Peppermint in the Park at COTALAND Opens Nov. 20, Not Thursday: Dates, Hours and Tickets

Peppermint in the Park at COTALAND, the holiday lights-and-rides event at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, opens Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 PM, according to COTALAND's own event page and park calendar, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. Visit Austin's events blog and at least one local events roundup say Nov. 12. The park's calendar does not.

According to ATX Things, which read COTALAND's event page, hours calendar, and Plan Your Visit page on Nov. 11, 2026, here is what is confirmed, what the listings disagree on, and what nobody has published yet.

AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the park.

When does Peppermint in the Park actually open?

Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 PM Central. COTALAND's event page says "The holiday magic begins November 20 at 4 PM Central" and carries a live countdown to that moment. Its hours calendar lists Nov. 20 as the first "Peppermint in the Park" day. My Neighborhood News (Nov. 4, sourced to Circuit of The Americas) and Tribeza's listing also give Nov. 20.

The Nov. 12 date appears in Visit Austin's Peppermint in the Park post (Nov. 4) and in AustinOT's Nov. 9–12 picks. We repeated it too: our Nov. 9 Miracle on 5th Street story said Peppermint "also starts Nov. 12, per Visit Austin." That line was wrong. The rest of that article, about Miracle on 5th Street, is unaffected. Our publishing system only allows edits to an article for 24 hours, so a correction note is being added to it separately; until then, read its Peppermint line as Nov. 20.

We have not reached COTALAND by phone, so we can't say how the earlier date got into those listings. The park's own calendar is the source we are going with.

What are the hours the first two weeks?

The calendar is not the same every day. Weekdays start at 4 PM. Weekends start at noon. Dates the park's calendar lists as of Nov. 11:

The calendar page currently lists dates only through Dec. 6. The event runs to Jan. 3 on select operating dates, so check cotaland.com/hours before you plan anything later. Visit Austin's post gives a simpler pattern (4–10 PM Sunday through Thursday, noon–10 PM Friday and Saturday). The park's calendar differs from that on every Friday and Sunday it lists, so go with the calendar.

What does a ticket cost?

COTALAND's event page lists three tickets, each "starting at":

• All-Day Holiday Ticket: $39.99, rides, lights and entertainment
• Holiday Evening Ticket: $34.99, the same, but only from 4 PM
• Holiday Evening Walking Ticket: $19.99, from 4 PM, rides not included

Evening tickets are valid only after 4 PM. Food, drinks, gifts and merchandise are separate. Visit Austin's post quotes higher starting prices ($49 all-day, $39 evening); we saw the lower numbers on COTALAND's own page. "Starting at" can move by date, so the price at checkout on my.cotaland.com is the one that counts. We did not run a test checkout.

What's in the park once it opens?

COTALAND lists four things so far:

1. Holiday lights, with nightly tree lights and entertainment around the park. "Entertainment details and times coming soon," the page says.
2. A Christmas market in T20 Central Park, with gifts and holiday merchandise.
3. Hot cocoa and specialty holiday food and drinks, for purchase.
4. Santa appearances. "Santa appearance details coming soon."

The page says plainly that the photos on it come from "previous COTA holiday events" and that "this year's experiences may vary." COTALAND opened this fall, so this is the first holiday season with its rides in the mix. We'll update when entertainment times and Santa's schedule are published.

AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the park.

What should you know before you drive out?

• The address differs by listing. COTALAND's Plan Your Visit page says 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. Visit Austin and Tribeza list 9201. Both are on the Circuit of the Americas property; navigate to "COTALAND" and follow the signs.
• It is cashless. The park says the entire COTA campus is cashless, including parking and dining. Bring a card or phone.
• Parking comes in three kinds: general parking, a covered Front Gate Garage, and valet. The page we read does not give parking prices. We did not confirm them.
• Race days are loud. COTALAND shares a campus with the track. The park flags "Rowdy Race Days" of Dec. 5–6 and Dec. 29–31 for 2026 and offers free earplugs at Guest Services. Dec. 5–6 is a Peppermint weekend.
• The COTALAND app carries digital passes and live ride wait times, per the park.

We did not use Google Maps this run, so there is no drive-time claim here. If you want a first look at what the park itself costs outside the holidays, our COTALAND opening-weekend guide from September has the pricing breakdown at that time.

What are people asking?

If you're looking for something with a real Thursday start, the Austin things to do page has the week's list. This desk publishes twice a day, mornings and afternoons, on what is actually open and actually happening. We'll recheck COTALAND's calendar before Nov. 20.