San Antonio and Texas Hill Country Christmas Parades and Festivals

On the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving every year at 7 p.m., a switch activates the 122,ooo lights along the San Antonio River Walk.  These lights make the River Walk even more magical every evening through January 1^st.  This Lighting Ceremony launches the Paseo Del Rio Holiday Festivities. 

Stick around and enjoy the Holiday River Parade with the 150,000 spectators that line up along the River Walk Parade route to enjoy the barge floats graced by local celebrities, bands, and participants in spectacular costumes.  A Christmas parade where the floats actually float!  Limited reserved seating is available.  Not big on crowds?  Enjoy the festivities from home on the live television broadcast. 

Beginning after Thanksgiving and going through mid-December, enjoy Christmas Carols along the River Walk during the Ford Holiday Boat Caroling.

Over 185 local school, church, business, and civic groups will rotate to sing carols from the river barges.

Embrace tradition in early December. The River Walk will be lined with 6ooo luminarias. Luminarias are sand filled paper bags with candles.

The Fiesta de la Luminarias on the River Walk path is symbolic of the centuries old tradition of “lighting the way” for the Holy Family. It begins at dusk on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.

Visit the official San Antonio River Walk website for dates and contact information.

Hands down, my favorite holiday festival is Wassailfest. I’ve gone to this event about 6 out of 9 years that I’ve lived in Texas. Each December, Wassailfest is held the first Thursday of the month beginning at 6 p.m. in historic downtown New Braunfels. The downtown shops are open, and the shop keepers serve their wassail, competing for votes for which is the best. Some are “leaded” but most are non-alcoholic. Holiday revelers can enjoy browsing the shops and sampling the hot fruity, spiced wassail. Be sure and buy your commemorative wassail mug, complete with cord for wearing around your neck, just like the German wine festivals.

The mood is festive, and the town square is nicely decorated. I especially love the draping of vertical lines of white lights covering the courthouse. At the other end of Main Street, Mrs. Santa serves wassail and cookies in front of the “Christmas House”, which is always lavishly decorated.

There is often live music at Wassailfest. One year there was a great band across from the Christmas House that played classic 70s Rock. My favorite live music performance was the bagpipers. I was fascinated by the drummers with their twirling drum sticks.

Wassailfest always has lots of food booths which are mostly near the gazebo, but I suppose never enough, because the lines are always long. I opt to make reservations each year at the Huisache Grill, one of my favorite restaurants which is in a renovated old train station near the Christmas House. They have a diverse menu, being particularly known for their Chicken Tortilla Soup and great wine list.

Each year San Marcos Texas has the Sights and Sounds of Christmas festival the first Thursday through Saturday of December. In 2010 they expanded to include Wednesday, with Santa arriving by helicopter at 6 p.m. Each subsequent night Santa will arrive at 6 with pomp and circumstance- a motorcycle parade, fire engine, or classic car parade.

The Sights & Sounds festival has promised an expanded, larger than ever carnival. Families can also enjoy the toy train exhibit, and the living nativity exhibit in Lil’ Town of Bethlehem. Browse the marketplace and admire handcrafted items. Thousands of lights create an enchanted atmosphere.

One of the guilty pleasures of festivals is the food. It may vary from year to year, but you can usually count on smoked turkey legs, corn on the cob, and funnel cake. My favorite is the “campfire biscuits,” cooked in a wrought iron Dutch oven pot over a campfire.

Need something to do during the day while waiting for the evening Sights & Sounds festivities? Some years I brave the crowds and do a little holiday shopping at the Prime Outlets and Tanger Outlets near San Marcos on I-35.

Love the theater? All of Main Street becomes the stage for two weekends during the holiday season in Boerne Texas. Thanksgiving weekend and the following weekend, Friday through Sunday, Boerne celebrates Dickens on Main. They promise millions of twinkling lights to transform their historic downtown area. Did I mention the snow? Every 30 minutes it will snow somewhere along the Dickens on Main festival area. Some daytime events are planned, but at 5 p.m. the only transportation is horse drawn carriages.

The most popular event of the Dickens on Main festival is the annual Weihnachts, or “Christmas” Parade. This two hour parade has been held for over 25 years and begins at 6 p.m. (usually the first Saturday in December). Have you ever been to an evening Christmas parade?! All floats feature Christmas lights, therefore the evening start.

After the parade, enjoy shopping and take part in the Stocking Stroll.  Buy your stocking from one of the four locations.  Collect stocking stuffers from 10 of the 30 possible stores and get entered for a grand prize drawing. 

Immediately before the Weihnachts Parade, enjoy a new tradition, the Holiday Pet Parade.  Prizes will be awarded for best costume, most talented, and the pet who most resembles his master.  Bring items such as pet food and pet beds for donation to the Hill Country Animal League. 

Children from kindergarten through 12^th grade can enter the poster contest.  Entries are divided into four categories by age, with each having a different theme.  Youth, adults, and professionals can compete in the gingerbread house decorating contest. 

Check the Dickens on Main website for specific dates and events. 

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