When does the holiday season start for someone who lives in Spanish Oaks? The Hill Country Galleria tree lighting would be the obvious answer, and the Galleria's current listing puts it on Saturday, November 28. But the City of Bee Cave gets there first. Bee Cave on Ice opens behind City Hall on Friday, November 13, fifteen days before the tree goes up, and stays open until January 18, 2027.
The rink sets the order of everything else. Bee Cave's December runs on a calendar that builds out from a sheet of real ice, and that ice started out as a hotel-tax experiment.
How a one-season rink turned into a fixture
The rink began with a budget line. In July 2022, the Bee Cave City Council authorized $300,000 in hotel occupancy tax funds to deliver and set up an open-air rink, under an agreement with Hill Country Galleria and the rink operator. The city installed it and ran the electricity and water, Community Impact reported.
That first rink opened on November 5, 2022, in front of the Bee Cave Public Library. It held up to 120 skaters at a time. The city projected it could bring in somewhere between $382,000 and $540,000 at $15 a skate rental.
It landed inside that range. According to the Austin American-Statesman's Lake Travis View, a city spokesperson said the rink drew more than 25,000 skaters and grossed $393,000 in the two months it was open. That's near the low end of the projection, with the turnout itself as the headline. The case for a second year came from the Galleria's tenants. Speaking to the council, city communications specialist Dori Kelley said, as the Statesman reported:
"In general, they (businesses in the Hill Country Galleria) loved the event, saw increased business and inquired if this could be a city tradition."
The Galleria offered to repeat its share for year two, according to the same Statesman report. That meant providing the venue, coordinating marketing, and putting in $100,000 that it would recover from rink revenue. The city also lined up sponsors so it wouldn't need to spend the full $300,000 ceiling.
So the rink was set up to bring people to the Galleria's shops and restaurants in the slow stretch after Thanksgiving, with hotel-tax money covering setup and the mall sharing the risk. That's why Bee Cave's holiday events cluster within walking distance of it. And since KXAN confirmed in 2024 that the surface is real ice, the skating holds up as a reason to make the drive. Counting the yearly returns since 2022, this winter is roughly its fifth season.
The 2026 rink, by the numbers
The rink now sits behind City Hall at 4000 Galleria Parkway, on the same Galleria grounds as the original. The City of Bee Cave's rink page lists these regular hours:
| Day | Open | Last session |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Friday | Noon to 10 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Saturday | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 6 p.m. |
A regular session costs $16 plus tax and includes 50 minutes on the ice and skate rental. In 2022 the city's planning number was $15 for a rental billed by the hour. A session today buys a set block of ice time, which is worth knowing if you're planning around dinner reservations.
Tuesday community nights cost $11 plus tax. They fall on November 17, December 1, December 8, December 15 and January 12. That's $5 off each skater, which adds up quickly with a houseful of holiday guests.
Holiday weeks close earlier. On Lake Travis ISD school holidays, November 23 through 27 and December 18 through January 5, the rink runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a 6 p.m. last session. The same shortened hours apply on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. So the late Friday and Saturday sessions that run until 10 p.m. in early December go away during the winter break. If the plan is to skate after dinner while family is in town, go on a regular-hours night before December 18.
The rink also has a FAQ page that still lists an older price and session length. The main page above carries this season's terms, and bookings run through the city's online reservation link.
The calendar that builds around the ice
With the rink open, the rest of the season falls into place nearby. Here it is in date order, using the dates currently posted:
- Friday, November 13. Bee Cave on Ice opens behind City Hall, 4000 Galleria Parkway.
- Tuesday, November 17. The first $11 community night.
- Saturday, November 21. The Bee Cave Arts Foundation opens its Holiday Market at 12912 Hill Country Blvd., #F160. It runs through January 7, 2027. The foundation hasn't posted hours yet, so call (512) 522-9467 before making a special trip.
- Saturday, November 28, 5 to 8 p.m. Light up the Plaza at Hill Country Galleria. The tree lighting includes live music, ice skating, giveaways, face painting and refreshments, with free admission and parking. The detailed schedule is still listed as TBA, and the Galleria says it will post any weather cancellations on the event page.
- Friday, December 4, 6 to 9 p.m. Lakeway's Lights On! at Lakeway City Hall, 1102 Lohmans Crossing Road.
- Tuesday, December 22, Wednesday, December 23, and Monday, December 28, 6 p.m. Lakeway's Trail of Lights has calendar entries on the City Hall Trail at the same address. The entries give a 6 p.m. start but no end time or cost.
- Monday, January 18, 2027. The rink's last day.
Four of the Bee Cave entries sit within a short walk of each other on the Galleria grounds. That's the arrangement the 2022 deal set up, with the ice drawing people and the shops, restaurants and plaza events around it getting the foot traffic. The tree lighting even lists ice skating as one of its attractions. The two Lakeway events work as an evening out the other way down RR 620 once the Bee Cave side has had its turn.
The pieces still waiting on 2026 dates
Two Galleria traditions from last season haven't posted dates for this year. In 2025, Community Impact's holiday roundup listed Santa's Workshop next to Buenos Aires Café on select days from November 29 through December 24, free, with visitors taking their own photos. The same roundup covered a separate Bee Cave Holiday Market from Penny V Productions at the Galleria. It ran over three weekends with local artists, food vendors, daily live music and scheduled Santa visits. Both drew on the same plaza traffic the rink brings in. Treat last year's dates as a rough guide until the Galleria posts its 2026 schedule.
Don't expect a new restaurant to add to the season, though. The next two named food openings in Bee Cave, a CAVA and a Chipotle at 13714 East Ladera Blvd., are expected in May or June 2027, according to Community Impact. This winter's skate-and-dinner nights will rely on the Galleria restaurants that Kelley told the council saw more business in that first season.
For an easy first visit before the tree lighting crowds, Tuesday, November 17 has the $11 rate and a 3 p.m. opening, with the last session at 8 p.m.
If friends or family visit over the holidays and ask what living near the Galleria is like day to day, we're glad to talk it through. At Nicole Cooper we follow Bee Cave's calendar as closely as its market, and we're happy to share what we know about Spanish Oaks and the rest of the Hill Country side of Austin. Request a Live Video Call whenever it suits you.
