This year (2025) was a HUGE improvement from last year, I'm so glad they revamped it! Admission on a weekday was $10 and it was not crowded at all when we went. I loved the long tunnel of lights at the beginning, and there are lots of fun lights throughout. TONS of photo opps with the lights and with the characters for Christmas - gingerbread man, Elsa and Anna, Santa, etc. When you drive out, make sure you follow the signs to exit and NOT your GPS. I took a side road all the way out but hit a closed gate right before the main road. Overall, come with low expectations and walk slowly through the parkway! read more

Peppermint Parkway was okay overall. The ambiance was great, the lights were really pretty, and everyone working there was very nice, which definitely made the experience pleasant. That said, it didn't feel as fun or as big as last year--it seemed like they downsized a bit. Prices weren't bad though, about what you'd expect for an event like this. Hoping next year brings a little more back. read more

For the cost, it's not bad. We went yesterday with two littles. Given there wasn't much of a crowd around 5:45pm-7:30pm we and our little ones enjoyed it. It's not the most amazing experience but it's a nice enough for the price. The lights were decent and the staff were super nice and friendly. Thankfully parking was free and we only paid for s'mores. There are. ton of add-ons that we didn't do but maybe another year. We loved the holiday music playing constantly and lights all around. If it was crowded, we would've liked it much less. I hope by supporting it, it'll grow and continue to get better and better as demand grows. read more

Paid $170 for family of 8 just to walk around and spend another $80 on rides & I had to pay two ride tickets to hold my baby on the merry go round . What a rip off. It cost me $130 to take the family to see SpongeBob in Dbox seats with food delivery and free refills the day before. read more

This was terrible and a waste of $15. It was a bunch of small holiday themed shacks with activities like ornament making, face painting, rock sifting, etc. Each activity required tickets which was about $5 and up. The activities were not worth $2. Mind you this is on top of the $15 entrance fee. There's typical overpriced carnival food, like funnel cakes, corn dogs, hot dogs, Mexican, and pizza. Not a lot of variety of food. The rides were kids carnival rides best for children under 6. Each ride required tickets which would cost about $5. There were maybe 5 rides, and they were not great. Don't buy the $25 wristband to ride unlimited rides. It is not worth it. Your kids won't want to ride more than 1 or 2 rides max. Skip this. read more

I'm sad about how my experience with Peppermint Parkway has really gone downhill over the years. I can't quite put my finger on what changed ... For starters, it has become insanely crowded since it first began, and like everything in Austin, crowds have a way of dampening the charm. This past year we went using passes we'd purchased from Costco. They came with some ride tickets for the rides on the Midway area. This used to be one of the best parts of this event for our kids when they were younger. Now, the lines are so long, we ended up just giving the tickets away. Not worth it. I will say, it probably depends on when you go. If you can somehow time it for very early in the season on a random weekday, maybe you can get some of that holiday magic. I won't return, but I do have some fond memories of how magical this used to be. read more

Holiday vibes everywhere! This is the second year we've gone to Peppermint Parkway and we LOVE it! This year was even better than last. The lights are stunning! And the rides are so fun. They even have rides for tiny kids. And Santa was there. There's something for everyone. There are yummy food options too! We loved the donuts. We were there for 3 1/2 hours and made beautiful family memories. read more

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We got the sweetest deal. fast track, and the F1 race track experience. The light show was ok but our highlight was the Formula 1 track race experience, though there was a soeed limit of mid 20mph, to be on the actual race track was fun and not much opportunities to do it. The sweetest deal included a ticket to go to the amusement park where the Go Kart was. The line was long so we didn't get to experience the Go Karts but there were lots of activities and parking after driving through the parkway. Make sure you make time for it or it's not worth just driving through the lights. read more

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We took our grandson to see the lights at Peppermint Parkway at COTA this evening. This is probably the most organized event I have been to this holiday season. They started right on time, the lights were very pretty and the cars kept going at an even pace. Check the calendar if you're going because tonight if we brought an old electronic gadget we got to take a free lap around the track. That was interesting. I believe it cost $45 per car just to get in to see the lights but you get four free passes to Peppermint Plaza with your admission. We did not stop at the peppermint Plaza this year but a couple of years ago we did and they had some fun activities. It's very interesting to go inside the race track like that. I would definitely recommend anthis activity for a leisurely evening during the holidays! read more

