HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

Festive holiday village lights ups San Antonio's La Villita

The gingerbread house contest is a highlight of Holidays in the Village.

La Villita Historic Arts Village’s Maverick Plaza will be transformed into an Alsatian village December 12-14, thanks to the students and instructors of St. Philip’s College. The free annual Holiday in the Village promises hands-on experiences, festive markets, and interactive holiday activities for locals of all ages.

Guests can meet Santa in a giant sleigh constructed by St. Philip’s Trade School students, while snow drifts around the village, creating a festive photo backdrop. Kids can also decorate cookies, make tamales with famed local chef Johnny Hernandez, or join a free piñata-making workshop.

Alamo Colleges Culinary Arts students will strut their stuff through the annual Gingerbread Building Competition. The towering edible structures pay homage to iconic San Antonio buildings — and, more importantly, can earn the future chefs scholarships and prizes.

The weekend-long event also includes a festive market offering handcrafted gifts, artisanal treats, and seasonal specialties. Hot cocoa, warming treats, and other seasonal sips will be available throughout the village, including at Maverick Coffee and the Kitchen Campus outdoor kitchen. Live music and special performances add to the Yuletide charm.

“We’re proud that our enchanting St. Philip’s Holiday Village will stand in the same historic neighborhood where St. Philip’s College was founded,” says Hernandez. “This has been a wonderful hands-on learning experience, and the buildings, styled after 1600s Alsatian cottages, and Santa’s giant new sleigh will be a charming cornerstone of this year’s Holiday in the Village.”

Holiday in the Village runs December 12-14 at La Villita Historic Arts Village. Hours are Friday, 2-8 pm; Saturday, 10-8 pm; and Sunday, 10-6 pm.

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let loose satx

San Antonio snags spot on new list of America’s most fun cities

Photo by Cesira Alvarado on Unsplash

Visiting the Japanese Tea Garden is one of the many fun (and free) things to do in San Antonio.

San Antonio's fun entertainment and nightlife scenes have helped the city improve in WalletHub's just-released ranking of the most fun American cities in 2025. Alamo City now stands tall as the 23rd most fun U.S. city this year.

WalletHub's "Most Fun Cities in America (2025)" study compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics — spanning from the number of sports venues, music venues, and shopping centers per capita to the average cost for a restaurant meal — to determine how "fun" each city is. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

Las Vegas, Nevada continued its multi-year streak as the No. 1 most fun American city.

Across the three key dimensions, San Antonio scored the highest for its costs rank (No. 14), but its nightlife and parties (No. 24) and entertainment and recreation ranks (No. 33) still have room for improvement. But overall, San Antonio's level of "fun" is far higher than most U.S. cities.

San Antonio's current "fun" status is two spots higher than its 2024 rank as the 25th most fun American city, which it had held on to for two years in a row.

Texas' most fun cities
Houston overtook Austin as the 6th most fun city in America and the No. 1 most fun Texas city for 2025. Austin, which ranked No. 6 last year, dropped two spots and now ranks No. 8 on the list.

Other Texas cities that appeared in the top 100 include: Dallas (No. 26), Fort Worth (No. 60), El Paso (No. 62), Arlington (No. 71), Plano (No. 78), and Corpus Christi (No. 94).

"The decision of where to live could save or cost you a lot of money and fun, so it’s fair to wonder what makes a fun city," the report's author wrote. "In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, family, or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together."

Surprisingly, both Chicago and New York City dropped out of the top 10 most fun American cities. Chicago now ranks as No. 11, and New York City ranks 14th on the list.

WalletHub's top 10 most fun U.S. cities in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Austin, Texas
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Cincinnati, Ohio

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