The best to really experience all the best that Christmas in San Antonio has to offer is to get out there and see for yourself what all the talk is about. Here is a list of our favorite San Antonio Christmas events that the whole family is sure to love!
- Of course, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the famed River walk. The River Walk is adorned in more than 100,000 twinkling lights and more than 6,000 luminaries during the Fiesta de la Luminarias, a hundreds-year-old tradition that begins at dusk every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the holiday season.
- The annual Light the Way display is also a must-do on your list of Christmas activities in San Antonio. This light display, through the University of Incarnate World, hosts more than a million lights in the night sky.
- Bundle the kids up and take a drive through the beautiful community of Windcrest, where the residents have, for decades, decorated their homes with elaborate holiday displays. Thousands of visitors wind their way through this San Antonio community every year!
- While you’ve got the family in the car, head over to Santa’s Ranch and drive through the amazing light display, which features more than one million lights and 100 displays and animations.
- Visit the Fort Sam Houston Field and experience American history and heritage at its best. Partake in the holiday customs and enjoy the beautiful scenery!
- Take some time to visit the Texas Transportation Museum during the month of December and enjoy moonlit train rides, hayrides and lovely Christmas music, courtesy of the San Antonio Ragtime Society!
- Head to Gateway Church and experience Christmas City, an outdoor presentation of the story of Christ’s birth. Live animals and costumed actors line the way to make this presentation larger than life! This event is free and takes place each Friday, Saturday and Sunday in December.
- The River Walk is, without a doubt, one of the most popular holiday attractions in San Antonio, as it is transformed every Christmas into a holiday wonderland! Don’t forget to stop at the Museum Ranch section to catch the underwater light displays! Magnificent!
- Everyone knows about Ed Clark’s House in San Antonio, as this is the place where Ed Clark and his wife have put up elaborate Christmas decorations and lights since 1988. Each year Clark adds to his holiday lights collection, so come and see what’s new this year!
- Head over to Windcrest and enjoy the beautiful light displays throughout this lovely neighborhood! The residents of Windcrest have been decorating their homes for 52 years!
- Cureo’s Christmas in the Park – This annual, free event is bigger than ever, thanks to the many individuals who replaced the vandalized lights from last year. Don’t forget to look for the amazing, 37-foot American flag display while you’re there!
- Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels is a mile-long light display that features over one million twinkling lights and 100 animated displays! Don’t forget to look for the scenes from Noah’s Ark while you’re there!
- Head to Frisco and wonder in the massive lights displays! Frisco claims to have the largest, choreographed light displays in Texas, so come and see them for yourself!
- Cowboy’s Christmas, at the Enchanted Springs Ranch, is a massive light display that stretches out over several miles. Experience the holiday season, cowboy style!
- Don’t forget about Fredericksburg when enjoying your San Antonio Christmas sites, as this town’s historic main street is transformed into a magical light display, complete with a 26-foot-tall German handcrafted Christmas pyramid!
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Here are out favorite San Antonio Halloween events:
- Terror Mansion – Located just north of downtown San Antonio, this haunted house will take you through terrorizing mazes among 23 rooms and two stories. This spooky mansion is tops if you’re not scared of things that go bump in the night!
- Nightmare on Grayson – A River Walk tradition, the Nightmare on Grayson has been scaring San Antonians for 22 years and has become a San Antonio tradition for many.
- Ripley’s Haunted Adventure – Located at the site of the Alamo’s old west wall, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure features a terrifying haunted house that spooks visitors with special effects.
- The 13th Floor – For only the bravest at heart, the 13th Floor is a spooky and graphic theatrical show that will take you on a psychological trip to where oddities and strange occurrences are the norm.
- Sea World Howl-o-Scream – Sea World’s annual fright fest will entertain visitors of nearly every age. Just some of the activities enjoyed at this annual even include trick-or-treating along trick-or-treat street and a plethora of Halloween-themed attractions, such as Frightmare Forest.
- Six Flags Fright Fest – Your San Antonio Halloween will not be complete without a trip to Six Flags Fright Fest. This annual event features pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating, Mayor Slayer’s Midnight Mansion and Halloween-themed entertainment.
- BOOtanical! Festival – The annual BOOtanical! Fall Festival is located in the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Just some of the activities enjoyed at this event include pumpkin decorating, plant sales, nature walks, and storytelling.
- The Spooky Sounds of Science – The Spooky Sounds of Science at the San Antonio Symphony are performances with a spooky theme. This family-friendly activity is fun for the whole family.
Best of all, most of the events enjoyed during the holiday season in San Antonio are free of charge, thereby enabling residents and visitors of every walk of life to relish in the exciting, holiday atmosphere.
So, the only question that remains is: how can you find the time to experience all of the fun that the San Antonio holidays have in store for you?
- Light the Way at the University of Incarnate Word
November 22, 2009 through January 6, 2010
The University of Incarnate Word’s annual illumination experience has been enjoyed for nearly two decades. Visitors can experience a million twinkling lights by either driving or walking. This event is free to the public.
- Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony
November 27, 2009 through January 1, 2010
Nearly 122,000 lights illuminate the River Walk, along with decorated floats along the river. Stay to enjoy the nighttime river parade!
- Ford Fiesta de Las Luminarias
The San Antonio River bank provides the perfect backdrop to nearly 2,500 luminary candles. This annual holiday tradition marks the “lighting of the way” for the Holy family. This centuries-old tradition begins at dusk on Friday, Saturday and Sundays only.
- Celebrate San Antonio
December 31, 2009
Spectacular fireworks, live music, food and family activities are all enjoyed in San Antonio on New Year’s Eve! Admission is free to the event, which is located on South Alamo Street, between Durango and Market Streets. Celebrate San Antonio, which attracts more than 250,000 people to the downtown area, has been ranked as one of the top 50 New Year’s Eve destinations around the world. In fact, there is no other free event of this size for New Year’s Eve that is larger than Celebrate San Antonio in the state of Texas. Festivities continue through 12:30AM.
]]>San Antonio’s venues offer a variety of setups for corporate meetings, trade shows and conventions, just to name a few.
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
This amazing building encompasses the excitement and opportunities that San Antonio has to offer. Located on the famed River Walk, this impressive, contemporary structure features over 600,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space, 440,000 square feet of exhibit space, 63 breakout rooms and three ballrooms totaling 99,000 square feet.
The Lila Cockrell Theatre for the Performing Arts, which is located within the convention center, seats over 2,500 people.
Other features of this facility include an executive assembly room with interpreting rooms for international meetings, outdoor locations for receptions and banquets and exceptional catering services by the highly sought-after RK Group.
The San Antonio River flows gracefully through the convention center, providing an unrivaled sense of luxury and beauty. Some of the other highlights of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center include river taxi setups, event patios, walkways, scenic plazas, walkways and beautifully landscaped areas and waterfalls.
Alamode
Just a short walk from the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is the Alamode, a multi-purpose venue featuring 160,000 square feet of floor space and 30,000 square feet of conference space.
Lavish Surroundings
Both the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and the Alamode are conveniently located near more than 35,000 hotel rooms, as well as the River Walk, the Alamo, La Villita, and a plethora of malls, boutiques, galleries, restaurants and nightlife destinations.
Three-hundred properties surrounding both the convention center and the Alamode offer a variety of accommodations, including meeting hotels, family-style hotels and lavish resorts with award-winning golf courses and luxurious spas.
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