How to Plan a Corporate Holiday Party in San Antonio

The short answer: Get a headcount range and a per guest budget approved first, then lock a date and a backup, ideally a Thursday or a January night if December weekends are gone. Tour two or three venues with the same ten questions, settle who handles the TABC side of drinks, pick stations over a seated dinner for most work crowds, and write a run of show two weeks out.

The course

1. Set the budget and the headcount: How to get a holiday party budget approved before you shop venues: a headcount range, a per guest number and the math that makes it easy to say yes.
2. Pick your date and neighborhood: The December calendar in San Antonio, why weeknights and January work, how drive times shape turnout and how the neighborhoods near downtown compare.
3. Tour venues like a planner: How to tour holiday party venues in San Antonio: when to go, what to look at and the ten questions to ask on every walkthrough before you pay a deposit.
4. Alcohol and the TABC: Private versus public events in Texas, when you can bring your own drinks, who pours them and who carries the TABC responsibility at a company holiday party.
5. Food that works for a work crowd: Stations versus a seated dinner for a company holiday party, how to collect dietary needs, when to bring food out and how catering works at The Gallery.
6. Entertainment, photos and gifts: What is worth paying for at a company holiday party: music, a photo wall, a photographer, a short toast and gifts people keep, and what you can skip.
7. The final two weeks: The last two weeks before a company holiday party: the run of show, final headcount, load in, the day of plan and a sample evening timeline.

Questions people ask

How far ahead should we book a corporate holiday party in San Antonio?

For a December Friday or Saturday, start in late summer or early fall. If you are starting later, look at Thursdays, other weeknights or January, which are easier to book.

How much does a corporate holiday party cost per person?

It depends on the format. At The Gallery on Montana, holiday packages run $69, $99 and $149 per guest with a $2,500 minimum, and a 30 percent deposit holds the date. See the holiday parties page for what each package includes.

Can we bring our own alcohol?

At The Gallery, private parties can bring their own drinks, poured by a TABC-certified bartender. Events that are not private need a licensed TABC server, which we provide. Bar service is also available through our licensed vendor partners.

Can we bring our own caterer?

Yes. Visage, our partner across the street, builds holiday menus, and you can also bring your own licensed caterer.

How many people fit at The Gallery on Montana?

35 seated or up to 100 standing inside, with 12 more on the porch, 25 on the patio and 50 to 60 in the yard.

What if it rains or gets cold?

Rain moves the party inside, already styled. On a cold night a tent and heaters go over the yard.

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About The Gallery on Montana

A curated event space, photo and film location, and vintage gallery at 701 Montana Street on the East Side of San Antonio, one block from the Alamodome. Built around a twenty year collection of vintage furniture and objects, rented by the hour or the day for photo shoots, private dinners, podcasts, workshops and pop-up markets.

Capacity: 35 seated indoors, 12 on the porch, 25 on the patio under the art arch, 50 to 60 in the yard, and up to 100 standing inside.

The Gallery on Montana, 701 Montana St, San Antonio, TX 78203. Events, shoots and meetings book on our booking page. Explore: Home · The space · Private events · Holiday parties · Weddings · Photo and video shoots · Workshops · Planning guides · Book a tour