San Antonio Holiday Season Guide 2026

San Antonio does the holidays its own way: Diwali on the river in early November, a one-night art festival on Houston Street, then 200,000 lights in the cypress trees along the River Walk from Thanksgiving weekend into January. Add tamales at Market Square, a New Year's Eve party at Hemisfair and a lighted forest up the road in Johnson City, and you can fill eight weeks without repeating a night.

Every date below comes from the organizer's own page as of Oct. 29, 2026. Some 2026 schedules aren't posted yet, and I've said so where that's the case. Photos and video on this page: Maureen Cunningham.

November in San Antonio

DiwaliSA: Saturday, Nov. 7, 4:30 p.m.–midnight, free. The season opens with San Antonio's citywide Festival of Lights at Arneson River Theatre and Civic Park at Hemisfair: Indian dance and music, regional food, an artisan bazaar and a river parade. DiwaliSA

Luminaria: Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m.–midnight, free. The contemporary arts festival takes over West Houston Street near Camaron and N. Santa Rosa, around the Alameda Theatre, San Pedro Creek Culture Park and the Institute of Texan Cultures. Expect installations, projections and performances, plus a new community Art Parade this year. luminariasa.org

Zoo Lights: Nov. 14, 2026–Jan. 3, 2027. An after-hours walk through miles of lights and glowing tunnels at the San Antonio Zoo, included with zoo admission. Nightly hours and 2026 ticket prices hadn't been posted at our last check. San Antonio Zoo

Illuminate at the San Antonio Botanical Garden: Nov. 20, 2026–Jan. 10, 2027. A mile-plus trail of lanterns and light through the garden after dark, with timed entry 5:30–9:30 p.m. Adults are $29.99 and kids 3–12 are $26.99 (plus a $3 fee), and under 3 is free. There's a sensory-friendly night Dec. 1 and a family night Dec. 11. Illuminate tickets

Thanksgiving weekend

Thursday, Nov. 26: San Antonio Food Bank Turkey Trot. The 5K run or walk starts at 8:30 a.m. from the Commander's House at H-E-B Arsenal (622 S. Flores St.) and loops past La Villita, the River Walk and the Tower of the Americas. Every registration helps fund a family's Thanksgiving meal. Kids 4–11 are $10, and early-bird adult pricing ends Oct. 31. Register

Friday, Nov. 27: the big night.

• Ford Holiday River Parade, 6 p.m.: The 45th parade starts at the Tobin Center, with the live broadcast from Arneson River Theatre at 7:05 p.m. This year's theme is "Holiday Wishes Come True." Reserved seats are ticketed, and kids 2 and up need a ticket. There's also a free first-come viewing area on the east side of the River Walk between Pecan St. and Richmond Ave. Bring a chair, and leave the stroller and ice chest at home. Parade tickets
• H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting at Travis Park: 2–7 p.m. per the City's events list. The lighting time hadn't been posted yet.
• Pearl Holiday Tree Lighting: free, with hot chocolate, carolers and river barge rides. Check Pearl's event page for the time.
• Spurs vs. Lakers, 8:30 p.m., at the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs also host the Celtics Sunday, Nov. 29, at 3 p.m.
• UTSA vs. Tulsa at the Alamodome: UTSA's home finale and Senior Day. Kickoff is 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m., set about two weeks out.

Saturday, Nov. 28: Taste of Pearl. An all-day festival of music, art, food and shopping. Pearl hasn't released details yet.

The River Walk lights

About 200,000 lights wrap the cypress trees along the downtown River Walk. They switch on during the parade on Nov. 27 and stay lit every night into early January (the 2026 end date isn't posted yet). Walking the lights is free any night. For something special, book Ford Holiday Boat Caroling: groups of up to 12 ride a river barge and sing carols under the lights on select December evenings, checking in at 203 S. St. Mary's St. Everyone aboard has to sing! Boat caroling

December to New Year's

• Pearl Holiday Night Markets: Wednesdays, Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23, with specialty vendors for gift shopping. Pearl events
• Ballet San Antonio's The Nutcracker: Dec. 4–13 at the Tobin Center, with a live score by The Orchestra San Antonio. Tickets start at $31, and everyone needs a ticket. Nutcracker
• La Gran Tamalada: Dec. 12–13 at Historic Market Square, free. A tamale festival with demonstrations, storytelling, music and local vendors. La Familia Cortez
• Celebrate SA: Thursday, Dec. 31, 6 p.m.–midnight at Hemisfair. The city's official New Year's Eve party ends with fireworks at midnight. Celebrate SA

Worth the drive: Hill Country lights

Pedernales Electric Co-op Holiday Lights, Johnson City

This is my favorite holiday drive from San Antonio. On the lawn at PEC's headquarters, the big oak trees are wrapped trunk to tip in lights, so walking under them feels like stepping into a lighted forest. PEC says it's more than 1.6 million LEDs. It's free, open 6 p.m.–midnight nightly Nov. 27, 2026–Jan. 3, 2027, and well-behaved dogs are welcome. PEC suggests a donation to its Power of Change program. PEC Holiday Lights

The PEC trees are part of Johnson City's Lights Spectacular (Nov. 27–Jan. 3, free), which also lights the historic Blanco County Courthouse square and Memorial Park, so park once and stroll the whole town. Johnson City is about 65 miles north of San Antonio, roughly an hour and a quarter each way. Lights Spectacular

Marktplatz, Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg lights its 30-foot community Christmas tree and its 26-foot German Christmas pyramid, hand-built in Germany in 2009, every night on Marktplatz (126 W. Main St.) from Nov. 24, 2026, through Jan. 5, 2027. Music starts at 5 p.m., and the countdown and lighting are at 6 p.m. It's free. It doesn't run Dec. 4 (the Light the Night parade) or Dec. 31. The Eisbahn outdoor ice rink usually sets up on Marktplatz too, but its 2026 dates weren't posted yet. Fredericksburg is about 70 miles from downtown, so pair the lighting with dinner on Main Street or our wineries guide. Fredericksburg holiday lights

Closer drives

• Wurstfest, New Braunfels: Nov. 6–15. wurstfest.com
• Dickens on Main, Boerne: Nov. 27–28, noon–9 p.m., free, with snow on Main Street and a tree lighting Friday at 6 p.m. Dickens on Main
• Old West Christmas Light Fest, Boerne: 15 nights between Nov. 27 and Dec. 23, 5–10 p.m., at Enchanted Springs Ranch. Ticketed. Light Fest
• Wassailfest, New Braunfels: Thursday, Dec. 3, 6–9 p.m., free. Downtown shops pour their own wassail, and there are free shuttles from City Hall. Wassailfest
• Gruene Town Lighting: Saturday, Dec. 5, 5–9 p.m., free. Cowboy Kringle rides in on horseback at 6 p.m. Holidays in Gruene

Coming up after the holidays

The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo runs Feb. 11–28, 2027, with concerts by Riley Green, Keith Urban, Los Tigres del Norte and more. Its Bar-B-Que Cook-Off is Jan. 29–30, and the Western Heritage Parade is Feb. 6. See our Rodeo 2027 guide for the lineup and tickets.

Planning tips

• Book early for Thanksgiving weekend. Parade seats, River Walk restaurants and downtown hotels fill up fast.
• Weeknights are calmer. The River Walk, Zoo Lights and the Hill Country displays are all less crowded Monday through Thursday.
• Pack layers. December days can be warm and nights cool. See what to pack.
• For the weekly picks, check This Weekend in San Antonio every Thursday, or the events calendar for the year ahead.