BUMPER SEASON
Downtown Thursdays brings free summer parking and fun to San Antonio

San Antonio will offer free downtown parking on Thursdays through the summer.
The burial mound of dirty laundry is growing, the supply of Meal Simple salads is depleting, and you still haven’t processed that Euphoria finale. Getting to San Antonio’s central core on a Tuesday is difficult in the summer, but the city has responded by launching Downtown Thursdays, June 4 through August 27.
The new series replaces the city's long-running Downtown Tuesdays, shifting the free-parking-and-deals format to a later weeknight when downtown sees heavier foot traffic and when a next-day hangover is a lot easier to bear. The final free parking on Tuesday is May 26; Downtown Tuesdays returns September 2.
Each Thursday night will feature live entertainment, food and drink specials, outdoor programming, and events hosted by downtown partners including Centro, The Local, Hemisfair, Main Plaza, the Fairmount Hotel, the Majestic Theatre, and various downtown restaurants and bars.
Seasonal programming at Travis Park and Legacy Park is also part of the lineup, so stock up on sunscreen and neck fans. That includes two blowouts — a free kickoff block party at Legacy from 5-7 pm on June 4 and a second featuring live music from Fast Moving Train on June 25.
There are plenty of other things to do downtown during the season. La Villita is hosting its Dancing in the Dark salsa series the same night as the kickoff, offering free dance lessons in Maverick Plaza from 6-8 pm. The Alamo Kiwanis' annual Fiesta Noche del Rio cultural performance series begins June 5 at Arneson River Theatre, running Fridays and Saturdays through August 1. And Market Square's weekend programming returns every Saturday and Sunday in June.
San Antonio food fanatics will want to stop by downtown’s ever-growing lineup of new bars and restaurants, like the brand-new Chama Gaucha and Bamboosh. Daytime revelers will want to stop by Houston Street’s Majestic Theatre from 11 am-2 pm on June 4 and June 18 for Lunch Break — a lineup of local food trucks and live musicians.
During Downtown Thursdays, free parking at city-owned facilities runs from 5 pm-2 am on Thursday. The parking map is online for easy reference. Once parked, The Local SATX microtransit system will offer free rides between downtown destinations.