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I'm sad to say this experience wasn't quite worth the price. I'd recommend the Trail of Lights instead. At the end of the lights display, our reaction was, "No way, that's it." After a bit of a wait, they upsell you right at the start with waters and snacks. At one point there was the Grinch and one roller skater with a snowflake on her back. The lights themselves were underwhelming, and Peppermint Plaza didn't add much to the experience. While there were plenty of tables and benches, they seemed pointless since there weren't enough dining options or other reasons to sit down. There were a few extras like kids' rides, a small petting zoo, and bracelet making or cookie decorating rooms. Those all require additional tickets. Santa was set up in a tented area, and there were a couple of photo stations, but that was pretty much it. On a positive note, I was able to bring my dog into the plaza but overall, the event left a lot to be desired. read more

Peppermint Parkway - Santa - Festivals Near Me - Del Valle, Texas

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This year, I surprised our little family of 5 (2 humans, 3 dogs) with tickets to The Peppermint Parkway... only to find I was the one in for the biggest surprise. As advertised online, $40.00 USD gets you and 3 other humans in one vehicle entry into both the Peppermint Plaza and Parkway. The plaza is open from 5-10 pm, while the parkway runs from 6-9 pm. If you can't make your scheduled date and time, you can easily reschedule online. PARKWAY: The elves that work here were helpful and nice, even through the cold! The elves directed everyone to their proper lanes, scanned tickets efficiently and even gave our pups treats. While we waited to enter the parkway, Christmas movies played via projections nearby and The Grinch came by for a visit. Unfortunately, the wait time was longer than the actual drive-thru displays, and not worth the visit. There aren't enough lights on display and since there are 2 lanes (the fast pass and standard lanes), your vision gets obscured by cars in the next lane. read more

Peppermint Parkway - Our favorite display: Austin - Festivals Near Me - Del Valle, Texas

WHOMPPP WHOMP.....DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME, MONEY, ETC. For starters, I don't think the employees know that they are working, or even where they are at. No one seemed to know ANYTHING. We arrived 5 minutes before the time on the tickets. There was NO ONE to be found that could help us. Just a voice on a loudspeaker that kept going off saying "We will be opening in 15 minutes". That happened for an hour past the opening time on the tickets. When employees did arrive to the entrance, we weren't allowed to enter with our pre-purchased online tickets because we needed the wristbands and there was no one at the ticket booth to provide them to us. When employees finally arrived at the ticket booth, they told us we had to wait because they didn't have wrist bands and they didn't really open at 5:00 like the tickets said..."That's just a mistake someone forgot to fix. We open at 5:45 or 6". After waiting almost 45 minutes, someone finally showed up with the wrist bands. We then waited a full hour past the time on the tickets before being able to enter the complete LACK LUSTER "walkthrough trail of lights". They should not even be allowed to call it that. It is NOT A TRAIL. It is quite literally maybe a 20-30-yard-long TUNNEL draped in tiny little LED lights and covered in black sheet like material. After exiting the tunnel, there is a row of singing Christmas trees and a wall covered in lights across from vendors. The entire "Trail" is less than a lap around a track. Ignore the pamphlets that say there is a "Walkthrough Trail at 8:30". We had multiple workers also tell us there was another entrance for the Walkthrough Trail. There is no other trail. The Zipline and Potato Sack slide were great. My kids couldn't get enough of those. But they were literally the ONLY cool things and were NOT worth the money we spent on a family of 5 to go. Not to mention the $40 we spent on 2 corndogs. COME ON! We are not cheap...I totally get theme park pricing, but this was the most rinky dink set up, especially compared to past years. We would have likely spent the same amount of money or less driving around to look at Christmas decorations, going to a nice meal & letting the kids go wild at a trampoline park or arcade for a few hours. read more

