Holiday Markets near San Antonio

The best holiday markets near San Antonio are not in the city itself but in the old German towns up the road. New Braunfels, 35 minutes up I-35, has its Weihnachtsmarkt, the Gruene markets and Wassailfest. Boerne, 30 minutes up I-10, fills Main Street over Thanksgiving weekend. In town, the Pearl is the place to go on a December evening.

Before Thanksgiving

The Weihnachtsmarkt in New Braunfels, November 20–22, is the area's big indoor Christmas market: more than 60 merchants at the Civic/Convention Center, $15 admission, with the money going to the Sophienburg history museum. Being indoors, it's the safe bet for a cold or rainy weekend. The same weekend, Gruene Market Days brings nearly 100 makers to the historic district, free to browse.

In San Antonio itself, the biggest pre-Thanksgiving show is the Christmas Showcase at the Freeman Coliseum on November 21–22: more than 300 vendors, $15 online and free for kids 16 and under. A week earlier, Vintage Market Days at the Rose Palace (November 13–15) is the place for antiques and handmade one-offs.

Thanksgiving weekend

Dickens on Main turns downtown Boerne into a Christmas street festival on November 27–28. It has two market areas open from noon to 9 pm, Santa, snow slides for kids and the town tree lighting on Friday evening. Expect it to be busy on a holiday weekend, so go early in the day if shopping is the main goal.

December

In the city, the Pearl runs a Holiday Night Market on four Wednesday evenings, December 2, 9, 16 and 23, from 5 to 9 pm. That suits anyone who works weekends or needs a last-minute gift. In New Braunfels, Wassailfest on Thursday, December 3, is a downtown evening of hot wassail and late shopping, and Gruene Market Days returns on December 5–6. The same weekend, Boerne's Weihnachts Weekend has a ticketed Stocking Stroll through 19 downtown shops and the Weihnachts Parade on Saturday evening. Stocking Stroll tickets go on sale November 10 and are limited, so buy early.