Schertz Holidazzle 2026: Your Guide to December 5 Events

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Schertz runs four holiday events in about 12 hours. Most of them share one address, and the fourth one travels to that address. Breakfast with Santa and the Kris Kringle Market are inside the Schertz Civic Center at 1400 Schertz Parkway. Holiday Hoopla is at the Johnie McDow Sports Complex, which Community Impact has described as sitting behind the Municipal Complex. The Festival of Angels Parade leaves Pickrell Park at 6 p.m. and finishes on Community Circle Drive, the same street as Hoopla.

That layout makes Holidazzle simpler than its schedule looks. You don't need a route from venue to venue. You need to decide when to arrive, where to leave the car, and what to do with the hour between the market closing and Hoopla opening.

The day, by the clock

All of these times come from the city's Fall 2026/Winter 2027 Parks & Recreation brochure.

The breakfast sessions are closer together this year. In 2023 they ran at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to Community Impact. The 2026 brochure lists 8 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. That puts the last seating 30 minutes after the market opens in the same building. If you book 10:30, you'll walk out of breakfast into a market that is already running.

The breakfast is the one event with a cap. The brochure says capacity per session is limited, and the city takes registrations through its online system at schertz.com/CivicRec, at the Parks and Recreation office at 10 Commercial Place, Building 1, or by phone at (210) 619-1850. Seats are not always gone early. In late November 2024, Community Impact reported that nearly 30 slots were still open for the 8 a.m. session. Still, the city frames registration as first come, first served, and the earliest seating is the easiest to plan a whole day around.

In both 2023 and 2024, the pancakes and sausage came from Abel's Diner. The 2026 brochure promises pancakes, sausage, milk and juice. It doesn't name a caterer.

Park once, because everything comes back to 1400 Schertz Parkway

Since the Civic Center, the Municipal Complex and the sports complex are all on one campus, one parking spot can cover the whole day. In 2023 the city directed parking for every Holidazzle activity to the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex at 1400 Schertz Parkway and along Buffalo Drive. The city's official listing for 2025 put the entire day at that same address. Those are prior-year arrangements. The 2026 details will be posted on the city's Holidazzle page.

Timing matters more than location. In 2023, KSAT reported that roads on the parade route started closing at 4 p.m. Major roads began closing at 5 p.m., and every road on the route was closed by 5:30 p.m. The city's 2022 route notice gave the same 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. times. If 2026 follows that pattern, you won't be able to drive in once Hoopla is in full swing. People who park during the market or the 3 o'clock lull won't have to deal with the closures.

What to do with the hour from 3 to 4

The market closes at 3 p.m. and Hoopla opens at 4. If you leave your car where it is and spend that hour close by, you'll be back on campus before the roads start closing.

A few stops are a short trip away.

• Howzit Hawaiian Kitchen, 1420 Schertz Parkway, Suite 290, is next door to the campus. It describes itself as family-owned and lists Saturday hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., so it's open the whole afternoon and through the parade. Howzit's own site has the menu and takeout details.
• Americana Coffee & Espresso Bar, 816 Main St., Suite G, lists Saturday hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on its website. It sits on Main Street, which past parades have followed.
• A Chicago Bite, 820 Main St., is next door to Americana. Community Impact reported that it held its ribbon cutting in September 2025, with a menu of Chicago-style fare, catfish, wings, burgers and pizza puffs. Check its Saturday hours before you go.

The two Main Street stops are in old downtown, near Pickrell Park, where the parade starts. That's handy if a family member is riding on a float. If you're watching from the finish line, they mean driving away from the campus during the hour before the closures begin.

Hoopla's clock is set by the parade

Santa is at Holiday Hoopla until 5:30 p.m., and the parade starts at 6. So the useful part of Hoopla for families who want Santa photos is the first 90 minutes. In 2023, Community Impact described photos with Santa as running "before the start of the parade." If you got Santa photos at breakfast, you can skip that line and spend the time on the hill.

The hill is Mt. Schertz, and the 2026 brochure says it's coming back. In 2024, city staff built it as a snow hill for sledding. In 2020, the San Antonio Express-News's MySA described it as a tube-sledding hill. Recent Holidazzles also had an ice rink, but this year's brochure lists Santa, Mt. Schertz, "festive activities" and treats. Plan around the hill and treat anything else as a bonus.

Hoopla runs until 8 p.m., two hours past the parade start. You don't have to pick one or the other. Watch the parade from Community Circle Drive, then go back to the hill as the crowd moves on.

The parade route, and the street under it

The Festival of Angels is a lighted nighttime parade that leaves Pickrell Park, at 703 Oak St., at 6 p.m. When MySA covered it in 2020, the route ran along Main Street to Schertz Parkway and then turned onto Community Circle Drive. The 2026 brochure gives the same start and finish, so the floats begin near old downtown and end at the campus where you've spent the day. The brochure says anyone can enter or watch at no cost. In 2020, MySA reported 30 to 40 entries, compared with the usual 60 to 70. That was a pandemic year, so the higher figure is the better guide to how long a normal parade runs.

Main Street will look the same this December, though the city plans to rebuild it. A project update presented to Schertz City Council on Oct. 13, 2026, lists the Main Street Improvements Project as still in design. It's estimated at $25,880,893, with completion projected for fall 2028. The plan covers new sidewalks, street lighting, wayfinding signs, landscaping, replacement water and sewer mains, and a fully reconstructed street. Lindbergh between Main and Exchange will also be rebuilt. According to the update, city staff expected to start public outreach and easement acquisition by the end of this year. In December 2025, City Council also approved acquiring the property at 710 Main St. for the revitalization effort, as Community Impact reported. Because the project is still in design, the Main Street that past parades have followed hasn't changed yet.

Three dates before Dec. 5

Holidazzle is the biggest day on the city's fall calendar, but a few smaller events come first.

1. Power Wheels Derby, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 to 5 p.m., on Community Circle Drive, where the parade ends. It's for ages 3 to 5, costs $15 per entry, and check-in starts at 1:30 p.m. Racers bring their own stock Power Wheels and have to wear helmets.
2. Schertz Hometown Harvest, Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Pickrell Park Large Pavilion. This free farmers market offers produce, handmade goods and food vendors.
3. Deck the City Hall, Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. This free tree lighting at City Hall also lights up the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex, with music, hot cocoa and light snacks. It's on the same campus two days before Holidazzle, so a Thursday visit is a low-key way to scout the parking before Saturday.

Watch the city's Holidazzle page for 2026 road closures, parking directions and parade entry forms as Dec. 5 gets closer. In past years the city has posted vendor and parade registration there.

Knowing the city and its calendar is part of what I do for clients in Schertz and across the northeast side, whether you're happily settled or starting to think about what comes next. When you'd like a candid conversation about either, JoHelen Clark is glad to help. Let's Connect.