Pitiful. Such a disappointment. Save yourself the 30-45 minute drive and $100+ and go visit your local mall instead. The Austin Trail of Lights is so much better. Besides a few circus carnival rides for little ones, it's nothing more than a bunch of vendors selling junk and junk food. The entire exhibit is behind the grandstand One strip of vendors with some Christmas music playing. The only positive is that admission is cheap and parking is free. We opted for the $30 VIP parking but it's really not necessary. Almost nobody was there when we went (Dec 20). read more

It was mediocre, wasted a lot of money on the track lap which didn't even have lights.. might as well entertain me by speeding up in the track lap.. lame as hell.. 30 dollars per person? hell no, save your money and do not go. and the 8 dollar walk? cramped up, the walk itself was do underwhelming.. do better. read more

Beautiful light display! We thoroughly enjoyed it! Pros: Fun for young & old. Nice variety of displays, appropriate music, and good length. Cons: wait time. They should space ticket times better. I picked an off peak time as recommended, but still waited in line gridlock for over an hour. Access to the Peppermint Plaza not easy for mobility impaired persons. (Parking logistics, etc.) We had fun, but I would have been hating life if I was stuck in a car with a bunch of little kids for an hour of just sitting. There were clips of old movies being shown, but no sound. They should consider having a radio station you can tune into for sound. Overall a good experience when you get to the light part. The rest seemed overpriced. read more

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Went to take a stroll and maybe ride the zip line; walked through a 100ft tunnel of lights into a capitalistic hellscape. All the lights are at the beginning, then sort of taper out. They said there was a market, but it was actually 3 tents next to each other selling the same plastic souvenir things. Everything there was to do cost money, and it doesn't loop so you have to fight your way out of the way you came in. Oh, and the zip line was $35 for two people. Thankfully we came early enough to go to Zilker the same evening. Not worth it, even with a game plan and a good attitude. read more

Over all good experience loved the decoration. Prices were a little high but I would recommend this if you want to get in a Christmas mood 4.5 stars. However the race track was over priced payed almost 100$ for 2 cars and you can't even overtake anyone so if there was a way to give 0 stars I would. read more

I would first like to say, my toddler loved it. Plenty of stuff for kids and a really nice way to spend an evening with them. The cost of just going isn't super prohibitive either. You get a lap through the lights and access to the food and activity area. But the cost of everything once you get in there is crazy. $20 for a sleeve of popcorn and a lemonade. There are lots of rides and animatronics playing Xmas music which is nice though. We did the add on for the track lap which was definitely the highlight. Halfway through the lights they divert you to the COTA track (where the F1 race happens) and you get to drive the track. Only complaint is they have a pace car keeping you under 25-30mph. Woulda been a lot more fun even at 50mph. Overall a nice night for the family, just could be a little cheaper once you get in. We actually woulda have bought more stuff if it was cheaper. read more

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Sadly this is no longer the fun, family event it once was. They've changed the layout and it's just not worth it any longer. It's so cramped and just feels as if they are trying to jam as many people in a small area as possible. The rides, food options, and lights left so much to be desired. Save your time and money by avoiding. read more

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The advertising for peppermint parkway is amazing. We went to cross it off of our bucket list. The wait to get in was definitely longer than the total drive through time through to see the lights. And we arrived at 615 on a Thursday night! The kids loved the Grinch who greeted us at the start. It left them speechless and that experience alone was worth it. Did the kids have fun? Yes. Will we be back? No. And it won't be something we recommend people do. We skipped the Plaza due to the cold. I think there should be a lower ticket price for those who aren't interested in exploring the plaza due to young children, or late and chilly nights. read more

I would suggest spending your money elsewhere. There's many more areas that would be money worthy, don't get me wrong the lights were beautiful but not worth what you pay. You can't use anything but a debit or credit card which is not mentioned, and on top of that you had to go to different booths to purchase for a go-karts, and for tickets for the ride. Which wouldn't have been a big deal but considering the fact none of this was mentioned again it's not worth the time. Also, upon trying to purchase any type of wristbands they stop selling them. We were well within the time frames and the capacity of people to have wristband. Very very disappointed in this experience. read more

adding one star because when I looked online at ticket prices, they were $10 each and when we get up to the gate, they were $15 each and they were adding a 20% credit card tax. God forbid somebody wants to take their family out to enjoy a fun time and ended up spending about $30 more than what they were actually told to spend. The attractions this year aren't even that great and the roller coasters have broken down multiple times. There's an hour long waitlist to see Santa and the reindeer plus all of the food and drinks are ridiculously overpriced. read more

