Rollingwood's holiday season comes from two sources. City Hall handles the work: trimming limbs over the streets, sweeping the curbs and bringing in a dumpster. The Rollingwood Women's Club handles the gatherings: a tree lighting, an annual party, and a fall series of events in the park. The city spends late November and early December clearing streets, and the neighbors' events fall in the gaps. At the end, both land at the top of Rollingwood Park. On Sunday, December 6, Upper Park is lit for the tree lighting. On Saturday, December 12, the same part of the park holds the city's roll-off dumpster and a shredding truck.
Here is the season in order, starting with the work happening on your street this week.
This Week, the Work Is Overhead
The city's tree trimming project runs Monday, November 16, through Friday, November 20. That puts crews on Rollingwood streets as this post goes out. In late October, before the work started, Public Works crews hung door notices at homes with limbs and branches below the 14-foot clearance required by city ordinance.
If one of those hangers came to your door, the city's tree trimming notice directs questions to City Hall at (512) 327-1838. Since the clearance comes from a city ordinance, this post is general information only and not legal advice. City Hall can tell you what the requirement means for your particular trees.
The timing matters for everything that follows. The trimming ends a week before Thanksgiving. The sweeping starts the week after. The tree lighting comes five days after that. Whether or not anyone planned it this way, the streets are cleared overhead and then at the curb before the season's biggest neighborhood gatherings.
Thanksgiving Week, City Hall Closes
The city calendar shows City Hall closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27. In a city this size, City Hall is where trimming questions, cleanup flyers and sweeping maps all start, so those two days are the gap in the city's schedule.
Collection changes show up in the same place. When Waste Connections fell behind on Thursday, November 5, the city posted an alert listing the streets that would be picked up the next day instead: Laura Lane, Kristy Drive, Ashworth Drive, Chris Cove, Michele Circle, Park Hills Drive, Brett Cove and Treemont Drive. The city's Alert Center is where any holiday-week change would be posted, with the street names spelled out.
December 1, the Work Moves to the Curb
Citywide street sweeping starts Tuesday, December 1. The city asks residents to move cars parked on the street so crews can clean properly, and the work is done in sections shown on a map attached to the street sweeping alert.
Because the work goes section by section, your street's day depends on where it falls on that map. If your household parks on the street, look up your section before the first week of December. The sweeping starts five days before the tree lighting, so the streets around the park should be freshly cleaned for the biggest evening of the season.
The Neighbors' Calendar Was Already Running
The Women's Club calendar was busy well before December. In mid-November, three community events were on the calendar:
- Storytime at the Park, run by Westbank Libraries, on Friday, November 13, in Lower Park, with stories, songs and a seasonal activity.
- Fall Ranch Playdate, hosted by the Women's Club on Saturday, November 14, at the lower level of Rollingwood Park, 403 Nixon Drive, with ranch-themed games and crafts.
- Gather, Give & Grow: A Fall Floral & Nonprofit Night, a Women's Club evening on Tuesday, November 17, at a member's home, about the Longhorn Circle of Care.
All three have passed, but they show where the season's community events take place. Two of the three were in Rollingwood Park, both on the lower level. The December events move up the hill.
Upper Park Gets the Lights First
The Rollingwood Community Tree Lighting is Sunday, December 6, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Upper Playground & Field House. The Women's Club lists hot cocoa, cookies, a performance and sing-along with the Madrigals Choir, and activities for kids, all with the lit park as the setting. Festive attire is encouraged, and the Club asks guests to RSVP.
The event lasts one hour and starts at 5:30 p.m. on a Sunday in early December, close to sundown, which helps explain the short run. The illuminated park is the main event, and the timing makes the most of it.
Then a Party That Asks for No Membership
Two nights later, on Tuesday, December 8, the Women's Club hosts the Rollingwood Holiday Party from 7 to 9 p.m. at a host home in West Lake Hills. The Club calls the party one of its favorite community traditions and promises holiday bites, seasonal cocktails and music.
The Club's invitation is the detail that matters: all adult Rollingwood residents are welcome, whether or not they belong to the Women's Club. An RSVP is requested through the event page.
Six Days Later, Upper Park Holds the Dumpster
On Saturday, December 12, the city's Fall Cleanup takes over the Upper Park parking lot at 311 Gentry Drive from 8 a.m. to noon. The city's cleanup alert promises a roll-off dumpster for large items and a mobile shredding truck for documents. It also points to an event flyer with details on what the dumpster accepts and the shredding limits.
This is where the two calendars overlap. Upper Park hosts cocoa and a sing-along on December 6 and the city's dumpster on December 12. The Club's evening and the city's morning use the same part of the park, six days apart.
The cleanup is also the last event of the season. The trimming is finished by then, the sweeping has started, and both gatherings have passed. The flyer is worth reading before you load the car, since the accepted items and the shredding limits are set there.
The Season on One Page
| Date | Run by | Where | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 16 to Fri., Nov. 20 | City of Rollingwood | Streets citywide | Tree trimming to the 14-foot clearance; questions go to City Hall, (512) 327-1838 |
| Thu., Nov. 26 to Fri., Nov. 27 | City of Rollingwood | City Hall | Closed for Thanksgiving |
| Begins Tue., Dec. 1 | City of Rollingwood | Streets, by section | Move cars parked on the street; check the section map in the alert |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Rollingwood Women's Club | Upper Playground & Field House | Tree lighting with the Madrigals Choir; RSVP requested |
| Tue., Dec. 8, 7 to 9 p.m. | Rollingwood Women's Club | Host home in West Lake Hills | Holiday Party; all adult residents welcome, no membership required |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 8 a.m. to noon | City of Rollingwood | Upper Park parking lot, 311 Gentry Drive | Fall Cleanup with roll-off dumpster and shredding truck; check the flyer for limits |
Put in order, the season looks like this:
- Trimming crews finish by November 20.
- City Hall closes for the Thanksgiving holiday.
- Street sweeping starts December 1.
- The Women's Club holds its two gatherings on December 6 and 8.
- The city returns to Upper Park on December 12.
Public Works and the Women's Club run on separate schedules, and in December both of their biggest events end up at the top of the same park.
Knowing a neighborhood well includes knowing which week the trimming crews come through and which Sunday the park lights up. At The Agency Austin - Noa Levy, we follow Rollingwood's calendar as closely as its market. If you're thinking about how your home fits into the year ahead, or you'd simply like to compare notes on the neighborhood, Let's Connect.
