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Downtown San Antonio Shines Brighter Than Ever with the Second Annual Holidays on Houston Street!

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Holidays on Houston Street in Downtown San Antonio returned bigger and brighter, bringing expanded lights, festive décor, local vendors, and holiday cheer along its historic corridor.

Houston Street Shines Bright for Holidays!

The second annual Holidays on Houston Street in Downtown San Antonio was even bigger and brighter, packed with more festivities, activities and holiday cheer for all. Set along one of the city’s most historic and charming corridors, Holidays on Houston Street kicked off on November 29, 2024.

The City of San Antonio, Centro San Antonio and Visit San Antonio once again came together to bring extra holiday sparkle to five blocks of Houston Street, from Broadway to Legacy Park. Building on the success of 2023’s festivities, which featured 393,000 LED multi-color lights draped across 79 trees, spanning over 134,000 linear feet, this second annual event brought even more twinkling lights and oversized holiday décor. 

Holidays on Houston Marquee EventS

Night of Lights: Holidays on Houston Street Kickoff

Friday, November 29, 2024

Ford Holiday River Parade Total Visitation
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Local Visitors: 34% | Non-Locals: 66%
Top Zip Codes: 78254, 78245, 78242, 78228, 94043

Travis Park Lighting Total Visitation
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Local Visitors: 34% | Non-Locals: 66%
Top Zip Codes: 78254, 78245, 78242, 78228, 94043

Local Visitors: 74% | Non-Locals: 26%
Top Zip Codes: 78207, 78201, 78223, 78245, 78237

Holidays on Houston Street officially kicked off with a series of lighting activations that included Travis Park tree lighting, the lighting of the Riverwalk, Houston Street, as well a new addition in lighting the Por Vida mural, located at the corner of Houston Street and Navarro Street.

A Taste of Holidays on Houston Street

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

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A Taste of Holidays on Houston Street enhanced the event with a rich culinary experience, offering guests a chance to explore the diverse and unique flavors of Houston Street's renowned restaurants. New for the 2025 season, the experience expanded to include a cocktail event, granting guests exclusive access to the historic Majestic Theatre's Starlight Suites.

Holiday Market Weekend

December 13-15, 2024

Houston St. & Travis Park Total Visitation
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Local Visitors: 42% | Non-Locals: 58%
Top Zip Codes: 78207, 78209, 78228, 78213, 78245

Average Vendor Sale: $2,250

A highlight of Holidays on Houston Street, Market Weekend offered guests the chance to explore a variety of local vendors featuring artisan-style gifts, live holiday entertainment, and an expanded footprint that now included Travis Park. This year’s market saw significant growth, with over 60 small and local businesses participating—an increase from the previous year.

Adding to the festive atmosphere, Friday and Saturday nights concluded with the dazzling Holiday Drone Lights in the Sky, creating magical moments for families to gather and take in the enchanting sights along the historic Houston Street promenade.

Holidays on Houston Street Fun Run and 5K

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

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Local Visitors: 78% | Non-Locals: 22%
Top Zip Codes: 78209, 28210, 78250, 78223, 78258

Kicking off and concluding at Travis Park, the Fun Run and 5K offered an engaging experience for both families and individual runners, providing a rare opportunity to race down historic Houston Street adorned in festive holiday décor.

Highlights along the route included a Santa cheering section, live snowmaking, and an illuminated path that enhanced the seasonal charm. The celebration continued with the Fun Run After Party, featuring additional vendors and a live performance by The Spazmatics.

Hot Holidays on Houston Street

Friday, December 20, 2024

Frost Paseo & Legacy Park Total Visitation
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Local Visitors: 69% | Non-Locals: 31%
Top Zip Codes: 78207, 78238, 75254, 78201, 78247

A fresh addition to Holidays on Houston Street, Hot Holidays on Houston Street brought a community favorite to life with a festive twist. Born from the San Antonio Coffee Festival, this event celebrated the season with an array of warm holiday beverages, including ciders, coffees, hot chocolates, and even festive libations.

Thank you to our sponsors for bringing Holidays on Houston Street to life!

Stay tuned for new and exciting sponsorship opportunities for the 2025 Holidays on Houston Street!

What events would you like to see on Holidays on Houston Street next year?

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Connie Garza

TACTICAL PLANNING COORDINATOR

Connie is a native San Antonian with roots planted deeply on San Antonio’s Southside. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Global Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Passionate about building strong communities, Connie loves acting as a connector to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and people to help each other reach their goals and work together. She works inbetween the Cultural Placemaking team and the Mainstreet Economic Development team, bringing vibrancy and support to urban core businesses to make downtown the place to be. When not at work, you can usually find her at the local plant nursery buying another plant, exploring new cafes/breweries, and spending time with family.

Priscilla Lopez

CHIEF OF STAFF

Priscilla or “P.Lo” as her teammates affectionately call her, has 20 years of corporate administrative experience. Priscilla attended The University of San Antonio with a focus on Business Administration. In her role as office “fixer,” she handles everything from communications and relationship management to IT sleuthing. On weekends you can find her enjoying a Truly poolside. She lives the vegan lifestyle and is  a proud member of the Peleton community.

