On Tuesday, Houston Street was closed off from St. Mary’s to Navarro as hundreds of people gathered in front of the Majestic Theater to hear Master of Ceremonies Santa Claus introduce Mariachi group Mariachi de Oro, which elevated holiday spirits early this year with “Feliz Navidad.”
Centro San Antonio’s Trish DeBerry explained the event was the setting to announce the expanded version of last year’s popular Holiday on Houston event.
“We are getting ready for Holidays on Houston, despite the fact that it's 90 degrees. We are making sure that people know the spirit of Christmas is alive and well on Houston Street and will be coming in a bigger and better way in December,” she said.
The expanded celebration has a lot to do with downtown construction. Now that the street construction and bridge projects at Houston Street’s west end are complete, Centro workers will extend the lighting all the way down Houston to Santa Rosa Street.
There has also been an expansion in the Holiday Market, which was so successful last year that artists ran out of art before the event was complete. DeBerry said even though they’re adding an extra day this year, they have grown their artists and their inventory.
“Dec. 13 through the 15th is when we have the Holiday Market. We have more vendors lined up,” she said. “We're extending the hours associated with the Holiday Market on that weekend so people can enjoy not just goods that are created here in San Antonio, but you're supporting local businesses, which is important.”
DeBerry also said that shopping at the Holiday Market will provide visitors an experience they will never find in the big box stores.
“Local goods mean they have local flavor, and we have some amazing artisans here in San Antonio, much like the artists that create all the murals throughout downtown San Antonio. They also create goods that people can buy as well,” she said.
Mark Anderson of Visit San Antonio said that for residents who live in the area and never get downtown, it’s time to come back and give it a try.
“There is a ton of parking in downtown San Antonio to accommodate, so I encourage all those folks that don't live in the corridor of San Antonio to come experience holidays on Houston Street,” Anderson said. “We created this legacy event now for the second time to really give back to our local San Antonio to help them celebrate the power of our downtown community.”
DeBerry also noted San Antonio’s unique place in the pantheon of Texas cities.
“Downtown San Antonio, unlike any other major Texas city, has a soul, and so from a downtown perspective, we're reviving the heartbeat with activities like Holidays on Houston Street, Stars and Stripes on Houston Street,” she said. “Really what's happening with the Alamo, what's happening with UTSA investment — it's a really exciting time to be in downtown.”
Learn more about the downtown events at CentroSanAntonio.org.
