AUSTIN, Texas – It’s that time of year: the Zilker Holiday Tree went up Wednesday morning.
- “Tree” has gone up for last 53 years
- First time with almost all LED lights
- 155 feet tall
For those that have never seen the “tree” in all its glory, it is a 155-foot-tall light display attached to one of Austin’s many moontowers.
The moontowers were part of the city’s first lighting system built in 1895. According to the city, the 17 towers that remain in Austin are the only functioning towers left in the world.
Crews working to attach lights to the Zilker moontower. (Spectrum News)
The light display is made up of 39 strings of light containing red, yellow, green, and blue lightbulbs.
This year, the tree is made of almost all LED lights. Several strands were tested with LED bulbs last year and the decision was made to move to LEDs so the display could use less electricity.
The reason it is only “almost” all LED: the yellow LED lights weren’t delivered in time.
Austin Energy says 350 yellow LEDs were required and there are incandescent yellow bulbs in some of the strands this time.
The tree won’t be lit until December 1, so you’ll have to wait a bit to see if in all its glory.