River Walk Holiday Lights & Ford Holiday River Parade

The downtown River Walk is San Antonio's best-known holiday lights, and they cost nothing. Strings of lights hang from the cypress trees and bridges over the river, and they stay on from sundown to sunrise every night from Thanksgiving weekend into early January. You can walk the loop at any hour; the River Walk is a public park.

The lights are switched on at the Ford Holiday River Parade on Friday, November 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving. Lit floats travel down the river with Santa and Mrs. Claus, starting at 6 pm at the Tobin Center, and the lighting ceremony is broadcast live from the Arneson River Theatre at 7:05 pm. This is the 45th parade.

You need a ticket only if you want a reserved seat or a dinner package along the parade route. There is a free viewing area on the east side of the River Walk between Pecan Street and Richmond Avenue, first come, first served, so arrive early. On a normal December night, a river barge ride is the easiest way to see the lights with small children.