DON'T GO! This place is so poorly run and so overpriced. The new Christmas light path is a joke. It costs $8/person, takes about 3 minutes to walk through and isn't as good the decorations in basically any Austin neighborhood. Save your money and go elsewhere. So disappointed. read more

Totally not worth the price.. The trail of lights is short and not that great. My grandkids are in the 8 to 12 age range and they were bored. Everything is so expensive. We ended up going to the gingerbread house neighborhood in Buda and had a lot more fun. Don't waste your money on this overhyped display. COTA is just a cash grab. read more

A big shout out to Yelp Austin for the complimentary tickets to this amazing wonderland! This was the best way to start the holidays specially after having a baby ! I would had never gone specially with my baby but I am soo thankful I did. I was quit hesitant initially to go and take my 5 month old but it turned out to be an amazing night for both of us !! Not only the lights were spectacular and amazing but my little one had a fun filled evening ! My husband was super excited to drive on the track lap and that was the most exciting part for him and my brother who accompanied us ! and yes it was an amazing! Next we entered The Peppermint parkway -it's a great place for people of all ages ! Everything was so smooth and well organized .. after the laps and seeing the lights we stopped at the fair which was soo much fun ! Rides and hot chocolate and Christmas jingles !! There were some options to eat as well ! So much happiness ! It was a wonderful evening overall ! We even wanted to take some family who was going to visit us later but unfortunately everything was sold out ! I wish they had more slots available and definitely a little pricey if u wanna do all three parts ! read more

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Great time and thanks to Yelp Elite and COTA. I was fortunate to come here for the F1 race a few months ago and now I got to see it all from a different perspective. I didn't know we were going to drive on the track and what a great experience that was! We did get there at 6pm and honestly didn't have much of any wait. We drove right in and probably the only wait we had was just the check-in when you could buy some snacks. Side note: bring your own water, drink, snacks. They didn't have a lot to offer. The drive through the first tunnel with the music playing was amazing. So many lights! Really well done. Once on the track, the cars were moving quite well. It was so tempting to try and pass a car or two on the inside :) Once off the track, there are two lanes and clearly you want to upgrade your ticket to get in the far left lane so you can get a better look at some of the displays. They even had live actors dancing and skating around. Very entertaining for all. After the drive, we parked and went inside to walk around and see the displays. This part definitely seems to be for a very young crowd but it was nice to see. Again, it was entertaining and a fun experience. read more

Peppermint Parkway - Peppermint Parkway 2021 - Festivals Near Me - Del Valle, Texas

I was able to participate in Peppermint Parkway thanks for Yelp Austin and COTA. I had the ticket for general admission, f1 track lap, and fast pass. It was an awesome, well-organized experience from the start! We arrived around 7:15pm, and there were a decent amount of people. The fast pass gets you into a separate line to get into the drive through lights faster, it may have saved us about 10-15 minutes. Once you arrive into the tent to scan your tickets, you are also offered snacks (popcorn, cotton candy) and bottled water to purchase. You also able to buy what looked like 3-D glasses for $2 each, they turn all of the lights into snowflakes! Once outside of the tent, you are guided into the first section of the drive through lights. Then you take a detour into the f1 track. It was awesome to get this experience of driving on this track! You are limited to a certain pace, having to follow the safety car. After the drive on the track, you are guided back into the drive through lights. Overall, the lights and f1 track lap took about 20-25 minutes, and we drove pretty slow through it to to take it all in. The lights were incredible and so fun to drive through!! Wish it lasted longer, just like others have said. After the trail, you can park and enter the Peppermint Plaza, which is free to enter but has rides, snacks, and drinks (see drink menu) for purchase. They have fair-type food like corn dogs, churros, and funnel cakes. There is also a little show every hour with Santa and his helpers. Definitely more of a family-oriented area, there are lots of cool photo opps too. read more

