Armadillo Christmas Bazaar 2026

The Bazaar points visitors to Capital Metro buses, using CapMetro's trip planner, rather than naming a route. Rideshares and pedicabs can drop you right at the front door, where a circle drive is kept for drop-offs and pick-ups. There are bike racks at the entrance, a B-cycle bike-share station nearby, and scooters can be left at the entrance. The Palmer Events Center sits just south of Lady Bird Lake, so from downtown it is a walk across the river.

The Palmer Events Center's own four-story garage is a few steps from the entrance and charges $12 per vehicle for events unless special rates are posted (October 2026), with the money going to the City of Austin. It is cashless, has no re-entry, and its clearance is 7'2" above the first level. The venue suggests the Riverside Drive entrance when Barton Springs Road backs up. Overflow parking is at the One Texas Center garage, 505 Barton Springs Rd, and the Bazaar also lists a garage at 425 W Riverside Dr.

The Palmer Events Center has automatic doors on its north, south and west sides, with gentle sidewalk slopes up from the street, and elevators reach every level of the hall and the garage. Accessible parking is on every garage level near the elevators. The Bazaar says its aisles are wide enough for strollers, the front circle drive is the easiest drop-off for wheelchair users, and there is a quiet nursing space on the north side of the hall. Wheelchairs and scooters are not lent, and only service animals are allowed.

Austin's Trail of Lights runs in Zilker Park, about a mile west of the Palmer Events Center in a straight line, from December 10 to 23, 2026, 7 to 10 pm nightly. Entry is free for all ages on December 10, 11 and 13 to 17; on December 12 and 18 to 23 general admission is $8 for ages 12 and up (October 2026). Close-in parking must be bought in advance, and a shuttle runs from the Toney Burger Activity Center in South Austin on the paid nights.

Downtown Austin is just across Lady Bird Lake, and the hotels around Congress Avenue and the south end of downtown are about a 15- to 20-minute walk over the bridges. Closer still, the South Congress and Bouldin Creek neighborhoods south of the river are within walking distance of Barton Springs Road.