Most of Round Rock's big holiday events this year are on the east side, the same side of town as Forest Creek. Old Settlers Park is at 3300 Palm Valley Blvd. The Light Park sets up in the Dell Diamond parking lot at 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd. Kalahari Resorts sits at 3001 Kalahari Blvd. These are close enough that the city ran its 2024 Light Up the Lake shuttle from the resort to the park.
Because the venues are so close together, getting to an event is easy. The harder part is the calendar. Several of these events land on the same day or weekend, and the roads leading to them are under construction. The rest of this post covers those overlaps first, then the routes.
The season at a glance
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 6, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 | The Light Park drive-through | Dell Diamond lot, 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd. | Per vehicle; see below |
| Wed., Nov. 11, 11 a.m. | Veterans Day Celebration | Lakeview Stage and Pavilion, Old Settlers Park | Not listed |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | 22nd Annual Rockin' Around the Holidays Bazaar | Clay Madsen Recreation Center, 1600 Gattis School Rd. | Free; donation suggested |
| Thu., Nov. 26, 8–10 a.m. | 10th Annual Round Rock Turkey Trot 5K | Lakeview Pavilion and Stage, Old Settlers Park | $25 plus fees |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 28–29 | Kalahari Holiday Market | Kalahari resort lobby | No price listed |
| Dec. 1–31 | Hometown Holiday Lights | Downtown Round Rock | Not listed |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 4–5 | Light Up the Lake | Old Settlers Park | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Breakfast with Santa | Kalahari | $44 adults, $19 ages 3–10 |
Downtown's Hometown Holiday Lights is the only event on this list away from the east side. Everything else is on Palm Valley Blvd or a short way off it.
The Light Park's price depends on when you buy
The Light Park runs every night from Nov. 6 through Jan. 3. That makes it the backdrop for everything else on the calendar, and its pricing rewards buying early. The presale ticket costs $29.99 per car, not per person. It's good for any night of the 2026 season, but only if you buy before Nov. 6. Once the season opens, the Go Round Rock event listing shows $49 per vehicle online and $60 at the gate.
That leaves until Nov. 5 to buy at the presale price. A household buying one ticket before Nov. 6 pays about half the online price and roughly $30 less than the gate price, and it can still choose the night later. The display is a mile-long drive with lights synced to music on your car radio, a new character called DJ Polar Ice, and snacks for sale. Pets are welcome, and one ticket covers everyone in the car.
Regular hours are 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Some dates get extended hours:
- Thanksgiving Day: 5:30–11 p.m.
- Dec. 18–26: 5:30–11 p.m. nightly
- Dec. 27–Jan. 3: 5:30–10 p.m.
Those extended nights are where the overlaps start.
Thanksgiving Day, start to finish, on one road
You could spend all of Thursday, Nov. 26, at the Old Settlers Park and Dell Diamond end of Palm Valley Blvd:
- 8–10 a.m.: The 10th Annual Round Rock Turkey Trot starts at the Lakeview Pavilion and Stage at Old Settlers Park, 1501 Harrell Parkway. The 5K costs $25 per runner before fees.
- 1–5 p.m.: Kalahari's Thanksgiving Celebration Buffet is in the Kilimanjaro Ballroom. It costs $79 for adults, $29 for ages 3 to 10 and nothing for ages 2 and under, plus a 25% taxable service charge and sales tax.
- 5:30–11 p.m.: The Light Park keeps its extended Thanksgiving hours at the Dell Diamond lot.
The buffet page links to ticket sales but doesn't say whether people who aren't staying at the resort can book. Call Kalahari before you plan your day around it.
Two days later, on Nov. 28 and 29, Kalahari opens its lobby to the public for the Holiday Market. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, with local vendors, handmade gifts and live music. Santa is there for photos on Saturday. The resort doesn't list an admission price.
Dec. 4–5: two light events next door to each other
Light Up the Lake is back at Old Settlers Park on Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5. The city lists it from 6 p.m. Friday through 10 p.m. Saturday. Plans include live music on the Lakeview Stage, giant balloons over Bright Lake, a light show, holiday displays, food, crafts and a yule log.
That's a Friday and a Saturday, when The Light Park stays open until 11 p.m. next door at 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd. So on those two nights, one event draws drivers into a line of cars and the other draws people on foot to the lake. Both use neighboring addresses on the same road.
The city calls Light Up the Lake a walking event, with paths over both sidewalk and grass. Strollers and shoes should be ready for that. Go Round Rock's holiday fact sheet lists the festival as free. The city's 2026 listing doesn't yet include parking or shuttle details. It says sponsor and vendor information is coming soon and directs questions to the Parks and Recreation Department at 512-218-5540. In 2024, a shuttle ran from 3001 Kalahari Blvd. starting at 5 p.m. That was the 2024 plan, though, and the city hasn't said whether it'll return.
If you want both events without the crowds, consider splitting them up. Light Up the Lake only runs those two nights. The Light Park runs for another four weeks, including weeknights that close at 10 p.m.
The smaller dates worth saving
Two November events are smaller and cheaper. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the city's Veterans Day Celebration starts at 11 a.m. at the Lakeview Stage and Pavilion in Old Settlers Park. On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Rockin' Around the Holidays Bazaar returns for its 22nd year at Clay Madsen Recreation Center, 1600 Gattis School Road, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Organizers suggest bringing a canned food item or a box of colorful Band-Aids as a donation.
In December, Kalahari's Breakfast with Santa on Sunday, Dec. 13, is the resort event that clearly welcomes both locals and guests. Activities run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the buffet runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $44 for adults and $19 for ages 3 to 10, plus the same 25% taxable service charge and sales tax. Kids 2 and under eat free. The resort's Christmas Day buffet, 1 to 4 p.m. at $89 for adults, and its New Year's Eve Grand Buffet, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at $95 for adults with a DJ after-party and a midnight balloon drop, don't say whether non-guests can attend. As with Thanksgiving, call the resort before you plan around them.
Getting there while the roads are torn up
Since most of these events cluster on one corridor, the road work around Forest Creek matters more than usual this season.
Gattis School Road Segment 6. The city is widening Gattis between Via Sonoma Trail and Red Bud Lane from four lanes to a six-lane divided road. The project adds a raised median, turn lanes, bike and pedestrian facilities, and changes at the Red Bud intersection. Smith Contracting won the contract in November 2025, and construction started Feb. 2, 2026. Community Impact's Oct. 23 roundup puts the timeline at February 2026 through late 2027 and the cost at $20.4 million. That's $198,000 less than before, because Google Fiber decided not to lay conduit along the road. This holiday season falls in the middle of the work.
Red Bud Lane North, US 79 to CR 117. This stretch is going from two lanes to a four-lane divided road. Traffic moved onto the new concrete on the east side on Aug. 17 so crews could build the west side. The city expects to finish in spring 2027.
Old Settlers Boulevard Extension. This one is finished. The city cut the ribbon on Sept. 21 on the new four-lane divided section between North Red Bud Lane and CR 110. It includes two bridges, a shared-use path and sidewalks.
Gattis and Red Bud will both still be under construction when Light Up the Lake and the busiest Light Park weekends arrive. Leave a few extra minutes for lane shifts, especially on Dec. 4 and 5, when both light events are pulling cars onto Palm Valley Blvd on the same evenings.
If you're hosting family over Thanksgiving or the December weekends and want a second opinion on the best nights and routes from Forest Creek, I'm glad to help you plan it. Christopher Hernandez works across Central Texas and keeps up with these east-side changes. Let's Connect.
