Lake Austin Stays Full This Winter. The Holiday Lights Are Part of the Reason.
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
"This new timeline would impact holiday events on the lake." That was the City of Austin's reason, as KXAN reported on Sept. 24, for turning down the last workable window to lower Lake Austin this year. The 10-foot drawdown had been set for Oct. 12 through Nov. 30. When that window ran into trouble, the Lower Colorado River Authority offered Dec. 1 to Jan. 15 instead. The City decided the holiday season on the water came first.
So the lake stays at its normal level all winter. Over the same weeks the drawdown would have used, two light shows run at the same Lake Austin Boulevard address, one on the water and one on the shore. One of them sends boats through floating displays on the water.
The drawdown was one of the biggest changes planned for the lake this year. In August, KXAN reported that the lake would drop about 10 feet to a target of 481.8 to 482.8 feet above mean sea level. LCRA estimated it would take about three weeks to get there, depending on the weather. Stakeholders along the lake had asked for it so they could work on docks and bulkheads and clear out hydrilla, the invasive plant that has been spreading under the surface.
Each proposed window ran into a different problem.
Once all three windows were ruled out, the City decided there would be no drawdown in 2026. KXAN also reported that the City has received refund requests from people who had applied for permits to do shoreline work during the drawdown, and that it is working with them on those refunds.
Winter drawdowns had already been ruled out because of the power grid. That left December as the only option, and the City turned it down in part because of holiday events on the lake.
Lake Austin Lights runs Nov. 20, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027. It is a captained holiday cruise of about 45 minutes that leaves from and returns to Hula Hut at 3825 Lake Austin Blvd. The route goes through two 80-foot floating Tunnels of Lights and past 3D LED displays on the water, and 20 lit boats move in sync on the lake. With the drawdown canceled, all of it will be on a lake at its normal level.
Prices are listed on the Lake Austin Lights booking pages:
Prices don't include taxes, fees or service charges. Babies and children count toward a private boat's guest limit. Private cruises offer food add-ons such as Bavarian pretzels and veggie or sausage kolaches, and groups larger than 25 can arrange multiple boats. Operating nights and departure times change through the season. The latest departure is planned for 11 p.m.
Getting there takes some planning on busy nights. The organizers suggest arriving at least 20 minutes early and allowing 20 to 30 minutes to park, walk over and check in. Check-in is at the lower-deck waterside patio and deck bar, not inside the restaurant. Free parking is available around Oyster Landing and across Lake Austin Boulevard. The boats are open-air, so the organizers recommend warm layers and suggest using Hula Hut's restrooms before boarding.
The other show is on the shore at the same address. Mozart's Coffee Roasters lists its 16th Annual Festival of Lights at 3825 Lake Austin Blvd. from Nov. 21, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027, with synchronized displays of more than two million lights and live holiday entertainment. Mozart's also names Austin Rental Boats as the operator of its Lake Austin Lights cruises, so the two events share a waterfront and a boat partner.
| Lake Austin Lights | Mozart's Festival of Lights | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Nov. 20, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027 | Nov. 21, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Where you watch | On the water, from a boat | On the shore and deck |
| Timing | Varies by night, last departure planned for 11 p.m. | Shows start at 6 p.m., nightly through 9 or 10 p.m. |
| Entry | $34.95 adult shared cruise, private boats from $400 | $7 early bird, $8 regular |
The Mozart's event page lists the early bird price from Oct. 6 through Nov. 20, with regular admission starting Nov. 21. Children under 18 months get in free. Reserved tables and a private deck are also available. Nightly showtimes are on Mozart's calendar.
For readers who live on the Tarrytown or Westlake side of the lake, these are now among the season's fixed dates. Both run on a lake at full level, and the City has now cited holiday events on the lake as one reason to keep it there.
The work the drawdown was supposed to do is now spread across other efforts, and a few of them affect the lake's public edge this season.
Hydrilla is being handled with grass carp. Austin Watershed Protection's Lake Austin page says the City plans to add 7,091 sterile grass carp in fall 2026. Earlier stockings added 358 fish in July 2025, 1,995 in November 2025 and 2,790 in May 2026. The City says the stockings since June 2025 appear to have stopped hydrilla from spreading further, but that adding fewer than about 7,000 carp would not be enough to shrink it back to the target of 10 to 30 percent vegetation coverage. Even after this fall's stocking, the total carp population would be about one-third of its 2013 peak, the year carp ate all of the lake's vegetation. The stocking is listed as planned, and the City says it will adjust future stocking after each vegetation survey.
Emma Long Metropolitan Park has no running water. The City's park closures page lists water utilities at Emma Long as shut off for scheduled maintenance from Oct. 12, 2026 through Jan. 15, 2027. That includes showers, sinks, water fountains and hose bibs, with portable toilets available for day use and camping. That entry was updated Sept. 24, the same day the drawdown was canceled, so the maintenance is going ahead without it.
Check the ramp listings before you go. The same closures page still lists boat ramp closures and swimming bans at Emma Long and Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park from Oct. 12 through Nov. 30. Those entries were last updated Aug. 20, and they describe the drawdown that has since been canceled. Anyone planning to launch a boat at either park should check the current status with Austin Parks and Recreation first.
For a daytime outing on the lake, the Contemporary Austin's outdoor exhibition HOST: Laura Lit runs at Laguna Gloria through Jan. 17, 2027. It stays open for the whole holiday-lights season and two weeks past it.
The City says it will keep evaluating future drawdowns with LCRA and Lake Austin stakeholders. Fall drawdowns now conflict with weddings, football and Formula 1. December conflicts with the holiday events. Winter is ruled out by LCRA's grid policy. Any future drawdown will have to fit around all three.
If the canceled drawdown changed your plans for a dock, bulkhead or sale on Lake Austin, Hall Realty Group can talk through what a full-lake winter means for your property, discreetly and on your schedule. Request Private Access.
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