Article by: Statesman.com

Holiday spirits are sure to be kindled when the 53rd annual Austin Trail of Lights opens to the public at 7 p.m. Saturday in Zilker Park, 2120 Barton Springs Road.

The popular holiday tradition continues nightly through Dec. 23, featuring more than two million lights, four light tunnels, a 90-foot Ferris wheel, 40 displays, two stages and more than 20 of Austin’s famous food trucks.

With 400,000 attendees, the Trail of Lights offers the opportunity to make an enormous impact on the Central Texas community; organizers are challenging attendees to bring a canned good to the Trail on any public night. With the support of Trailgoers, the Foundation will reach its goal to collect 25,000 meals, or enough food to feed 6,000 families for a year. All food will be donated to the Central Texas Food Bank.

“Over 17 nights, Central Texans walk more than one million miles at the Trail of Lights,” Trail of Lights Foundation Executive Director James Russell said in a press release, referring to all of the events associated with the festival. “It’s a great opportunity to get outside, get active and enjoy the holidays with friends and family.”

Popluar attractions returning include the North Pole, which allows photos at Santa’s House and an interactive Santa’s Workshop, presented by Vista Equity Partners, where visitors can create their own holiday videos to share.

General admission for children under 12 is always free at the Trail of Lights. There will be a general admission fee on seven of the 15 nights of the event. Early entry ZiP Fast Passes, Platinum passes, general admission tickets, parking and shuttle tickets will be available for purchase on select nights. Calendars for ticket availability and online ticket purchases are available at www.AustinTrailofLights.org.

Original Link: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/53rd-annual-austin-trail-lights-opens-saturday/TNjqGSMsF8GrOme17WjhnJ/