Austin opens its holiday season downtown on Saturday, December 5, when the 32nd annual Holiday Sing-Along & Stroll takes over Congress Avenue from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Presented by the Downtown Austin Alliance together with KUT News and KUTX 98.9, the celebration is free and open to the public, and it has marked the official start of the downtown holidays since 1994.
The stretch of Congress Avenue between Ninth and 11th Streets turns into a family-friendly festival for the evening. Visitors can browse artisan vendors, enjoy local food, join interactive art activations and follow the holiday shopping passport through pop-ups and glowing window and light displays. Santa will be there for greetings and photos, and Mr. and Mrs. Claus make appearances along the avenue, with the pink-granite Capitol as the backdrop for it all.
The heart of the night is the community sing-along at the Capitol, building to the countdown and the lighting of the Capitol tree — the signature 45-foot downtown tree that shines over Congress Avenue all season. Arrive a little early, stroll the avenue as the lights come on, and let Austin welcome the holidays the way it has for more than three decades: together, outdoors and singing.
Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
