Downtown San Antonio Hosts August Summer & Back‑to‑School Events
Published on July 29, 2026
SAN ANTONIO (May 6, 2026) — The City of San Antonio invites the community to visit downtown — including Historic Market Square, La Villita Historic Arts Village, and Houston Street — this May for a wide variety of events.
While enjoying La Villita and Market Square events, don’t forget to stop inside their stores to shop for one-of-a-kind treasures.
Market Square Events
Location: 514 W. Commerce Street
Market Square Summer Bash
Date: Saturday, August 1, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; free
Celebrate the end of summer and back to school time at Market Square’s Summer Bash. The event features live entertainment, food vendors, artisan vendors, kids' games and activities, school supply giveaways (from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., while supplies last), and much more. For more information, visit the Market Square event page.
Market Square Weekends: Live Performances, Local Eats & Art in Action
Date: Every weekend in August, Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sundays: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; free
Enjoy music, working artists, and food booths at Market Square every weekend. For more information and the entertainment lineup, visit the Market Square website.
La Villita Events
Location: 418 Villita Street
Fiesta Noche del Rio
Date: Every Friday and Saturday through August 1; 8:30 p.m.; ticketed event
The Alamo Kiwanis presents its annual Fiesta Noche del Rio featuring a cultural performance of artists at La Villita’s Arneson River Theatre. For more information and tickets, visit the event website.
Downtown Events
Lunch Break on Houston Street
Location: in front of the Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston Street
Date: Thursday, August 6 & 20, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Enjoy food trucks and live music along Houston Street in front of the Majestic Theatre. For more information, follow @satxfoodtrucks on Instagram.
Downtown Thursday
Date: Every Thursday after 5 p.m. through August 27
Downtown Thursday is a weekly pilot program that brings arts, culture, music, food, and family‑friendly activities to downtown San Antonio every Thursday evening through August 27, 2026. The program offers free parking in City‑owned garages after 5 p.m. and a complimentary circulator operated by The Local SATX to help visitors move between destinations. Participating partners also provide a variety of special offers and events. An online parking map lists all facilities offering free Thursday parking, and the Downtown Thursday website includes details on partner events and special offers.
Make a Plan
Downtown can get busy, so make a plan. Take public transportation, rideshare, taxis, bike, walk, or consult Google Maps or Waze before you leave. Visit the City’s Know Before You Go Downtown website for helpful resources and parking information. Find nearby VIA Metropolitan Transit routes by visiting Google Maps and selecting the public transport option. VIA also offers its Link ride-sharing service for $1.30 a ride within its downtown service area zone and Park & Ride for certain large events. For more details, visit VIA’s website.
Visitor Parking
For easy, convenient, and affordable parking, visit the City’sSAPark website.The parking map provides a full list of City-owned garages and lots. Note that event parking rates (up to $15 at City parking facilities) may be in effect at some parking facilities during busy event weekends.
The St. Mary’s Garage (205 East Travis St.) and the City Tower Garage (60 North Flores St.) are located just steps from the River Walk and Houston Street and generally, there are many parking spots. Downtown Thursday offers free parking on Thursday 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. Free public parking is available in Alamodome Lot A on select dates.