‘Tis (almost) the season

Start thinking about decking those halls: The calendar has been dropped for the 53rd Trail of Lights, marking the beginning of yet another holiday season. The nonprofit Trail of Lights Foundation pulls out all the stops for this annual event, with “more than 2 million lights, four light tunnels, a 90-foot Ferris wheel, 40 displays, two stages and more than 20 of Austin’s famous food trucks.” Enhancements to this year’s trail include expansion of Arctic Point with a new hospitality area, a Surfing Santa zone and twice as many lights in the Starry Night Tunnel. In addition, beginning with the Zilker Tree lighting on Nov. 26, the Trail of Lights will be hosting a jam-packed schedule of specialty programming featuring live entertainment, a holiday movie night, community programs and more. The Grand Opening ceremony is Saturday, Dec. 9, and the whole extravaganza will run through Saturday, Dec. 23. View the full schedule on the Austin Trail of Lights website. Tickets will be available on the website starting Wednesday, Nov. 8. The Trail of Lights has been produced exclusively by private funding since 2012, with sponsors contributing over $1.5 million to provide partial underwriting and ticket sales covering the rest of the costs. HEB has been the title sponsor for the past six years, and has committed to two more.