Austin, TX — Peppermint in the Park, COTA’s Peppermint Parkway reimagined at COTALAND, opens Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m. and runs through Jan. 3 with more than 10 million lights, Santa, a Christmas market and the park’s rides. Evening tickets start at $19.99 to walk the lights and $34.99 with rides, and all-day tickets start at $39.99.
COTALAND, the amusement park at Circuit of The Americas that opened Sept. 26, is in my COTALAND guide, with its coasters, rides and tickets.
Every other theme park Christmas event, from Disney to Six Flags, is in my Theme Park Christmas guide, by date.
Note: I may earn a commission if you buy through some links in this article.
What’s new for 2026
- NewNew home: Peppermint Parkway, COTA’s holiday event, is reimagined at COTALAND, the theme park at Circuit of The Americas, as Peppermint in the Park.
- ChangedLights plus rides: COTALAND says the event no longer centers on a holiday walk-through and pairs the lights with the theme park’s rides.
Peppermint in the Park Dates and Hours
Peppermint in the Park runs on 39 dates from Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, and opens Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m. Through Dec. 18, the park is open 4 to 10 p.m. on weekday dates and noon to 10 p.m. on weekends. From Dec. 19 to Jan. 2 it opens at noon every day and closes at 10 p.m., and on Jan. 3, the last day, it closes at 9 p.m.
Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 and Dec. 7 to 9 are the only closed dates in the run. The park is open 4 to 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving and noon to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Tap a date for its hours.
Dec. 5 and 6 and Dec. 29 to 31 are what COTALAND calls Rowdy Race Days, when race events on the Circuit of The Americas campus can make the park louder. Free earplugs are at Guest Services.
November 2026
December 2026
January 2027
Noon to 10 p.m. (Jan. 3 closes at 9 p.m.)Evenings only: 4 to 10 p.m. on weekday dates through Dec. 18
Tap a date to see its hours and what’s on.
What Your Ticket Covers and What Costs Extra
Peppermint in the Park tickets all cover the more than 10 million lights, and the All-Day and Evening tickets also list festive entertainment. The All-Day Holiday Ticket and the Holiday Evening Ticket include rides, and the Holiday Evening Walking Ticket doesn’t. Food, drinks, Christmas market gifts, parking and add-ons such as Hot Lap cost extra.
Your ticket covers
- More than 10 million holiday lights, on every ticket
- The nightly Christmas tree lights, and on the All-Day and Evening tickets the holiday entertainment, with details and times not posted yet
- Rides, with the All-Day Holiday Ticket or the Holiday Evening Ticket
- Browsing the Christmas market in T20 Central Park
- Same-day re-entry with a hand stamp, your ticket and photo ID
- Children 2 and under, who are free
Costs extra
- Holiday food and drinks, including cocoa and seasonal treats. No menu or prices posted
- Christmas market gifts and merchandise
- Garage parking, from $35 online
- Drink All Day, from $15, a souvenir cup with fountain soda refills
- Podium Pass, to skip the regular line at most major attractions. Price not shown in the shop
- Hot Lap, from $129, a ride-along on the Formula 1 track for ages 14 and up
- Speed City karting, from $36, plus mini golf and the Soaring Eagle Zip Line
Prices are plus taxes and service fees. The whole COTA campus is cashless.
How Peppermint in the Park Differs From Peppermint Parkway
Peppermint Parkway, COTA’s earlier holiday event, is now Peppermint in the Park, and COTALAND calls it the tradition “reimagined at COTALAND.” COTA’s Peppermint Parkway page, still online, describes a walk-through of “millions of twinkling lights” with holiday characters, treats and some rides.
COTALAND’s Nov. 10 announcement says this year’s event doesn’t focus only on a holiday walk-through and instead combines the lights with the theme park and its rides. The park hasn’t said which Peppermint Parkway features, beyond Santa, come back, such as Rudolph’s Scavenger Hunt.
The Lights, the Christmas Tree and Holiday Entertainment
More than 10 million lights run through the park, according to COTALAND, and guests can “gather for nightly Christmas tree lights.” The park says entertainment details and times are coming soon, so no show schedule is posted yet.
COTALAND’s entertainment page also lists a fireworks show on select nights, with no dates, and the Peppermint in the Park page doesn’t mention fireworks.
More Than 10 Million Lights
Holiday lights through the park, on every ticket.
When: From 4 p.m. on evening tickets, all day on all-day tickets
Nightly Christmas Tree Lights
The park says guests can gather each night for the Christmas tree lights.
When: Times not posted yet
Holiday Entertainment
Details and times are coming soon, the park says.
When: Not posted yet
Santa at Peppermint in the Park
Santa is part of Peppermint in the Park, and COTALAND’s page invites families to share a moment with him and “capture a Christmas photo.” The park says Santa appearance details are coming soon, and it hasn’t posted where or when he appears or whether photos cost extra.
Santa
A visit with Santa and a Christmas photo, the park says.
Where: Not posted yet
When: Not posted yet
The Christmas Market in T20 Central Park
T20 Central Park holds the Christmas market, where COTALAND says guests can browse gifts, holiday merchandise and seasonal finds between the lights and rides. Browsing is part of the event, and purchases cost extra.
Christmas Market
Gifts, holiday merchandise and seasonal finds.
