Holiday Guide · Texas
Texas Christmas Events 2026: Lights, Parades and Markets
Christmas in Texas runs from River Walk floats in San Antonio to Victorian London on Galveston’s Strand and a tree of lights in Austin. This guide lists 36 Christmas events for the 2026 season, grouped by region and sorted by date. Each one links to its USA Fest Bot listing and its official site.
Each date below matches its USA Fest Bot listing and was last checked on the official source between September 24 and October 8, 2026. Check the organizer’s page for hours before you go.
The six biggest and longest-running
- Austin Trail of Lights, Austin: December 10–23, 2026. Austin’s walk through Zilker Park, the city’s biggest holiday night out.
- Dickens on The Strand, Galveston: December 4 - 6, 2026. Victorian London comes to Galveston for one weekend.
- Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony, San Antonio: November 27, 2026. Lighted floats on the River Walk the day after Thanksgiving.
- Prairie Lights (Grand Prairie), Grand Prairie: November 26 – December 31, 2026. A two-mile drive-through on Joe Pool Lake.
- Holiday in the Gardens at Moody Gardens, Galveston: November 21, 2026 - January 2, 2027. Lights and ICE LAND on Galveston Island into January.
- Holiday at the Arboretum: The 12 Days of Christmas, Dallas: November 11, 2026 - January 3, 2027. The longest season in this guide, starting November 11.
Dallas–Fort Worth and North Texas
The Dallas Arboretum opens November 11, Arlington’s Christkindl Market follows on November 20, and Prairie Lights runs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve.
Holiday at the Arboretum: The 12 Days of Christmas
The 12 Days of Christmas: One Final Chorus, a Christmas Village and a decorated DeGolyer House.
Grapevine Candlelight Tour of Homes
The 15th self-guided walking tour of historic homes and buildings in Grapevine.
Texas Christkindl Market (Arlington)
A German-style market on the plaza outside Globe Life Field, closed November 24–26.
GM Financial Parade of Lights
Downtown Fort Worth’s Sunday evening holiday parade, starting at 6 PM.
Prairie Lights (Grand Prairie)
A two-mile drive through more than five million lights at Lynn Creek Park, then a Holiday Village.
Home for the Holidays: A McKinney Christmas
Downtown McKinney’s Thanksgiving weekend event, opening Friday evening with the tree lighting.
Grapevine Parade of Lights
The 47th Parade of Lights rolls down Main Street at 7 PM.
Denton Holiday Lighting Festival
Lights on the trees of the Courthouse-on-the-Square lawn, plus arts and crafts, food and music. It began in 1988.
Jingle Bell Run — North Texas
An Arthritis Foundation 5K and 1-mile run. Dogs and strollers are welcome.
Houston and Galveston
Houston’s season starts with the Nutcracker Market in mid-November. On the island, Moody Gardens lights up for six weeks and Dickens on the Strand takes over The Strand in early December.
Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market
Houston Ballet’s four-day shopping event, held since 1981, with more than 280 merchants.
Sugar Land Christmas Tree Lighting
The city tree lighting at Sugar Land Town Square, a family evening that starts the season.
Holiday in the Gardens at Moody Gardens
A mile-long walk through more than two million lights set to holiday music, plus the ICE LAND exhibit.
Dickens on The Strand
Galveston’s Victorian London festival, with parades, stages and costumed characters along The Strand.
A Charlie Brown Christmas 5K/10K Houston
A Peanuts-themed holiday 5K and 10K. The race site says it is sold out.
Jingle Bell Run — Houston
A chip-timed 5K for the Arthritis Foundation at TC Jester Park. Dogs and strollers are welcome.
Austin and the Hill Country
Mozart’s opens November 21, the Zilker tree lights up November 29 and the Trail of Lights runs December 10–23.
Mozart's Festival of Lights
The 16th year of more than two million lights set to holiday music at Mozart’s Coffee Roasters on Lake Austin.
