Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:33 PM - 9,339 Readers

By: News 8 Austin

Austin leaders said the show that is the Austin Trail of Lights will go on and will be free to the public after all. Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez said the city plans to scale back the event to save money.

According to the city, the Zilker Tree Holiday Festival will feature "a 9-night, free, family-friendly event complete with a lighted pedestrian footpath display, a major holiday concert and nightly entertainment, concessions and holiday fare."

The city said the "full-scale Trail of Lights," which traditionally occurs on the north side of Zilker Park, will be reduced to a smaller version of itself.

Martinez said the trail would likely be reduced to about half its normal size.

The city said the decision to scale back the holiday tradition allows them to offer free admission.

The city previously considered handing the trail over to a production company and charging an admission fee to make up for budget shortfalls, but time ran out. So, the city decided to offer a free, smaller version of the Austin tradition.

Fewer paid employees will also operate the trail, as the city plans to ask those who usually get a paycheck to work the holiday event, to volunteer their services.

"There are many city employees that we pay from Austin Energy and other departments to do the Trail of Lights. What we're going to ask this year is that they volunteer to help us pull it off," Martinez said.

The city will kick off holiday events with the lighting of the Zilker Tree ceremony at 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6. The tree will remain lit through Dec. 31.

The festival will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 13-21. Parking will be $10 per vehicle. Barton Springs Road will be closed to through traffic from Stratford Lane to Robert E. Lee Blvd. during the festival.

For more information about the festival, visit the Austin Trail of Lights.