The lighting of the 155-foot tree at Zilker Park fashioned from one of the city’s iconic moonlight towers is the most visible sign of the holiday season’s arrival in Austin. The tree itself dates back to 1967, with the Zilker celebration now known as the Trail of Lights dating back even further to a “Yule Fest” event first held in 1965.
But in 1973, the nationwide energy shortage caused by that year’s oil crisis kept the tree dark, with city officials scaling down Yule Fest 1973 to daytime events not requiring extra lighting. “Scrooge would have been proud,” opined Austin American-Statesman columnist Larry BeSaw, bemoaning the “Ghost of Energy Crisis Present.”
But that ghost was quickly banished the next year, with the Zilker tree returning along with limited other decorative lighting around the city in 1974 — no longer “depriving our citizens of Christmas spirit,” according to chairman Richard Whorall of the city’s Energy Conservation Commission. The tree’s stuck around ever since, even staying lit when budget concerns caused the cancellation of the Trail of Lights event in 2010 and 2011. This time of year just doesn’t feel quite right without it.
Zilker Park homes for sale
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$1,099,900
1709 Valeria ST
Austin, TX -
$975,000
2100 Kinney Ave
Austin, TX -
$439,000
1201 Hollow Creek DR #101
Austin, TX -
$1,799,500
803 Josephine ST
Austin, TX -
$1,850,000
1613 Nash Ave
Austin, TX -
$930,000
1514 Hether ST #A
Austin, TX -
$499,000
1135 Barton Hills DR #241
Austin, TX -
$695,000
1900 Barton Springs RD #5031
Austin, TX -
$2,350,000
606 Josephine ST
Austin, TX -
$595,000
1900 Barton Springs RD #3034
Austin, TX -
$1,135,000
1104 KINNEY Ave
Austin, TX -
$1,795,000
1700 Graywood CV
Austin, TX -
$750,000
1706 Goodrich Ave #2
Austin, TX -
$1,990,000
1105 Azie Morton RD
Austin, TX -
$2,950,000
1805 Collier ST
Austin, TX -
$400,000
900 S Lamar BLVD #204
Austin, TX -
$735,000
1600 Barton Springs RD #5305
Austin, TX -
$775,000
1205 Kinney Ave #H
Austin, TX -
$1,825,000
2012 Peach Tree ST
Austin, TX -
$525,000
1206 Hollow Creek DR #1
Austin, TX -
$300,000
1214 Barton Hills DR #208
Austin, TX -
$300,000
1214 Barton Hills DR #106
Austin, TX -
$535,000
1501 Barton Springs RD #116
Austin, TX -
$550,000
1122 Hollow Creek DR #2
Austin, TX -
$4,195,000
1904 Arthur LN
Austin, TX
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Lot Size7,719 sqft
Home Size1,762 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
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Lot Size6,199 sqft
Home Size800 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size1,978 sqft
Home Size664 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size7,049 sqft
Home Size2,013 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths4.5 Baths
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Lot Size6,574 sqft
Home Size2,842 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths3 Baths
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Lot Size8,625 sqft
Home Size1,860 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths2 Baths
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Lot Size2,510 sqft
Home Size1,019 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1.5 Baths
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Lot Size436 sqft
Home Size999 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size7,101 sqft
Home Size2,483 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths3 Baths
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Lot Size40 sqft
Home Size839 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size10,141 sqft
Home Size1,968 sqft
BedsN/A
BathsN/A
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Lot Size11,304 sqft
Home Size3,525 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths3.5 Baths
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Lot Size7,536 sqft
Home Size1,108 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
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Lot Size9,619 sqft
Home Size2,430 sqft
Beds5 Beds
Baths3 Baths
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Lot Size6,665 sqft
Home Size3,335 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths4.5 Baths
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Lot Size12,633 sqft
Home Size676 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size719 sqft
Home Size1,117 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
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Lot Size3,211 sqft
Home Size1,744 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
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Lot Size5,750 sqft
Home Size2,234 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
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Lot Size7,702 sqft
Home Size1,056 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1.5 Baths
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Lot Size750 sqft
Home Size436 sqft
BedsN/A
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size750 sqft
Home Size436 sqft
BedsN/A
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size2,383 sqft
Home Size903 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1 Bath
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Lot Size1,752 sqft
Home Size989 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1.5 Baths
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Lot Size12,315 sqft
Home Size3,845 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths4.5 Baths
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