Austin has celebrated Christmas with the beloved Trail of Lights for almost half a century.  However, a lack of funding led to a two-year hiatus for the tradition.  

Starting Dec. 16, the Trail of Lights at Zilker Park is back and free to the public.

Thanks to a collaboration with RunTex, Forefront Austin and Austin Parks and Recreation, the Trail of Lights will be back and better than ever.

The trail costs about $1 million, according to the event’s website. Due to this, many corporate and individual donations are required to fund the massive undertaking. 

While the city will not be allocating any money, sponsors such as H-E-B, Dell, Samsung, Seton Healthcare Family and Vista Equity Partners have come forward to help fund the Trail of Lights.

Many individual donors have also stepped up to bring back the tradition they grew up with.

The Trail of Lights dates back to 1965, but then it was called Yulefest. It was not until 1992 that it became known as the Trail of Lights. 

An eight-day event running for the public from Dec. 16-23, the Trail of Lights will kick off with a 5K run starting at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 15.

The following day will be the Grand Opening, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The rest of the event will play host to a different theme every evening the event runs. Examples include Military Appreciation Night, Uniquely Austin Night and Heritage Night.

School Spirit Night takes place on Dec. 20. Students are encouraged to come out wearing their school colors.

On Caroling Night, Dec. 21, the goal is to break the world record for most carolers singing.

There will also be Santa/Elf Night where visitors are to come sporting a Santa hat or elf ears then later closing the event is the Grand Closing.

If the return of the Trail of Lights is not enough, H-E-B is also doing something new. Recently, the company has adopted a literacy initiative with the hope of encouraging parents to read to their kids – every child that attends will receive a free book.

Like past years, the event is free and promises to provide a lot of food and drinks, as well as fun performances.

The new and improved Trail of Lights has also placed a huge emphasis on volunteerism, philanthropy and non-profit work in this year’s event.

The Trail of Lights Village, sponsored by Dell, will be a large tent on the Zilker grounds housing 23 different central Texas non-profits throughout the three days.  

The organizations provide interactive activities to get their message out and increase their reach in the community.