Marble Falls Bought Its Own Walkway of Lights. This Is the First Season You'll See It.
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
On Monday, November 2, crews start setting up at Lakeside Park. The first truckload of new holiday displays has already arrived, and the rest are due over the next few weeks. The City of Marble Falls has scheduled opening night for Friday, November 20, at 6 p.m. From the shoreline it may look like the usual December. It isn't. For more than 35 years the Marble Falls Area Chamber of Commerce ran the Walkway of Lights. This year the city owns it, and every change at the park this season follows from that.
On June 2, the Marble Falls City Council approved buying the Walkway's assets from the Chamber, DailyTrib reported. The deal covers more than 100 light sculptures, plus the electrical infrastructure, tunnels, trees and everything else that goes with the display. It all transferred "as-is."
In August came a second purchase. On August 4 the council approved a $450,162.23 agreement with Mosca Design for new sculptures and display elements, according to DailyTrib. The order covers 12 new themed areas, each with several large sculptures and an interactive photo spot, built to sit alongside the existing displays.
Here is how the money fits together:
| Item | Amount | How it's paid |
|---|---|---|
| Walkway assets bought from the Chamber | $175,000 | $25,000 at closing, $10,000 a year through 2031, $100,000 from the Marble Falls EDC |
| New Mosca Design displays | $450,162.23 | The EDC pays up front and the city repays it over time |
| Yearly Walkway operations, FY 2026-27 | $100,000 | Proposed budget moves it from the ice rink program |
The new displays cost well over twice what the city paid for the whole existing collection. Parks and Recreation Director Lacey Dingman told the council the display draws more than 40,000 visitors a year and helps drive sales tax revenue for local businesses, DailyTrib reported.
The money had to come from somewhere, and it came from the winter ice rink. In June, before any decision, Dingman put ending the rink after the 2025 season on the table as a way to cover the Walkway without a big budget increase. She said the rink cost about $160,000 a year and hadn't covered its operating expenses in recent years, per DailyTrib's June coverage.
The city's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 writes that plan down. It lists the rink as discontinued for the year and moves $100,000 of the rink's old $160,000 to Parks and Recreation to run the Walkway. The same document proposes a broader $1,000,000 transfer from the Economic Development Corporation, set up as a reimbursement agreement that the general fund would start repaying at about $250,000 a year in FY 2027-28. Part of the money would buy the Walkway assets and part would go to drainage and greenbelt trail work. The document says the timing, amount and use of those funds would be finalized before the budget is adopted and could change.
The rink's spot at Lakeside Park won't sit empty. "We are focusing on the lights this year," Mayor Pro Tem Craig Magerkurth told DailyTrib. "That area that had the rink it will have a new LED light feature." He said this is the first year the whole event runs under the Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Department. He described the Chamber's role as "a gradual handoff," with the Chamber still offering its expertise.
At the June meeting, Mayor John Packer set expectations directly, as DailyTrib reported. "The first year is going to be kind of a transition, so we're probably going to have to sacrifice other Christmas things to get it up and running."
For a short time this fall, the season looked like it would be built around something much bigger than a skating rink.
The same October 16 notice that canceled the tree also confirmed the Walkway schedule. Installation starts November 2, and the lights open November 20. So the season is back to what Packer described in June: one tradition, now under the city, getting most of the attention and money in its first year.
If you've already marked a date, check it. The Visit Marble Falls event listing still shows the Walkway running nightly from November 29, 2026, through January 2, 2027, 6 to 10 p.m. The city's October 16 notice is more recent and puts opening night on Friday, November 20, at 6 p.m. That's the Friday before Thanksgiving, not the Sunday after. For comparison, the city's calendar listed the 2025 season as November 21 through January 3.
Admission has changed too. The Visit Marble Falls listing says, "Walkway of Lights is a free event this year!" Last season, DailyTrib's 2025 holiday roundup listed a $2 admission.
One rule hasn't changed. Wet ground makes the Walkway unsafe, so on rainy days the call to close is made by 3 p.m. Closures are posted on the Visit Marble Falls Facebook and Instagram accounts and at VisitMarbleFalls.org, or you can call 830-693-2815. The listing also says Santa will be taking Christmas wishes every day until Christmas.
With the city committed to the Walkway, the rest of the season fits around it. These events are on the Visit Marble Falls Christmas calendar and related event pages:
The boat parade shows how the handoff works in practice. The Chamber no longer runs the lights on the shore, but it's still co-hosting the event on the water in front of them.
One more neighbor may join the park this season. In June, Marble Falls EDC Executive Director Christian Fletcher told the EDC board that the Ophelia Hotel & Conference Center near Lakeside Park was expected to open by mid-November instead of October, the Marble Falls Messenger reported. Rain had disrupted work on the parking lot. The hotel's website still says "Coming Soon." Until the hotel confirms a date, treat a November opening as a forecast.
For anyone who owns on Lake Marble Falls, these changes to Lakeside Park shape what the downtown waterfront looks like every winter. If you're weighing a lakefront property within reach of the Walkway, or want a private read on how this stretch of shoreline is trading, Hall Realty Group can walk you through it confidentially. Request Private Access.
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