Michael Cirlos

JEDI CAMERAMAN

Michael began his studies and volunteer work at Webster University Thailand with a focus on international relations and Buddhism. After returning to San Antonio and graduating from UTSA, Michael began photographing and telling the stories of people in Downtown San Antonio to help connect and increase awareness of our vibrant urban culture. Michael’s work has appeared in several news media organizations, and has produced digital content for small- and large-scale marketing campaigns for Red Bull, COSA Department of Arts and Culture, World Heritage Office, National Park Service, and others. Michael is a former Pecha Kucha San Antonio Speaker, best-selling author at Trinity University Press, entrepreneur, and adventurer.

JanIe Garza

OFFICE MANAGER

Janie is a native of Corpus Christi, TX and has made San Antonio her home since 2012. Her 15+ years’ experience allows her to serve a broad range of functions that allow the organization to operate efficiently, including, accounts receivable/payable, record management, information technology, office management, and assisting with human resources. Outside of the office she enjoys spending time with her family, visiting local art museums, and enjoying a German beer in Southtown.

Matt Sirgo

DIRECTOR OF STORYTELLING

Matt graduated from Texas Tech University in 2016 with a Dual Major in Media Strategies and Honors Arts & Letters with a minor in Italian (Benvenuto a tutti!). Matt oversees the marketing, public relations, and digital content for Centro. After sharing the story of Downtown San Antonio on digital channels, he enjoys creating TikToks about LGBTQ+ media. His mug graces a Fiesta Mural on the St. Mary’s Strip just north of Downtown. You can’t miss it. 

Elizabeth Burt

DIRECTOR OF URBAN ACTIVATION + PLAY

Liz is a passionate underutilized space evangelist known for collaboration matchmaking + play based troublemaking (snow, pumpkins, and Parisian mimes included). She graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Public Policy studying Public Administration (#BirdsUp)! More recently, she oversaw the award winning Activate Houston Street Initiative, a placemaking action plan to reinvigorate the historic pedestrian corridor in the heart of Downtown, which is recognized as a Best Practice in Public Space Management by the International Downtown Association, for which she is also a proud Emerging Leader Fellow.

Jacqueline Lucio

DIRECTOR OF DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE

Jacque is a longtime downtowner with a deep passion for community service. She oversees Centro’s Clean & Safe and Homeless Outreach services, which aim to create a more beautiful, welcoming, inclusive, and hospitable downtown. For nearly two decades, Jacque has lived in downtown San Antonio and has been actively involved in the transformation of the urban core. Through her work with nonprofits, local government, and news media, she’s continually focused on championing more sustainable, diverse, and equitable communities. Jacque has led efforts to support asylum seekers, served as communications director for City Council District 5, and served in public affairs role for Clear Channel Outdoor San Antonio. Jacque studied Mass Communications and Mexican-American Studies at UTSA.

Sarah Esserlieu Khalil

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Sarah is a passionate urbanist who has spent the majority of her career on downtown revitalization efforts. Downtown is the best part of any city where you can find the finest history, culture, life, and beauty. Sarah has a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of California, San DiegoSarah enjoys visiting small local businesses, enjoying foodie culture, cooking, hiking, and visiting the cities of the world. 

Andi Rodriguez

VICE PRESIDENT OF CULTURAL PLACEMAKING

Andi is a long-time urban champion and leads Centro ‘people projects which tell our stories and bring us joy, such as Centro’s Art Everywhere and Zona Cultural. Serving on the Leadership Council of Urban Land Institute, she is a former city Planning Commissioner, Founding Chair of the Hemisfair Conservancy, Co-founder of Power of Preservation/PROM, former Chair of the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women and immediate past Chair of Leadership San Antonio. Andi considers herself a servant leader; she has an MS in Architecture/Urban Planning, and enjoys advocating for the unifying power of art, history, and public space.

KANDICE PERKINS

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

Kandice is a Sunnyvale, CA native and has made San Antonio her home since 2014She graduated from University of Argosy in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and continued to complete her Master’s in Business Administration from University of Phoenix 2020. She has worked in downtown San Antonio for years, bringing 15+ years of accounting experience to the organization and has been tasked with promoting and developing the city’s urban core. When not at the office, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, managing her family’s businesses, and enjoys cooking and baking.  

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs 

TRISH DEBERRY

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Trish– aka Captain Marvel – believes that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes. With her intellect and a passion for making a difference, there is no doubt that Trish is built for speed and performance to find solutions to problems most find too vexing to conquer.  In fact, a Lamborghini has nothing on this force of nature.

A native San Antonian with a degree from Trinity University, Trish has a deep and abiding love for the Alamo City. She has led successful campaign initiatives for 25 years that have literally changed the landscape and face of the community.

Though Trish doesn’t have the ability to see the future like Captain Marvel, she has been called a visionary and wants to bring big ideas to bear regarding the future of downtown.

Before Trish became President/CEO of Centro San Antonio, she founded two full-service marketing and communications firms that she led for 20 years – both of which were headquartered in downtown.  She was also an active member of Centro during that time serving as board chair twice and providing leadership as the entity transformed from The Downtown Alliance to Centro San Antonio. 

When Trish isn’t blazing trails throughout the urban core, she is honing her superpowers of strength and agility on a bike at a spin studio – on pace for a remarkable 1,200 rides. We told you she was built for record-setting speed!  She’s also a supermom to her two kids Scott and Maddie who provide the fuel to her sparkle and non-stop energy.