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Save your money!! This isn't worth it. I think the Trail of Lights is way better than this. This experience was very underwhelming especially after seeing all the hype around these lights. You drive through a small amount of lights, nothing very interesting, it kind of felt like it was just thrown together. We told ourselves that we will never be back :) read more

How sweet! With the sweetest deal, we got to drive around the formula one racetrack (very cool), do the peppermint parkway with all the lights, and enjoy the plaza. I definitely think $95 for the experience is a bit steep but that's just my personal opinion - I would never pay for this unless it was like $20 max. The plaza was very cute, lots of things for kids to do. That being said, definitely more of a kid's fair than for adults. There are a few rides to enjoy for both adults and kids, a place to write letters to Santa, a show with rockette like dancers, etc. Food is skippable here - not great so would try to eat before. We had some churros and they were bleh. Maybe fine for a drink or a hot chocolate at most. Overall, fun experience and nice to get in the holiday spirit read more

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Thanks to Yelp and COTA for tickets to a great event! Four stars is for the awesome track lap. There were a few issues otherwise that might have brought things down. The track lap, though - so awesome! 25 mph doesn't sound like much, but the pace car for the group actually went faster much of the time, and honestly, on some of the turns you don't want to be doing much more (at least not in a minivan). Plus just getting to be on the COTA track is an experience. If you come, do the track lap! We breezed in at 8:45 - no need for fast pass, but I'm not sure what it's like earlier. The Parkway itself is fantastic - beautifully done and so creative. It's just too short. Double the length or even twice around would have been more worth it. Peppermint Plaza is where things fell down a bit for us, mostly due to a lack of food. If you are open until 11:30, please plan for plenty of food the whole time. No hot dogs left. One (burned) corn dog. No funnel cakes at one place. More than ten minute wait at another - come on, guys! It wasn't even crowded. Hopefully this is an easy fix. The plaza is nice, but as some have mentioned, it is heavy on stuff for little kids (except the terrifying looking skyscraper ride!). I would definitely do this with little kids. There were plenty of rides just for that age group. read more

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Pretty cool light display in COTA. It's drive thru too. They sell popcorn, cotton candy and water at entrance to light display. There's dancing and characters walking about. There's even Grinch he interacts with you. The lines were not too busy we opted for a fast pass as we didn't know what to expect being it was a weekday it wasn't bad. I hear the fast pass is the way to go on weekends. After the light display you can enjoy the amusement park area with Ferris wheel, a few rides, more lights and deep fried everything, I enjoyed our kick off countdown to Christmas light display. read more

Peppermint Parkway - Entrance to peppermint parkway waiting in line - Festivals Near Me - Del Valle, Texas

We've been to PP for the last 4-5 years. 2024 was an absolute disappointment. Save your time and money and find something else for your family to do. In past years the drive through light show was amazing. This year it was super short and there are neighborhoods with better lights. We've also done the lap every year. The pace car (green bmw night of 12/26) was absolutely terrible. She drove 14 to 20 mph and would stop if anyone actually tried to drive the line of the track instead of right down the middle. Then there is the food and attraction area. In past years they've had a Ferris wheel, fun small roller coaster and other fun rides for the whole family. This year it's in a different location and like a D-rate small town traveling festival. Probably enough said. All the 1-star reviews for 2024 are for good reason. read more

What a fun Friday night - thank you Yelp and COTA. When we arrived, it was very well organized and we were moved through check in quickly. Major props to Buddy the Elf who was so good! He made our whole evening. We didn't realize we would get to drive on the actual track! What an amazing experience. The lights were super well done, just wish it was a bit longer of a trail overall. We also enjoy the Christmas festival at the end. Definitely more kid focused, but still enjoyable overall. It really got us all in the holiday spirit! read more

