Summer Events in San Antonio

Now that summer has arrived, it's time to take advantage of the daylight hours and enjoy the events and festivals that San Antonio has to offer. From outdoor concerts to cultural celebrations, there's plenty to do in the city. Check out some of these wonderful events taking place right in your own background: 

All throughout the summer, the San Antonio tradition of Fiesta Noche Del Rio takes place, featuring Mexican, Spanish, Argentine and Texan song and dance performances on Friday and Saturday nights at the River Walk's Arneson River Theatre.

The grand opening of the Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation South Texas Heritage Center is at the end of May, but you can take the tour any time after. The center provides a permanent home for exhibitions and collections about the early days of the Rio Grande when Spanish explorers first arrived in South Texas, continuing on to the birth of the American Cowboy.

On the first weekend in June, the San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival will return for the ninth year. The free three-day event has a great lineup of local jazz artists, regional foods, and arts and crafts fair. The following weekend is the Texas Folklife Festival, hosted at the Institute of Texan Cultures in HemisFair Park. Over 40 ethnic groups gather together to showcase authentic food, music, dance, and crafts.

Juneteenth – on June 19 – will celebrate the day Texas freed slaves after receiving word of the Emancipation Proclamation. A picnic, festival, and Freedom Fair commemorate the events. For traditionalists, the Fourth of July Celebration is just around the corner, with fireworks for Independence Day, plus Freedom Fest at Market Square.

If you've been waiting to dine out, take advantage of Culinaria: Restaurant Week 2012. Look online to find great deals at top local restaurants in San Antonio. If you miss the first weekend in June, then go in July to the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival, which has been running for 16 years on Friday evenings at the Wonderland of the Americas Amphitheater.

In August, come see over 90 canoe teams compete in the FORD Canoe Challenge. From local Boy and Girl Scout troops to San Antonio city officials, celebrities, and corporate teams, everyone is paddling out to win that weekend.

Lastly, the summer ends with the kickoff of football season. The Texas Football Classic pairs off ten of the top high school football teams in the state – many which have already gone to the state championships – to compete at the Alamodome. Past schools have played in state championships, so get ready to see future NFL quarterbacks and running backs fight to get the ball into the end zone.

Author Bio:

Nadia Osman – Based in Los Angeles, Nadia writes travel articles for websites and blogs, as well as home furnishings and appliances such as a San Antonio home watersoftener company.