Where will a Nutcracker audience park on December 12, when the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar opens next door? This year both crowds have the same answer. Since September 1, parts of West Riverside Drive in front of the Long Center have been closed for street construction, and the Long Center now tells patrons to use the Palmer Events Center garage, entering from Barton Springs Road, or the RiverSouth Garage.
For the blocks of Bouldin Creek closest to Barton Springs Road, that changes how the season works. Long Center audiences who don't head to RiverSouth now share Palmer's four-story, 1,200-space garage with Palmer's own crowds, and the dates when their calendars overlap are the dates to plan around.
The season, venue by venue
The calendar below combines both venues and puts the overlaps side by side.
| Dates | Venue | Event | Admission details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 17–18 | Palmer | Markets for Makers | 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; timed general admission $6–$12; $16 weekend VIP includes a Saturday 10–11 a.m. early hour; under 12 free |
| Oct. 17–18 | Palmer | Austin Coffee Festival | Sessions 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 1:30–4:30 p.m.; VIP entry from 9 a.m.; tastings included, food extra |
| Oct. 18 | Long Center | Halloween Children's Concert | 3 p.m. |
| Nov. 1 | Long Center | Ballet Folklórico de Austin, Día de Muertos | 5 p.m. |
| Nov. 18 | Palmer | A Christmas Affair opening night | 7–10 p.m.; $150 |
| Nov. 19–22 | Palmer | A Christmas Affair shopping market | $25 single-day general admission |
| Dec. 4–23 | Long Center | Ballet Austin's The Nutcracker | 16 performances in Dell Hall |
| Dec. 12–21 | Palmer | Armadillo Christmas Bazaar | $15 per day, $75 for a 10-day pass, under 12 free |
Two windows stand out. The weekend of October 17 and 18 puts two Palmer shows and a Long Center matinee on the same Sunday. December 12 through 21 puts the full ten-day Armadillo run inside the Nutcracker's season. The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, which traces its origin to 1975, also says its hours vary by day, so its posted 2026 schedule is the one to check for each date.
The dig is a water pipe, and it's heading west
The construction behind the rerouting is Austin Water's West Riverside Reclaimed Water Main, about 2,800 linear feet of 24-inch pipe running from South 1st Street to Lee Barton Drive. Most of it goes in by open trench, and about 650 feet uses horizontal directional drilling. In the materials Austin Water sent to the Water and Wastewater Commission, the drilled section is there to avoid West Bouldin Creek and the Union Pacific bridge. The finished main completes a loop that ties the reclaimed water systems north and south of the Colorado River together. The city lists the reclaimed water service at Town Lake Metro Park at Auditorium Shores as one possible connection.
The first stretch is finished. Austin Water reports phase 1 complete, with the line fully installed between South 1st Street and the roundabout and the disturbed asphalt repaved. Work stopped for ACL, and after the festival the contractor will keep laying pipe westward on Riverside. That remaining stretch toward Lee Barton runs past the Long Center's frontage, which is why the venue expects closures to last into early 2027.
The full project runs longer still. Austin Water's project page lists active construction from Summer 2026 to Summer 2028, and the city's capital projects listing expects construction to end in Winter 2027–28. On either schedule, this is the first holiday season with the dig in place, and probably not the last.
How the garage works between now and Nov. 13
Today, October 12, the access pattern changes. According to the Palmer Events Center's posted schedule, from October 12 through November 13 westbound Riverside reopens but stays closed at the roundabout. Drivers reach the garage from westbound Riverside by turning left across the median into the driveway. Before today, westbound Riverside was closed from South 1st and the garage could only be entered from eastbound Riverside.
The two venues give different advice on which entrance to use. Palmer's page offers this tip: "If there is any traffic, enter on Riverside." The Long Center tells its patrons to enter from Barton Springs Road. On a weekend like October 17 and 18, when people heading to the coffee festival and the craft market may be in line with families going to a children's concert, both pieces of advice point at the same building.
The Long Center's own directions page called its arrangement "Phase 1" and said, tentatively, that it would change on October 21. Palmer's schedule changes on different dates, so the venues' pages are the place to confirm the current pattern before heading out. Palmer's posted schedule runs only through November 13, so the access pattern for A Christmas Affair, the Nutcracker and the Armadillo run is worth rechecking closer to each date.
What stays the same:
- Price and payment. Event parking is $12 per vehicle unless a special-event rate is posted, and the garage has been cashless since June 1, 2026.
- Rules. No refunds, no re-entry and no overnight parking. The first level clears 8 feet 2 inches and the upper levels 7 feet 2 inches.
- Overflow. The One Texas Center garage, at the southeast corner of Barton Springs Road and South 1st Street, handles extra parking during select major events and sometimes when the Palmer garage fills.
- Walking. Austin Water says sidewalks along the construction stay open to pedestrians.
When the garage fills, the side streets come next
Once the garage and One Texas Center are full, drivers start looking at the residential blocks south of Barton Springs Road. The city's Residential Permit Parking program applies only to designated blocks and times, so whether a particular Bouldin Creek street is restricted depends on the city's address-based map and the signs posted on that block. For eligible residences, day passes cost $5 plus tax, last 24 hours, and are limited to 20 per event and six events a year. A residence must buy the yearly permit to qualify.
Six events a year sounds generous until you count this season. The Oct. 17–18 weekend, A Christmas Affair and the Armadillo run are each a stretch when visiting family might park out front, and the Armadillo run alone covers two weekends.
Questions about the dig go to a specific person. Austin Water names Construction Inspector Gus Castro, 512-974-1549, as its on-site contact and says he can typically answer questions fastest.
What's different at Butler Park this fall
The park side of the venue district has changes of its own. The Liz Carpenter Splash Pad in Butler Park has been closed since July 3, 2026, until further notice, after its pump room flooded and needed repairs. The city still lists the Liz Carpenter Fountain as operating year-round. Farther east, the city's closures list shows a south-shore Butler Trail boardwalk closure at I-35 beginning October 18 for one week, followed by restricted access through early 2027. On the Riverside project, an Austin Water traffic plan quoted by FOX 7 said access to the hike-and-bike trail and the Long Center would be maintained, with temporary impacts or detours possible.
The Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association lists its next General Association Meeting for Tuesday, October 13, 6:45 to 9 p.m., at the Texas School for the Deaf Administrative and Welcome Center, 1120 S. Congress Ave. Attendees enter from South Congress. A steering committee meeting follows November 3 at Jesus Deaf Church, 1307 Newton St., and the next general meeting is December 8 at the Congress Avenue location. Those meetings come before the December stretch when the Nutcracker and the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar share the garage.
A utility project that runs through 2027 or 2028 at the edge of a neighborhood can matter to an owner deciding when to sell or a buyer comparing blocks near Barton Springs Road. If you'd like to talk through how the Riverside timeline fits your own plans, Carl Shurr is glad to compare notes. Book an appointment.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
