Here are some things to know before you shimmy into the new year at the city’s official New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown San Antonio.
This year, much of the event is moving to the new Civic Park due to ongoing construction on South Alamo and Nueva streets, where the event’s main stage has lived in previous years.
Before people start “Dancing in the Streets,” here’s how to prepare whether you’re attending or not, since the San Antonio Parks Foundation’s CelebrateSA event will close some streets on Dec. 31 until the early morning hours of Jan. 1.
CelebrateSA is a citywide celebration that dates back to the early 1990s. It’s one of the biggest events of the year, bringing about 75,000 people to downtown San Antonio. People wait in anticipation for the clock to strike midnight, when a 15-minute firework show begins.
The main footprint of the events is on Market Street, east of South Alamo to the Grand Hyatt.
New Year’s Eve street closures
Market Street will close at 6 a.m. on Dec. 31. The celebration on Market Street will close streets between Alamo Street and Bowie Street. There will also be lane closures between Alamo Street and Losoya Street. Streets are expected to reopen at 7 a.m. on Jan. 1, if the fire marshal gives the all-clear. Some streets may open earlier.
A temporary two-way on Bowie and Market Streets will provide access to the Marriott Riverwalk and Grand Hyatt hotels.
Market Street will also close at Presa Street, so eastbound Market Street traffic will be diverted south on St. Mary’s or north on Navarro. Access to the Hilton Hotel will be permitted.
Northbound Presa will also close at Nueva street, and all traffic will be directed east or west on Nueva street.
Eastbound lanes of Market Street at Navarro Street will close around 5 p.m. or earlier, depending on traffic. Northbound lanes of Alamo Street at Nueva Street will also close, forcing traffic west on Nueva. Commerce Street and Loyosa Street
Eastbound Nueva Street will be forced southbound at South Alamo Street.
Firework fallout closures will also prompt street closures at 11 p.m. or earlier, depending on traffic. Southbound IH-37 at Cesar Chavez, northbound IH-37 at Commerce, and Cesar Chavez Street from IH 37 to Alamo Streets will close.
Parking for CelebrateSA’s ‘Dancing in the Streets’
The Martinez Parking Lot downtown will be the designated rideshare location people should use if being dropped off or picked up. It is located on the Southwest corner of Cesar Chávez and South Alamo streets and at Cesar Chávez and South Presa Street.
You can view a map of parking locations here. But here’s a cheat sheet of other parking options to walk the minimal distance possible:
- The Convention Center Garage on Bowie Street
- The St. Mary’s Garage on Travis Street
- The City Tower Garage on Commerce Street- Free Sunday until midnight
- Houston Street Garage
- Travis Park Garage
- Hemisfair Garage- First 30 minutes free
- Riverbend Parking Garage
- Rivercenter Parking Garage
- CPS Parking Garage on Navarro Street
- Nueva Street surface lots
“We encourage people to arrive early to claim their spot on the lawn [at Civic Park], because we do anticipate that it will fill up quickly,” said Libby Day, director of communications for the San Antonio Parks Foundation. And bring blankets instead of lawn chairs, she said.
But do not arrive to the event earlier than 6 p.m., Day said: CelebrateSA areas will remain closed until 6 p.m.
No outside food or beverages will be allowed at Civic Park or at the Arneson River Theatre satellite event, so don’t bring your coolers or ice chests, she added.
A portion of for-sale drinks like beer, wine and spirits will benefit the nonprofit San Antonio Parks Foundation, so leave early and plan your ride ahead of time if you plan on drinking, Day said.
“It’s obviously a very special, very special occasion and a really kind of momentous step forward for the Parks Foundation to be able to program this new beautiful urban green space that we have in Civic Park,” she said.
Civic Park will transform into a “disco picnic” as more people dance along Market Street, she said. More than 30 local food vendors will sell items like chicken on a stick, corn in a cup, turkey legs, agua frescas, gourmet Mexican hot dogs, churros, egg rolls, barbecue and more. Vendors will accept cards or cash.
CelebrateSA on the River, a related event, will not be connected to Market Street, as organizers planned amenities so that pedestrians won’t have to walk back and forth between the two areas.
Those who don’t plan on attending in-person can watch main stage entertainment and firework countdown live on News4 or on Telemundo 60, which will be showing its annual Bienvenido 2024 national special.
“Come with a smile and a good attitude and be ready to dance and ring in the new year with [your] community,” Day said.
