Austin Energy crews get Zilker Holiday Tree ready for December ceremony

AUSTIN, Texas - The Zilker Tree is going up.

Austin Energy crews worked on getting the 155-foot tall Zilker Holiday Tree ready for December's ceremony Wednesday. This year, most of the 39 strings of 81 red, yellow, green, and blue bulbs will be LEDs.

The placement of the yellow bulbs gives the tree its distinctive and dizzying swirl pattern.

The moonlight tower in Zilker Park is one of 31 original towers providing the city with its first urban lighting system in 1895. Only 17 remain and serve as the only working moonlight towers in the world.

This year's tree lighting ceremony will be Sunday, December 1 at 5:30 p.m. The celebration marks 53 years of the Zilker Holiday Tree and the tree will be lit by the winners of a children's Zilker Holiday Tree art contest sponsored by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

The tree will be on display through January 1, from 6 p.m. to midnight.