The boys and I made the trek from Boerne to Retama Park last night. After the adventure of the late-5:00 traffic through north San Antonio, we spent the evening enjoying the beautiful weather and festival!
Most of the event had transformed the parking lot and surrounding grounds into a magical winter wonderland!
A large part of it was the lantern and lights display… dozens of unique and colorful sculptures made out of papers that are used in the ancient Chinese lantern tradition. It was a beautiful East meets West celebration! The displays ranged from Chinese, to North Pole, to Wild West, to dinosaurs, to under the sea themes. Some with movements. All with a little awe factor. (I loved the dinosaurs. Our favorite was definitely Lady Liberty.)
We quickly made our way to the carnival. Excited that all the rides were included with our entry fee, we made our way from ride to ride… and even got some pics from the top of the ferris wheel.
Inside the main building was a marketplace, snack bars, a performance stage, and Santa.
And then we spent some time out in the courtyard. Had some fun watching everyone else ride the mechanical bull. From food trucks, we enjoyed kettle corn and a funnel cake. Carolers sang under the Christmas tree. And the kiddos played in the snow!
A very fun evening!
Want tips or more info?
The line to get in was long. It did move fairly quickly. But purchasing the tickets online would have saved us some time.
It will cost you $10 to park. And then tickets are $26 for adults, $21 for kids 6-17 years old. But you don’t have to worry about buying tickets for all of the carnival rides (they’re included with your entry fee!).
The event goes on every night through January 8th, 5:30 to 11:00. But the event keeps going until 1:00 am on New Year’s Eve… for their casino-themed party and The Highway 87 South Band.
Tell friends, take friends! Don’t forget your camera! Share pics; tag the event! And enjoy!!!