Twinkling lights, gift shopping and holiday spirit can serve as a relief for students as the final exam season stands between them and winter break. The Daily Texan compiled a list of accessible things to do around Austin to get into the holiday spirit. 

Let-up with Lights

Students won’t have to leave campus to see some holiday lights with the first-ever Longhorn Lights show starring the 24 trees along Guadalupe Street between 21st and 24th Street. The lights will be synchronized to music by the Longhorn Band going from Wednesday to Jan. 1 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. If students want to leave campus, Mozarts Annual Holiday Light Show also proves a fun option until Jan. 6. The event features a light show viewable by table, from the water or at the festival-style Bavarian Marketplace, with a silent disco on a dance floor made of a piece from one of Taylor Swift’s two Era’s Tour stages. All are accessible through tickets and reservations on their website. For students interested in getting out into nature, Austin’s Trail of Lights at Zilker Park and the Zilker Holiday Tree provide other options from Dec. 8 to the 23rd, with a UT Night on Dec.10. 

Retail Relief 

If students need some last-minute gifts or prefer retail therapy, go to spots around Austin like the Blue Genie Art Bazaar, an in-person experience with an online option complete with artists and artisans selling high-quality, unique handmade artwork open through Dec. 24. On Dec. 2, the German Free School transforms into a traditional German Christmas Market, with tickets available on their website for only $5. For a mixture of shopping, lights and overall holiday merriment, visit the Downtown Holiday Stroll on Dec. 2, with tree lightings, musical performances, vendors and even Santa in attendance. 

At Ease with Entertainment

If students need to ease the stress of exams with a dazzling distraction, Austin houses various entertainment options. On campus, the Blanton Museum of Art showcases Weird Winter, free to students from Dec. 9 to Jan. 7, with musical snow globes, marionette-animated trees and, according to them, carols like audiences have never heard before. Another inexpensive alternative is available at Zilker Botanical Garden where students can hear the Austin Camerata String Quartet and enjoy nature-based activities with Yule in the Garden from Dec. 2 to Dec. 3. There’s also Beto, Beto, El Abeto, a play blending Spanish and English shown in the auditorium from Dec. 7 to Dec. 17. For a more immersive holiday experience, a pop-up art event, Illumaverse, opens on weekends from Dec. 8 until Dec. 30 for only $20 for students. Additionally, the Museum of Ice Cream’s Pinkmas offers holiday treats, a Pinkmas tree wonderland and more until Jan. 17 for $21-32, depending on the time and day. If students would rather sit back and relax, theaters have schedules packed with holiday cheer, like The Paramount Theatre with tickets for only $11, the Alamo Drafthouse with tickets around $19.48 and the Blue Starlite Drive-In with ticket costs depending on location and amount of people.