Where: T20 Central Park
Rides During Peppermint in the Park
The park’s 27 rides included with admission take in five coasters: Circuit Breaker, Palindrome, Retro Rambler, Wacky Worm and Checkers’ Sky Flyer. The All-Day Holiday Ticket and the Holiday Evening Ticket include rides, and the Holiday Evening Walking Ticket doesn’t. The park hasn’t said which rides run during the event or whether the water rides open.
Hot Lap, a ride-along with a professional driver on the Circuit of The Americas Formula 1 track, starts at $129 for ages 14 and up, and Speed City karting starts at $36. Both cost extra, and the ticket shop doesn’t say whether they run on event dates.
Holiday Food and Drinks
Cocoa, seasonal treats and specialty holiday food and drinks are sold separately during Peppermint in the Park, and COTALAND hasn’t posted a menu or prices.
COTALAND’s regular dining page lists T20 Restaurant & Terrace, Penny’s Cafe & Bakery, Pops’ Ice Cream Shoppe and stands for pizza, gyros, fries and funnel cakes, without saying which are open during the event. A Drink All Day cup, from $15, covers fountain soda refills all day, and the park’s food stands take cards and phone payments only.
Peppermint in the Park Tickets and Prices
$19.99 is the starting price for the Holiday Evening Walking Ticket, which gets you in after 4 p.m. to walk the lights without rides. The Holiday Evening Ticket, with rides, starts at $34.99, and the All-Day Holiday Ticket starts at $39.99. Each is sold for a chosen date at my.cotaland.com, and taxes and service fees are extra.
4 p.m. is also when the park opens on weekday dates through Dec. 18, so on those dates an evening ticket covers the whole night. The all-day ticket adds the noon to 4 p.m. hours on weekends and from Dec. 19 to Jan. 3.
COTALAND’s ticket shop lets children 2 and under in free. Its annual passes, the $199 Pro Pass and the $249 Champion Pass, carry blackout dates, and the park hasn’t said whether any fall during Peppermint in the Park.
Every ticket and pass price
Prices are plus taxes and service fees. The park’s ticket shop has each date’s price.
| Ticket | Price | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Evening Walking Ticket (Evening Admission, No Rides) | From $19.99 plus taxes and service fees | Entry after 4 p.m. on the date chosen. Walking only, rides not included. |
| Holiday Evening Ticket (Evening Admission + Rides) | From $34.99 plus taxes and service fees | Entry after 4 p.m. on the date chosen, rides included. |
| All-Day Holiday Ticket (All-Day Admission) | From $39.99 plus taxes and service fees | The full operating day on the date chosen, with rides, lights and holiday entertainment. |
| Pro Pass (annual pass) | $199 plus taxes and service fees | A year of visits with free general parking. Blackout dates apply, and the park hasn’t said whether any fall during Peppermint in the Park. |
| Champion Pass (annual pass) | $249 plus taxes and service fees | A year of visits with an exclusive entrance, more discounts and free preferred parking. Blackout dates apply. |
| Children 2 and under | Free | No ticket needed, per the ticket shop. (The FAQ says under 2.) |
Getting to COTALAND, Parking and Park Rules
COTALAND is at 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. in Austin, next to the Circuit of The Americas racetrack and a short drive from downtown Austin and the Austin airport. State Highway 130 and FM 812 lead to it.
$35 is the starting price for garage parking, which you can buy ahead at my.cotaland.com. The whole COTA campus is cashless, parking and food included, and same-day re-entry takes a hand stamp, your ticket and a photo ID.
COTALAND doesn’t allow outside food or drinks, except for special dietary needs, allergies and baby food, and every guest and bag is subject to security screening at the entrance.
Peppermint in the Park Photos
Peppermint in the Park FAQ
When does Peppermint in the Park start?
Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, at 4 p.m. It runs on select dates through Jan. 3, 2027.
Is Peppermint in the Park the same as Peppermint Parkway?
It’s COTA’s holiday tradition under a new name and in a new place. COTALAND calls it Peppermint Parkway ‘reimagined at COTALAND,’ and says this year’s event doesn’t focus only on a walk-through but combines the lights with the theme park and its rides.
How much are Peppermint in the Park tickets?
Evening tickets, good after 4 p.m., start at $19.99 to walk the lights without rides and $34.99 with rides. All-day tickets start at $39.99. Taxes and service fees are extra, and children 2 and under are free.
Is Peppermint in the Park open on Christmas Day?
Yes. The park calendar shows it open noon to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
Do Peppermint in the Park tickets include rides?
The All-Day Holiday Ticket and the Holiday Evening Ticket include rides. The Holiday Evening Walking Ticket, from $19.99, does not.
Where is Peppermint in the Park?
At COTALAND, 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. in Austin, the theme park at Circuit of The Americas. Garage parking starts at $35.
Peppermint in the Park runs on select dates from Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, at COTALAND in Austin. For hours and tickets, visit cotaland.com. The park’s coasters, rides, tickets and passes are in my COTALAND guide. In San Antonio, my Six Flags Fiesta Texas Holiday in the Park guide covers that park’s Christmas event, and my ICE! Featuring Harry Potter at Gaylord Texan guide covers this year’s ICE! show.
Candlelight concerts of Christmas music play St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin on Dec. 17 and 18. See Fever’s Christmas Carols on Strings dates or its Christmas Classics dates.