Zilker Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony
Austin switches on the Zilker Holiday Tree around the park’s Moonlight Tower. It stays lit through January 1.
Sights & Sounds of Christmas
A nonprofit festival since 1987, with carnival rides, a petting zoo and Santa’s Gift Shop, on select nights.
Georgetown Christmas Stroll
The 45th Stroll fills historic downtown Georgetown with lights and holiday music.
Light Up the Lake (Round Rock)
Giant balloons over Bright Lake, a light show and live music at Old Settlers Park.
Jingle Bell Run — Austin
The Austin-area Jingle Bell Run, a 5K for the Arthritis Foundation.
Austin Trail of Lights
Millions of lights, 90 lighted trees and more than 70 displays and lighted tunnels in Zilker Park.
Armadillo Christmas Bazaar
Austin’s long-running holiday art market, with nearly 200 artists and live music at the Palmer Events Center.
Lost Pines Christmas Parade
An evening parade through downtown Bastrop. Santa rides in last, on a fire truck.
San Antonio, Corpus Christi and the Valley
San Antonio’s big night is the Ford Holiday River Parade on November 27, and McAllen’s tree forest runs from that day through January 2.
Hollydays Market Corpus Christi
A three-day holiday gift market at the Hilliard Center, with Santa all weekend.
Holly Days Market
A one-day craft and gift market hosted by the women of Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church.
Weslaco Christmas Tree Lighting
Weslaco lights its community Christmas tree at City Hall.
ZonArte Holiday Market
Centro Cultural Aztlan’s market of handmade gifts, prints, paintings and sculpture.
Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony
The 45th parade of lighted floats on the River Walk, starting at 6 PM at the Tobin Center.
IMAS Christmas Tree Forest
Community groups decorate trees for the IMAS Guild’s Christmas Tree Forest at the art and science museum.
Jingle Bell Run — San Antonio
A 5K for the Arthritis Foundation. Dogs and strollers are welcome.
West Texas and the Panhandle
El Paso’s WinterFest starts November 21. Amarillo has a parade and a market on the first weekend of December, and Lubbock follows with the Carol of Lights.
El Paso WinterFest (opening)
The city’s lights parade opens WinterFest downtown, and San Jacinto Plaza lights up for the season.
Center City Electric Light Parade
Lighted floats through downtown Amarillo at 6 PM.
Civic Amarillo Holiday Market
A holiday market downtown on the same weekend as the parade.
68th Annual Carol of Lights
Texas Tech’s combined choirs sing as more than 30,000 lights switch on across campus.
48th Annual Candlelight at the Ranch
Fifteen historic ranch buildings at the National Ranching Heritage Center, lit for a frontier Christmas.
Before you go
Plan around the busy dates
The first weekend of December is the busiest in this guide. Dickens on the Strand, the Georgetown Christmas Stroll, Light Up the Lake and Amarillo’s parade and market all fall on December 4–6. December 12 is close behind, with runs in Houston and San Antonio and the Lost Pines parade.
Not every night
Some events skip days inside their date range. Arlington’s Christkindl Market is closed November 24–26, and Sights & Sounds of Christmas runs December 3–5 and 10–12 only.
November events
Several of these open in November. For everything else that month, see our Texas events in November 2026 guide, plus our national lists of tree lightings and Christmas markets.
For more, browse holiday lights, Christmas events, Christmas markets, craft fairs and holiday parades across the country.
Quick answers
When is the Austin Trail of Lights in 2026?
December 10–23, 2026, in Zilker Park. The Zilker Holiday Tree is lit earlier, on November 29.
When is Dickens on the Strand in 2026?
December 4–6, 2026, on The Strand in Galveston.
When is the San Antonio River Walk holiday parade in 2026?
The Ford Holiday River Parade is Friday, November 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving, starting at 6 PM.
Looking for more? See all Texas events or what’s on in Texas this weekend.
USA Fest Bot is not affiliated with any event in this guide and does not sell tickets. Found a date that has changed? Send a correction.