Zilker Tree Holiday FestivalAKA HolidayFest Austin 2011(Formerly the Trail of Lights)Zilker Tree Holiday Festival December 5-11, 2011 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm nightly Zilker Park 2201 Barton Springs RD Austin, Texas 78746 UPDATE: Trail of Lights 2011 Cancelled The city of Austin officially cancelled Zilker Park's hugely popular Trail of Lights once again in 2011 but supposedly it's in the works for 2012. As in 2009, there will be a scaled back version of a holiday festival. It's no longer called the Zilker Tree Holiday Festival as it was in 2009 (in 2010 there was no festival at all) - it's now simply being called HolidayFest Austin. I'm not changing the name of this page or the link because who knows what, if anything, it will be called next year? In 2009, the city first scaled back and restructured the annual Trail of Lights festival by replacing it with a less electricity-intensive celebration. The decision is a result of the economic downturn and budgetary issues. The Trail of Lights had been a Zilker Park fixture since 1992, but it burns an incredible wattage of cash each year. Even with plans to charge $5 admission, the marketing group chosen by the city of Austin to organize the event failed to meet the necessary financial benchmarks to put on the full festival. Additional Austin Resources: Austin Gifts & More - Special Seasonal Offers, Daily Deals, and More Angie's List - Find thousands of unbiased ratings and reviews on service companies in your area, join Angie's List today. Zilker Holiday Fest 2011 Attractions and Schedule of EventsI would love to share with you the attractions at the upcoming 2011 HolidayFest at Zilker Park or the highlights of the schedule, and whether there's going to be any live music, but unfortunately, with about a week to go until the festival, neither the city nor BrightBlue Marketing has provided any specific information.That doesn't seem to suggest a particularly well run festval, but stay tuned for any late developments. Presumably there will be a Santa's house and food vendors, but the rest is a mystery until/if additional info is released. A Brief History of Generic Christmas Holiday Festivals at Zilker ParkIn 2009, the Zilker Tree Holiday Festival alternative was a nine night festival with an emphasis on family-friendly activities and attractions that included a free concert by Asleep at the Wheel on the last night of the festival.There was a Santa's house and post office and, of course, plenty of food vendors and arts and crafts exhibitors. In 2010, no holiday festival or celebration was produced, but the Zilker Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony still took place and the tree remained lit through the month of December. I left this page up in the hopes that either the Trail of Lights or the Zilker Tree Holiday Festival would return in 2011, and now I'm leaving it up for the same reason for 2012. Map - Zilker Park 2201 Barton Springs RD Austin, Texas 78746 View Larger Map
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