Celebrate the holidays in downtown San Antonio!
Published on December 08, 2022
Enjoy fun downtown events this September at Market Square, La Villita and Travis Park!
SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 8, 2022) — Celebrate the holidays downtown at Travis Park, Historic Market Square and La Villita Historic Arts Village! Enjoy free, family-friendly events, and shop for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts for your loved ones while supporting local independent small businesses!
Travis Park Events (301 E. Travis St.)
Rotary Ice Rink at Travis Park
Open through Jan. 16, 2023
The Rotary Ice Rink, presented by Valero, is back at Travis Park through Jan. 16, 2023! Since 2019, nearly 200,000 people have enjoyed the rink and surrounding festivities. For more information, including hours of operation, pricing, and specials, please visit the Rotary Ice Rink website.
H-E-B Christmas Tree
Enjoy a spectacular holiday light display every evening through Jan. 6, 2023. Adorned with more than 10,000 lights and custom-made ornaments, the 50-foot tree is H-E-B’s gift to the city. Travis Park is decorated with 250,000 lights across the park made possible by Centro San Antonio.
Tis the Season: Travis Park Holiday Events Presented by Centro San Antonio
Mondays: Ice sculpting; Tuesdays: Rink Reels Movie Nights; Wednesdays: Jazz in the Park; Thursdays: Yeti It Snow; Fridays: DJ & Food Trucks; Saturdays: Storytime with Santa
Centro San Antonio presents free holiday movies, live music, food trucks, visits from Santa, and more throughout the month of December! For a full event schedule, please visit Centro’s Tis the Season website.
Grinchmas Fest
Rescheduled date: Sunday, Dec. 11, 2-8 p.m., FREE
Merry Grinchmas! The Weekend Market at Arbor Park presents Grinchmas Fest featuring holiday shopping, food and drinks, pictures with Santa, special performances, and more. Come as your favorite Grinch character! For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
Small Business Market
Sunday, Dec. 18, 2-8 p.m., FREE
The Weekend Market at Arbor Park presents its Small Business Market featuring a night of ice skating, shopping, food, pictures with Santa, pony rides, and more. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
Historic Market Square Events (514 W. Commerce Street)
Market Square Holiday Weekend
Every weekend in December (closed on Saturday, Dec. 25), 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., FREE
Enjoy music, working artists, and food booths at Market Square every weekend! For more information, please visit the Market Square website.
La Gran Tamalada
Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., FREE
Join us at La Gran Tamalada for a cultural tradition at Historic Market Square hosted by La Familia Cortez Restaurant! At this family-friendly event, learn the history and traditions of tamales, enjoy storytelling, take photos with Pancho Claus, and Abuelita hot chocolate sampling and giveaways, and listen to live music! For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
La Villita Historic Arts Village Events (418 Villita Street)
La Villita Holiday Bazaar
Sunday, Dec. 11, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., FREE
Shop unique handcrafted items, art, and jewelry created by local artists and artisans. You will find something for everyone on your gift list! Enjoy holiday music, gourmet treats, hot drinks, and family fun. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
TubaMeister Christmas Concert
Saturday, Dec. 17, 12 p.m., FREE
Local favorites, the TubaMeisters, present their 2022 Christmas concert at the Arneson River Theatre featuring holiday tunes played by tuba, euphonium, and baritone horn players. For more information, visit the The TubaMeister’s website.
Rico’s River Rally
Tuesday, Dec. 27, 5 p.m., FREE
The San Antonio River Walk plays host to college football’s most unique pep rally to celebrate the Valero Alamobowl. While the head coaches, team captains, and cheerleaders take part in a spirited pep rally at the Arneson River Theatre on the River Walk, the school bands and the rest of the players excite the crowd by making a grand entrance on river cruisers. For more information, visit the event website.
Celebrate SA: San Antonio's Official New Year’s Eve Celebration
Saturday, Dec. 31, 6 p.m. – 12 a.m., FREE
Shimmy into the New Year at Celebrate SA, the City’s official New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown produced by the San Antonio Parks Foundation and the City of San Antonio. Enjoy live music, carnival rides, food and drinks, and a fireworks show at midnight! For more information, visit the event website.
Lunch Break on Houston Street (In front of the Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston Street)
Thursday, Dec. 15, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lunch Break on Houston Street is back! Join us on the first and third Thursday of the month for food trucks and music in front of the Majestic Theatre! For more information, follow @satxfoodtrucks on Instagram.
Visitor Parking
Check out the City's SAPark website for easy, convenient, and affordable parking! A full list of City-owned garages, lots and meters can be found here. Downtown Tuesday offers free parking on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. in City-owned parking facilities, and City Tower Sundays offers free parking on Sundays from 7 a.m. to midnight at the City Tower Garage located at 117 W. Commerce.