A new year is upon us. And if ever there were a time to celebrate such an opportunity for renewal and resolve, it’s on the heels of the universally awful past couple years.

So, put on your dancing shoes and party hats, San Antonio. It’s time to ring in 2022 with Celebrate SA, the city’s official New Year’s Eve celebration, which returns to San Antonio on Friday, December 31.

The annual street party, which was relegated to a virtual version last year, thanks to the pandemic, is back in full force this year, with the entire downtown area vibrating with gussied up revelers (as many as 70,000 partygoers annually attend) eager to celebrate with the live music and entertainment, and one of the most spectacular fireworks extravaganzas around.

The event, which is produced by the San Antonio Parks Foundation and the City of San Antonio, runs from 6 pm-midnight on New Year’s Eve. It is free and open to the public.

The live music and fireworks portions of the event take place on Alamo Street, La Villita Way, and at Hemisfair between Market Street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

This year’s live entertainment on the Hemisfair stage includes performances from DJ Catwalk, R&B artist Andria Rose, and high-energy party band Mélange, which will close out the festivities, rocking favorite tunes for 200 minutes straight.

The Arneson River Theatre stage along the River Walk, which will be aglow in festive holiday lighting, will also feature live entertainment. And the Vibe Stage, located at the corner of Villita Way and South Alamo Street will host DJ Xavier the Freakin’ Rican of Univision’s Vibe 107.5 FM.

Additionally, since 2021 marked the San Antonio Parks Foundation’s 40th anniversary, the theme for the New Year’s Eve festivities is 40 Years of Parks, and the organization will show a big-screen presentation of the San Antonio and Bexar County park programming that has been produced in the last four decades.

“We are grateful we can once again come together to celebrate! Returning to downtown with the support of our partners is a wonderful way to ring in the new year,” says Mary Jane Verette, CEO and president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation. “We look forward to building on our 40th year with transformative park projects and public programming for years to come. It’s such an honor for us to continue to organize this celebration year after year.”

The event is family-friendly and will include a carnival at the corner of South Alamo Street and César E. Chávez Boulevard that will feature games, rides, and attractions for all ages.

And South Alamo Street and La Villita Way will be lined with local food and artisan vendor booths offering a variety of eats and arty treats. (As always, make sure to secure a sober ride home.)

Of course, the night will be topped off with a communal countdown to midnight, followed by the much-anticipated fireworks show.

“The City of San Antonio looks forward to welcoming all of San Antonio and our visitors to downtown for this annual celebration,” says John Jacks, director of the Center City Development and Operations department. “A Texas-sized thank you to our teams for working together to produce a safe and fun event for the community.”

For more info about the New Year’s Eve celebration, visit the park foundation’s website.