Peppermint Parkway - Festivals Near Me - Del Valle, Texas

a shit show this year. the flow is terrible. No one gave us a receipt or anything after we bought our ticket to ride through the parkway. We had to beg them to let us in the plaza even though it's supposed to be included in the price of the parkway track. Then we tried to do go carts and the building right next to the track couldn't sell tickets. So we waited in line at a faraway building to be told we need to register on the iPads near the entrance and that the kids couldn't ride the go karts and it was an hour and a half wait for the grown up karts. We just let the kids ride the kiddie carts which required a training video a head sock A neck brace and a hefty helmet. Then we walked a loooong way to find a tiny circle track hidden away with go tiny go karts that were slower than power wheel. and then after our kids waited in line and it was their turn the guy asked us for our receipt!!! No one at the counter with the videos and the helmets gave us any receipt!!!! WTF??? So unorganized. the chili dog was terrible too. read more

We were very disappointed this year (December 2024). There was no caroling, no one playing music, no shopping area...it was set up differently from the prior years. The drive through lights are pretty but the drive goes so fast. It's honestly not really worth it considering everything costs money to do once you head over to the Plaza. You get passes "to the plaza" which is basically just photo ops unless you pay to do rides or crafts or etc. read more

This is the third year in a row that we have visited Peppermint Parkway. The past two years we have been very impressed! But this year, we noticed it was much shorter and missing a lot of the greatest elements. Even the kids noticed it wasn't as good. We drove an hour and a half to come, so we were super disappointed. read more

This is my third PP and it was such a disappointment this year. The light show / drive used to take 8 minutes to complete and this year it was over in the blink of an eye. They cut the drive super short and beefed up the parkway but EVERYTHING costs a rediculous amount of money.$4 to go down a slide $8 for a sad petting zoo, $12 to decorate one cookie. It's sad, this used to be such a fun event and now it's just a blatant cash grab. read more

Do not waste your money on this mess. We bought the upgraded/VIP package and never saw a single sign to indicate where to go for that. Nobody knew anything. Paying $125 to sit in bumper to bumper traffic that does not move for hours; never mind the "getting to do a lap" part of the upgrade. Couldn't figure out how or where to even do it. It's clearly SO OVERSOLD. The "Parkway" is just an additional money grab with expensive carnival food and then of course you have to buy tickets to do anything as far as the "rides" or to see Santa, pitiful petting zoo (a few poor rabbits and goats). Huge water puddles everywhere. Just no. Totally regret the whole nightmare. read more

2024 peppermint parkway was so disappointing. The show itself is much shorter than last year. We also sat in line for over an hour waiting to get in. The entry lane process was so disorganized. We did a lap on the F1 track which we really enjoyed. I was excited to circle back to see the rest of the light show but it was over as soon as we rejoined. We were so confused as it why the show was soooo much shorter than last year. We drove away disappointed and frustrated with our experience. I'd save your money this year for something else. Parents note: There aren't any bathrooms anywhere nearby the line for entry. (Upsetting for grownups too) read more

Maybe I built up an unfair expectation of how great this place was going to be because of how well advertised it was. I'd seen numerous ads/videos for the event online, and even sent a flyer in the mail. It looked really awesome! So we got tickets for last night (they were discounted to $23 after Christmas, whereas before it had been $40 per vehicle). It was reasonably well organized in terms of following the cones and attendants were to line up for the drive-thru light show. Wait wasn't too long to enter thankfully. But the experience was just sort of... not as grandiose as advertised. It wasn't as long as I thought it would be either. And they had the speakers playing Xmas music BLARING. Omg. We wanted to roll down our windows and gaze out at the lights but it was too loud. I guess they had it that loud so you could still hear it with your windows up... idk. It was painfully loud and I feel really sorry for the characters that were out there working! :( The displays were cute and colorful but it was over way too quickly! Afterwards we parked to explore the plaza. They had a lot of kiddie rides but it required purchasing tickets ($4/ea). A few more light displays. Saw one of the Mint characters (other one must've been on break or out sick). Lots of food trucks and a couple carnival games. Basically lots of ways to spend more money... We browsed, used the portapotties and departed shortly thereafter. It's important to note this is a seasonal event that runs in December. The racetrack gets used for all kinds of different things throughout the year (like Cars and Coffee). read more