The city of West Lake Hills doesn't host a holiday gathering this year. City hall's November calendar has council meetings, office closures and yard-waste pickup on it, and no tree lighting. In 2026 the hometown version of the season comes from two volunteer-driven groups, the Westlake Chamber of Commerce and the Rollingwood Women's Club. Both have put their main event on the same day, Sunday, December 6.
So for anyone who lives between Loop 360 and Rollingwood, the holiday calendar mostly comes down to one afternoon and evening. The rest of the season happens farther west in Bee Cave, at a mall that stretches its programming across more than two months.
The Chamber's festival, now in its second decade
Westlake Wonderfest runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on December 6 in the Chaparral Stadium parking lot at Westlake High School, 523 Camp Craft Road. Parking is off Camp Craft.
The Chamber bills it as a free, public family festival. Santa arrives on a Westlake fire truck, Westlake students perform, local businesses and community groups run booths, and there's food, pony rides and robotics demonstrations. The Chamber's 2026 event page leads with a booth registration form, so the people staffing the festival are local businesses and community groups.
This isn't a new idea. A 2017 report in the Austin American-Statesman said the first Wonderfest was in 2013 and called it the Chamber's annual event. That puts 2026 at roughly its 14th year. In a city with no holiday gathering of its own on the calendar, that makes it the closest thing to an official one.
Ninety minutes later, Rollingwood lights its tree
The second half of the day belongs to Rollingwood. The Rollingwood Women's Club has the Rollingwood Community Tree Lighting on its calendar for December 6, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Playground & Field House. The club promises hot cocoa, cookies, kid-friendly activities, and a performance and sing-along with the Madrigals Choir, all in front of the lit-up park. It encourages festive attire and asks guests to RSVP through the listing.
The club also lists a December holiday party for Rollingwood adults among its signature events. It hasn't posted a 2026 date or venue for that party yet.
Put the two listings together and the whole day looks like this:
- 1:00 p.m. Wonderfest opens in the Chaparral Stadium lot at Westlake High.
- 4:00 p.m. Wonderfest wraps up.
- 5:30 p.m. The Rollingwood Community Tree Lighting begins at the Upper Playground & Field House.
- 6:30 p.m. The tree lighting ends, early enough for dinner on a school night.
The listing gives no street address, only the park venue name and the 78746 ZIP code, so anyone heading over for the first time should check the RSVP page before they go.
Bee Cave spreads its season over two months
Hill Country Galleria offers the bigger, commercial version, and it runs on a completely different timeline. Instead of one afternoon, the Galleria has programming from mid-November into the new year.
| Event | Where | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bee Cave on Ice | Hill Country Galleria | Nov. 13, 2026 through Jan. 18, 2027 | Varies |
| Light up the Plaza | Hill Country Galleria | Saturday, Nov. 28 | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Bee Cave Holiday Market | Central Plaza, 13420 Galleria Circle | Fridays Dec. 4, 11 and 18; Saturdays Dec. 5, 12 and 19 | Fridays 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Westlake Wonderfest | Westlake High School lot | Sunday, Dec. 6 | 1 to 4 p.m. |
| Rollingwood Community Tree Lighting | Upper Playground & Field House | Sunday, Dec. 6 | 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
The Galleria's tree lighting promises live music, skating, giveaways, face painting and refreshments, though its detailed schedule was still listed as TBA. The rink's posted Thanksgiving hours have a date mix-up, so call ahead before planning a holiday-week skate.
The table shows the split. Bee Cave offers about nine weeks of skating plus six market sessions. The two hometown events, put on by a chamber of commerce and a women's club, take up five and a half hours on one Sunday. The Holiday Market's first Saturday falls the day before. Anyone who wants both versions can shop the market on December 5 and keep December 6 open for Westlake and Rollingwood.
What's changed on Bee Cave Road before the dinner hour
That one Sunday ends at 6:30 p.m., and the restaurants closest to home have changed quite a bit since spring. The Bee Cave Road updates below come from Community Impact's Lake Travis–Westlake business roundups. The September targets are plans, not confirmed openings.
Baldinucci Pizza Romana, 3300 Bee Cave Road, Suite 110. This is the biggest change for regulars. Community Impact reported in September that the flagship had closed for renovations and was slated to reopen in November with a dining room expanded from 12 seats to 54. That's four and a half times the room, at a place that used to seat about as many people as a large family dinner. In the meantime, the brand opened a second location in Domain Northside on Aug. 17.
Teriyaki Madness, 3231 Bee Cave Road. A company representative told Community Impact the location was in permitting, with a tentative opening in early December. The menu covers Asian fusion bowls, including chicken teriyaki, orange chicken, steak, salmon, spicy tofu, chicken katsu and yakisoba-style dishes. If that holds, it opens around the same time as Wonderfest.
Postino, 701 S. Capital of Texas Highway, Suite J760. The wine cafe opened Sept. 13, its third Austin location after Bryker Woods and South Central Austin. It serves paninis, salads, bruschetta and charcuterie boards, with a long wine list, craft cocktails, beer and non-alcoholic options.
Taquería de Diez, 3736 Bee Cave Road, Suite 2. The third location opened this spring and serves tacos, burritos and quesadillas.
One departure goes the other way. Material Bespoke Stone + Tile moved from Westlake to 3010 W. Anderson Lane in North Austin on Aug. 3, so anyone mid-remodel will have a longer drive to the showroom.
Sunday hours vary from place to place, and two of these four are still working toward their opening or reopening dates. Check before you count on a table after the tree lighting.
The weeks leading up to it
Between now and December 6, a few dates on the West Austin calendar are worth holding.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, Thanksgiving. The Hill Country Turkey Trot is at The Hills Country Club in Lakeway. The kids' 5K starts at 8:25 a.m., and the 5K and one-mile events go off at 8:30 a.m. Closer to downtown, the ThunderCloud Subs Austin Turkey Trot starts at the Long Center, with the timed 5-mile at 8:30 a.m. and a one-mile walk/run at 9:50 a.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. Light up the Plaza at Hill Country Galleria, 5 to 8 p.m.
- Through Jan. 17, 2027. The Contemporary Austin's exhibition HOST: Laura Lit is on view at Laguna Gloria, which makes it an easy outing when family is in town over Thanksgiving or the winter break.
Those events are held in Lakeway, downtown and at Laguna Gloria. Wonderfest and the Rollingwood tree lighting depend on Westlake High's parking lot, a Rollingwood park, student performers, and local businesses willing to staff a booth on a Sunday afternoon in December.
The holidays are when many families start talking about the year ahead, whether that means a remodel, a new house, or more room for visiting family. If any of those conversations are starting at your house, Chris Krueger is happy to sit down over coffee after the season settles and walk through what the next year could look like. Let's Work Together.
