There will be no ice skating at Lakeside Park this December. The spot where the rink stood will hold a new LED light feature instead, and that swap explains most of what will look different when the Walkway of Lights opens on November 20.
Last season a family of four paid $8 to walk the Walkway, at $2 per person. Adding the rink cost another $12 per person in advance or $15 at the door, according to DailyTrib's 2025 holiday roundup. For 2026, Visit Marble Falls lists the Walkway as a free event. This is also the first season the City of Marble Falls runs it, after 35-plus years under the Marble Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. With the rink gone, the lights are the whole holiday attraction at Lakeside Park this year.
A $175,000 handoff in June
The City Council voted on Tuesday, June 2, to buy the Walkway's assets from the Chamber. DailyTrib reported the deal at $175,000. The city pays the Chamber $25,000 at closing and $10,000 a year through 2031, and the Marble Falls Economic Development Corp. covers the remaining $100,000.
That money bought the pieces most residents know by sight: more than 100 light sculptures, the electrical infrastructure behind them, the tunnels, the trees and other Walkway property. Everything transferred "as-is."
In the city's handoff announcement, the transition was described as mutually agreed. It came after months of discussion and a shared wish to let the event grow and improve the guest experience. Chamber Chairman Cody Petty thanked the Walkway's founders and "all the many volunteers over the last 35 years that have built it into the success it is today," and said the Chamber looks forward to the city "carrying it into the future," DailyTrib reported.
City staff were candid about the work ahead. Parks and Recreation Director Lacey Dingman told the council the display draws more than 40,000 visitors a year and brings sales tax revenue and business to local shops. She also said the long-term maintenance cost was still unknown.
"I'm not going to stand up and tell you that we've got it all figured out, because that would obviously be offensive to the chamber, who has 30-something years of experience. So we're going to have to quickly get busy to make sure 2026 goes off as a success."
Lacey Dingman, Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Director, as reported by DailyTrib
Mayor John Packer set expectations the same night. "The first year is going to be kind of a transition, so we're probably going to have to sacrifice other Christmas things to get it up and running," he said, per DailyTrib.
The rink was the line item that gave way
The "other Christmas things" turned out to be the ice rink. At the June meeting, Dingman said the rink cost about $160,000 a year and had not fully covered its operating expenses in recent years. She said ending it after the 2025 season could help offset the cost of running the Walkway without a significant increase to the city budget.
The comparison is lopsided. Buying the entire Walkway cost $175,000, spread over several years. The rink cost almost that much every single season. Last year the rink also ran on a shorter schedule than the lights, open 5 to 8 p.m. with ice bumper cars through December 6 and skating from December 7 on.
The decision was confirmed by August. "We are focusing on the lights this year," Mayor Pro Tem Craig Magerkurth told DailyTrib. "That area that had the rink it will have a new LED light feature."
What the lights got instead
With the rink gone, the city ordered new displays. They were approved and funded in three steps:
- August 4: City Council approved a $450,162.23 purchase from Mosca Design for new holiday sculptures and display elements.
- October 7: After the required public hearings, the EDC approved a funding agreement to pay for them.
- October 20: City Council approved the same agreement, which lets the EDC pay up to $575,000 in eligible costs upfront while the city pays it back over five years. Beyond the sculptures, the agreement also sets aside money for other community park and recreation activities, DailyTrib reported.
Using EDC money upfront means the city pays for the new displays over time without taking on more debt. The new displays are spread across 12 themed areas, each with several large sculptures and interactive photo spots, designed to sit alongside the existing decorations.
So the 100-plus sculptures the city bought from the Chamber stay and the 12 themed areas are added to them. A new LED feature fills the old rink space. Magerkurth called the change from Chamber to city "a gradual handoff," and the Chamber is still advising.
The practical details for a weeknight walk
Visit Marble Falls lists these details for this season:
- Where: Lakeside Park, 305 Buena Vista Drive, on Lake Marble Falls.
- When: The grand opening is Friday, November 20, and the Walkway is open nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. through January 2, weather permitting.
- Rain rule: Wet ground makes the path unsafe, so closure decisions are made by 3 p.m. that day. Updates go out on the @VisitMarbleFalls Facebook and Instagram pages, at VisitMarbleFalls.org, or by phone at 830-693-2815.
- Cost: Free.
- Dogs: Welcome on a leash. Owners pick up after them.
- Access: The path is paved and ADA-accessible. Wheelchair users are advised to turn around at the one hill near the exit, and accessible parking is in front of the entrance.
- Not allowed on the path: Drones, bicycles, skateboards or Segways.
- Santa: Taking Christmas wishes every day until Christmas.
The 3 p.m. rule matters most for planning. On a gray afternoon, check before you leave the house.
The rest of the season, now on one calendar
The lights at Lakeside Park anchor a stretch of downtown events that begins this Friday.
Friday, November 13. The Downtown Tree Lighting Ceremony and Grinch on the Green are both listed on Visit Marble Falls' Christmas season calendar. The same calendar lists "The Grinch at Ms Lollipop," at Ms Lollipop Fun & Gifts, that day.
Friday, November 20. The Walkway's grand opening, 6 to 10 p.m.
Friday, December 4. The Christmas Light Up Parade on Main Street, which appears on the city's December 2026 calendar. The parade is sponsored by Marble Falls Parks & Recreation, the same department now running the Walkway.
Saturday, December 5. Market Day on Main, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of the Highland Lakes, runs on Main Street. That evening, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., the Marble Falls Area Chamber of Commerce hosts A Very Merry Movie Mile across all the pavilions and the amphitheater at Johnson Park, 230 S. Avenue J.
Saturday, January 2. The Walkway's last scheduled night.
The city and the Chamber now split the season. Parks & Recreation runs the Walkway and sponsors the parade. The Chamber, which handed off the Walkway in June, sponsors the Johnson Park movie night the day after the parade.
For anyone who budgeted last year's walk plus the rink, the 2026 version costs nothing at the gate. Walk the lakefront path, see the new sculptures, and check where the rink used to stand for the new LED feature.
Lakeside Park's holiday season reflects decisions about what Marble Falls pays for, and the same kind of local detail shapes what a home near the lake is worth. If you'd like to know where your Marble Falls home stands this season, LandMasters Real Estate can help you start with a quick look at the numbers. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
