Bright fight: Should you go to Austin Trail of Lights or Peppermint Parkway?
A championship of cheer. A war of winter wonder. A donnybrook of décor. It's time for a Christmas light battle.
As the holidays roll around, you will hear calls to remember the reason for the season and to eschew the commercialization of our sacred December rites. I, however, would like to inject what's been missing: forced conflict between family-friendly experiences that are engineered only to brighten up our dark, dark nights.
When it comes to holiday lights in Austin, two titans tower above the twinkling crowd: Austin Trail of Lights, a beloved local tradition, and Peppermint Parkway, a shiny drive-thru innovation of the pandemic. Now, there's no real tough choice to be made here: Go to both, or go to whichever makes you happiest.
This is America, though, and the invisible hand of the market calls for competition in the public square. If you're having trouble planning your festive fun, we've matched up Austin Trail of Lights and Peppermint Parkway in a series of comparative challenges, with one declared the victor in each.
Battle No. 1: The experience
To get the elephant-size carbon dioxide footprint out of the way, we should note that Austin Trail of Lights pivoted to a pandemic-safe, drive-thru version in 2020 and 2021. This year, though, it's returned to its traditional walking-path format in Zilker Park.
And what a format it is. For its 58th year, the Trail of Lights has recaptured the old-school charm that's helped it endure. There's the iconic, rainbow-hued entrance tunnel, and several other tunnels along the walk. You might say, "Don't those cut-out displays of popular cartoon characters look off-brand in a way that evokes a flea market piñata?" To which we say, "Shut up, I'm trying to take a picture with Alvin of 'and the Chipmunks' fame."
The Trail of Lights is a tradition for a reason. How nice is it to walk through the crown jewel of Austin's park system with the rest of the community and look at displays that generations have enjoyed?
More:Where to see 'Elf' and Christmas movies you've never heard of in Austin
Peppermint Parkway proper is entirely contained to your vehicle, meanwhile. Its own red-and-gold entrance tunnel at Circuit of the Americas is pretty impressive. You drive through themed displays: ATX-mas throws some Austin slogans on giant ornaments, and The Fueling Station dresses up gas pumps for sponsor Valero with slogans like "Fuel-la-la-la-la." The actual construction of the displays is breathtaking a times, but the whole drive is far too short — we made it through in about 20 minutes after much longer queued up to enter (and that was with a fast pass).
One thing that Peppermint Parkway has that you can't find elsewhere: the giant potatoes formerly owned by the Austin's Couch Potatoes furniture store.
Winner: Austin Trail of Lights
Battle No. 2: The dazzle
The Trail of Lights touts 2 million lights, 90 lighted holiday trees and more than 70 other displays and lighted tunnels. Especially when viewed from above, it's a blast of bright color in the night air. The tunnels are the real illumination heroes, though; many of the walking path's attraction are (and we say this with love) matte and quotidian.
More:Your guide to Austin holiday arts like 'Nutcracker' and 'A Christmas Carol'
The mile-long Peppermint Parkway route features millions of lights, according to organizers. The scale is massive, too. At times, golden lights seems to drip off of large trees. Pictured don't do it justice, because the wireframe sculptures of presents and ornaments outlined in light are well worth an "ooh" and an "ah." Even the ground is blanketed with vibrant bulbs in parts. The forward motion of the drive-thru format also lends a sense of interstellar travel.
Winner: Peppermint Parkway
Battle No. 3: The extra stuff
Well, obviously, the Trail of Lights is conveniently located a short walk away from its cousin, the Zilker Holiday Tree. The garland of electric lights on the 155-foot-tall moonlight tower involves 3,309 lights. You're not an Austinite until you've spun underneath it.
Aside from tall, bright and handsome, the Trail of Lights features food and drink vendors along its path (including a sweets shop at the start that sells cookies the size of hub caps), nightly sessions with Santa and the beloved Ferris wheel and carousel. There's just something about looking out on the skyline from the top of a giant spinning contraption ...
Trail of Lights also has live music on select nights, as well as a movie night.
More:Where to see Christmas lights in Austin and Central Texas in 2022
Peppermint Parkway, perhaps in tacit acknowledgement of its short drive time, really layers on the extras. It has its own fairground, Peppermint Plaza, where you can buy food and ride carnival attractions. When we went over the weekend, the vibe was a touch surreal: too much space, not enough people, and a traveling organ piping cursed music through the stillness. The high vantage point of the Ferris revealed the dark, spooky desolation of the racetrack's isolated location, as if you've been transported to a shadowy liminal space between this world and the next. Wrong season!
The money can start to add up. Peppermint Plaza also has a towering thrill ride called the Skyscraper, but it costs $20 to take a spin. For an extra charge, you can add to your Peppermint Parkway admission a 25-mph lap on the Formula One track. There's also go-karting onsite for $35-$105. Plus, this year the racetrack added a tree lot, with Tannenbaums going for $79-$139.
Winner: Austin Trail of Lights
Battle No. 4: The price
Speaking of cold hard cash. Admission will be free on seven out of the 14 nights that Trail of Lights runs. Children younger than 12 will be able to enter free for the entirety of the event. Prices run from $5 for general admission to $90 for a platinum pass with valet parking. They are offering early entry ZIP passes again for $20-$25. You can purchase food and drink, as well as tickets to ride the Ferris wheel and the carousel, while you're on the trail.
General admission to Peppermint Parkway costs $40 per vehicle. A package with a track lap costs $65, and a fast-pass package costs $80. A bundle of admission, a track lap and fast pass costs $90. (Plus, the extras cost money as detailed above.)
Winner: Austin Trail of Lights
Battle No. 5: The logistics
You can spring some extra dough for the parking at Trail of Lights, but availability is limited. (That premium pass, though, gets you valet parking and golf cart ride. Not too shabby.) There will be shuttles on some nights, too, from both Republic Square Park and Toney Burger Event Center. Otherwise, you'll have to navigate on foot as you take a long hike from parking elsewhere (don't leave your car in a residential area), or take a ride-hailing service.
Peppermint Parkway runs like a machine. Sure, it's a little far out from the city center. But directions are mostly well-marked as you drive in, and though the waiting game can be tedious, there are big screens playing clips from holiday movies to entertain your lizard brain (or your kids). You can buy limited snacks in a drive-thru lane right before you wheel up to the entrance, and once you're in, you can turn your brain off. There's a spacious lot to park for Peppermint Plaza after you see the lights.
Winner: Peppermint Parkway
Battle No. 6: The holiday cheer (or camp)
At the Trail of Lights, you can pay homage to Austin's own holiday icon, the giant walrus holding a ship for some reason. At Peppermint Parkway, performers in giant peppermint costumes dance tirelessly for your amusement.
Dang, I love the holidays.
Winner: It's a draw. See? You'll just have to witness both for yourself.
If you go
Austin Trail of Lights runs Dec. 8-23 at Zilker Park. Tickets and more information at austintrailoflights.org.
Peppermint Parkway is open now and runs through Dec. 30 at Circuit of the Americas. Tickets and more information at peppermintparkway.com.
Find more places to see holiday lights in Central Texas at statesman.com.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Trail of Lights or Peppermint Parkway? Battle of holiday lights
