Laguna Gloria's Holiday Season Runs on Thursdays, and Two of Them Are Missing

Thursday is the only day the grounds at Laguna Gloria stay open past 3 p.m. It is also the only day admission is free for everyone. Between today and Christmas there are six Thursdays. Two of them fall on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, and the museum closes on both. The 2nd annual Festive Finds Holiday Market on Thursday, Dec. 3 is the one holiday evening the 14-acre sculpture park on West 35th Street will host this year. Its daytime counterpart is Saturday, Dec. 12.

The weekly rhythm behind December

The Contemporary Austin's visitor page lists Laguna Gloria's hours as 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday through Sunday. Thursday runs 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On other days, adult admission is $10 and seniors, students and educators pay $5. Members, visitors under 18, military with ID and Museums for All visitors with an EBT card and photo ID get in free. On Thursdays everyone gets in free. A ticket also covers the downtown Jones Center at 700 Congress Avenue within seven days.

The museum's holiday closures include Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here is how that plays out on the 2026 calendar:

Christmas Day falls on a Friday, so the museum is closed for two days in a row that week. The museum has scheduled its one holiday evening in the middle of this stretch, on a night when the gates are already open late and no one needs a ticket.

Thursday, Dec. 3: the market inside the free evening

The Contemporary's Festive Finds event page describes the market as free and open to the public. It brings live music, seasonal food and drinks, and vendors drawn from Art School instructors, museum members, longtime supporters and community partners. The Austin Chronicle's calendar listing puts it at 5 to 8 p.m. Those three hours sit inside the regular Thursday window, which closes at 9.

The lineup is local and specific:

• Vendors: Fairly Sour, First Light Books, Suzanna Dai Jewelry, La Lumiere, Mr. Pickles Candy, Hey Moon Ceramics, Joy Gift Shoppe, KB Table, New Origin, Pride Socks, The Green Beane and Watson Ceramics
• Food and drink: The Soup Peddler, Red Dragon Bao, Lynny's and Spread & Co.
• Activations: APIS World, with a honey sommelier, and Homestead Photo Booth Co.
• Live music: The Austin Django Project

The gift list leans toward things people make by hand: two ceramics studios, a jeweler, a bookshop and a candy maker. The food list has soup and bao for a cool December evening by the lake. Members get a little extra. They can RSVP with their member ID or email, reserve a Member Perks Wristband and enter the Big Swag Drawing. One member wins a bundle of gifts from the museum and participating vendors.

Because the market falls on a free Thursday, the grounds are open all day before it starts. That gives anyone with a free afternoon a chance to walk the sculpture park in daylight, then stay for the market once the lights come up.

Saturday, Dec. 12: a family morning that runs into an adult afternoon

The museum's daytime holiday programming lands nine days later, on the second Saturday of the month. The two programs overlap by an hour, so one household can split up and still meet in the middle.

1. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Gingerbread Villas. This month's Second Saturdays Are for Families program asks kids to "frost those roofs (but make the walls stand up first!)" using graham crackers, royal icing and a candy buffet. There is complimentary hot cocoa from Dulce + Salty Co, and a candy-free building activity outdoors. The museum's event page calls it an annual favorite and thanks visitors in advance for their patience. Visit Austin's listing gives the price as free. The name suits a museum whose grounds include Driscoll Villa.
2. 1 to 4 p.m.: Saturday Sampler, Holiday Jumpstart. This adult Art School class covers handmade holiday cards and gift tags. Tuition is $60 plus a $20 supply fee, and the course page has a registration link. Most Art School classes are for members only, but Saturday Samplers are the exception. Non-members can sign up.

In practice, this means one adult can take the kids to the gingerbread tables in the morning. Another can head to the card-making class at 1, while the family program still has an hour left. By midafternoon, the household has a set of handmade cards ready for the mail and a gingerbread structure that may or may not still be standing.

Unlike Dec. 3, Saturday is not a free-admission day. Standard pricing applies to anyone walking the grounds outside the programs. Visitors under 18 are always free.

The sculptures on a deadline

Both December dates have one more reason to make the trip. HOST: Laura Lit places Lit's Impossible Beings outdoor sculptures around Driscoll Villa. The exhibition runs from April 23, 2026 to January 17, 2027. The Austin Chronicle's September coverage describes four Lit sculptures on the grounds, on view through that same January date.

January 17 is a Sunday. Between today and that date, the museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Neighbors who planned to see the sculptures "sometime this season" have fewer open days left than the calendar suggests. The Dec. 3 market and the Dec. 12 programs are easy ways to fit it in, since you will already be standing near the villa.

Getting to the gate

Laguna Gloria is at 3809 West 35th Street. The museum's visitor page says public parking on West 35th is limited. The entrance is at the end of the cul-de-sac on the left, across from Westwood Country Club. ADA parking is available on the grounds, and visitors who need it should ask the gate attendant. A free evening market with live music and four food vendors on a short cul-de-sac is a good reason to arrive close to 5 p.m. on Dec. 3, or to go by bike or on foot if that suits you. The same goes for the 10 a.m. gingerbread start on Dec. 12.

Advance tickets can be reserved on the museum's ticketing page, and walk-ups are welcome. Laguna Gloria was closed Nov. 4 through 8 for the museum's annual Art Dinner and was set to reopen on regular hours Nov. 11. Counting today, Thursday, Nov. 19, four open Thursdays remain before Christmas Eve.

If family is coming to town for the holidays and you'd like ideas for filling the days between Dec. 3 and Dec. 12 near Mount Bonnell, Brande Draper is happy to share the west Austin stops she points her own guests toward. Let's Connect.