When to book, and which part of town

San Antonio's holiday season runs on a short calendar. The River Walk lighting, the Ford Holiday River Parade and the lights downtown pull most of the city's party traffic into the first three weeks of December, and many venues book their December Fridays and Saturdays well in advance. If your company party is twenty to a hundred people, start looking in late summer or early fall. If you are reading this later than that, weeknights and early December Thursdays are your friend.

Free guide. First time planning one of these? Our free guide to planning a corporate holiday party walks you through it in seven short chapters, from budget and headcount to the TABC and the day of. It is free to read.

What December weather does to your plan

Weather here is not predictable. You can get a 75 degree afternoon one week and a hard cold front the next. Any venue with outdoor space is worth two questions: do they have heaters, and does everyone invited fit indoors if the cold lands on your date. Outdoor space you cannot use is just a nice photo on a website.

Picking a part of town

• Downtown and the River Walk: easiest for guests in hotels, busiest and usually priciest in December.
• Pearl and Broadway: walkable with restaurants nearby, fills early for small groups.
• Southtown and King William: historic buildings, good when the party should not feel like a conference room.
• Dignowity Hill and the near east side: a few minutes from downtown, quieter streets, more square footage per dollar.

Most teams want one of two things: somewhere close enough to downtown that nobody complains about the drive, or somewhere that does not look like every other office party. The near east side tends to give you both.

Course overview · Next: What a company holiday party costs here

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