: Dec. 6. Parade, Santa, tree lighting, photos.
Georgetown Holiday Stroll: Dec. 5-7. Parade, live music, Kids Zone with all kinds of kids activities, Bethlehem village, classic car show, and more.
9. Visit Santa
Meet Santa and get a free 4×6 photo and shareable video at Bass Pro Shops’ Santa’s Wonderland! You do need a reservation in advance, but that makes it easy to see the Big Guy! And if you visit on a weekday, there are free giveaways.
The Long Center also hosts a wonderful opportunity for photos with Santa with the Austin skyline in the background. On Nov. 29, join Santa on the Terrace for photos, selfies, chats with Mrs. Claus and more.
You can also grab a photo at Santa on the Trail hosted by the Trail Conservancy. Find Santa at the Holly Fishing Pier on December 6! Free photos with Santa and meet his trusty herd of goats!
A lot of the other free events also feature opportunities to see Santa — like the local celebrations in suburbs, the downtown Sing-Along and Stroll, and the Trail of Lights.
Find a list of Santa appearances here!
10. Send a Letter to Santa
Lots of events around town have the opportunity to write a letter to Santa, but if you just want to drop yours off without attending a big event, go to Domain Northside. Every year they have a little Santa house where you can drop off your letters, near Culinary Dropout.
There’s also a mailbox at Music Lane on South Congress — and you can even see Santa himself on Saturdays there.
11. Listen to Music
You can enjoy some free performances of festive music this season around town.
Austin Philharmonic Orchestra holiday concert: December 7. Enjoy music (including a sing-along and Hanukkah music) in grand lobby of the Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Hometown Holiday Shows in Round Rock: Celebrate the season with free performances in downtown Round Rock.
Central Library Concerts: The Central Library in Austin is such a lovely spot — enjoy the space with some live music performances.
12. See Champion Christmas Lights
Go see the traditional Christmas light display by the family who won the Great Christmas Light Fight in 2019! The Maywald Christmas Display in Southwest Austin gets bigger every year. It’s not EXACTLY free — they ask for a donation toward Make-A-Wish Foundation as admission! 2025 is their final year setting up the display, so go catch it!
There are also several free kid-friendly New Year’s Eve events happening on the 31st!
Looking for more festive events? Check out these holiday favorites or see what’s going on in December.