SAN ANTONIO — So you've hung up your shiny new 2023 calendar, and are thrown off by the abundance of blank dates... we've been there.
Like any good parent, sibling or partner, you get to work flipping through and filling them in. Birthdays? Check. Upcoming trips? Check. Doctor's appointments? Check. Tax day? Check.
Even after all that, you might still be looking for other events to mark. You're in luck. If you're particularly excited about what San Antonio will have to offer in the world of arts and entertainment this year, you've come to the right place.
Read on for our picks of the 23 exhibits, festivals and shows you should mark on your calendars.
1.
Having been on hiatus since 2019, the Briscoe's family-friendly Wild West Wildlife Festival makes its post-pandemic return in early 2023, bringing crafts, storytelling and demonstrations to the downtown museum. Admission is free for the second-ever edition of the festival.
Scheduled for Jan. 21 at the Briscoe Western Art Museum (210 West Market St.). Free to attend.
2.
It ain't just too good to be true... American pop legend Frankie Valli will perform at downtown's Majestic Theatre at the end of January, bringing along the current iteration of his Four Seasons group to play some of the most iconic songs of the last 70 years. Oh what a niiight it's expected to be for those who go.
Scheduled for Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Majestic (224 East Houston St.). Tickets start at $45.
3.
February will bring a historical celebration to the northwest side's Centro Cultural Aztlan. On Feb. 2 it will recognize the 175th anniversary of the end of the Mexican-American War with "Segundo de Febrero," a collection of exhibits rooted in Latino identity and the evolution of border issues.
Scheduled for Feb. 2 at Centro Cultural Aztlan (1800 Fredericksburg Road). Follow el centro for more information.
4.
The International Anime Music Festival, a country-hopping rave featuring popular VTubers and impressive special effects, will stop by San Antonio in its debut year. Among the headliners: the superstar AI musician #kzn and virtual duo HIMEHINA. It's unlikely to be like many other musical festivals you've been to before, and not only because the performers technically aren't real.
Scheduled for Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. at the Tech Port Center + Arena. Tickets are on sale now.
5.
A deep-dive into ancient Roman art a decade in the making, "Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii" will bring massive paintings, sculptures and mosaics to the San Antonio Museum of Art this spring. According to museum officials, some of the works will be on public display for the first time.
Runs from Feb. 24 to May 21 at the San Antonio Museum of Art (200 West Jones Ave.). Free with museum admission.
6.
The sculptural work of north Texas native Nancy Rubins – who built her reputation by using everything from appliances to spare airplane parts to construct her eye-catching installations – will be celebrated at Southtown's Ruby City gallery. The day will include an interactive physics demo courtesy of Trinity University, as well as an aerial performance.
Scheduled for March 18 at Ruby City Sculpture Garden (150 Camp St.). Free to attend. Follow Ruby City online for more information.
7.
Her newest album regarded by the New York Times as "a self-aware descent into melancholy, boozy depths," Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah is set to bring her brand of alt-rock-meets-roots music to the west side for a March performance sure to entrance.
Scheduled for March 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35.
8.
The only thing better than free movies? Free movies under warm South Texas skies in the heart of San Antonio. The H-E-B Cinema on Will's Plaza series continues this spring as it does every year, giving families a chance to get together, munch on some popcorn and enjoy some (projected) big-screen magic downtown. Upcoming this spring: "Annie," "Hidden Figures" and "Encanto."
Various evenings this spring at Will Naylor Smith River Walk Plaza (just outside the Tobin Center). Free to attend.
9.
The current Broadway in San Antonio season is just getting into full swing, with major musicals to please every kind of theatre fan on the slate for the coming months. It kicks off with a musical take on the Julia Roberts hit "Pretty Woman" this month and continues with "Aladdin," "Hairspray" and "Chicago" down the road.
Various days this spring at the Majestic (224 East Houston St.). Find more information here.
10.
The wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'... so too does it keep on rolling for classic rock group Journey, who will bring their Freedom Tour to town. When the lights go down in the AT&T Center on April 4, fans will be greeted not just by the hit-makers behind "Don't Stop Believin,'" "Separate Ways" and countless other tunes, but "Africa" rockers "Toto" as well.
Scheduled for April 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the AT&T Center (1 AT&T Center Parkway). Tickets on sale now.
11.
A raucous concert of a different kind will unfold just a few days after Journey's visit over at the Tobin Center. That's where Stomp – the long-running group of garbage-can-banging, broom-swishing, heart-rate-elevating, high-flying performers who blur the line between music and acrobatics – will bring their current tour, sure to put on a spectacle worthy of their name over two nights.
Scheduled for April 7 and 8 at the Tobin Center (100 Auditorium Circle). Tickets start at $27.60.
12.
San Antonio knows it, San Antonio loves it, San Antonio can't live without it... and on April 20, Fiesta will return to the Alamo City, bringing family fun, parades and savory chicken-on-a-stick. The city's biggest party draws millions of people every year across a robust slate of events, including Night in Old San Antonio, Oyster Bake, Fiesta Fiesta and the Battle of Flowers Parade.
Runs April 20 to April 30 across San Antonio. Find more information here.
13.
San Antonio's cherished Woodlawn Theatre will make a big movie this year, relocating from its Fredericksburg Road home to the Medical Center area, where it will take over the site of the now-closed Santikos Bijou theater. The curtains will drop on its current location with performances of "Ragtime" and "Newsies Jr." before it debuts its new space with a production of "Grease."
"Ragtime" opens March 3, "Newsies Jr." opens May 4 at Woodlawn Theatre (1920 Fredericksburg Road). Find more information here.
14.
The Children's Ballet of San Antonio for just the second time will perform the drama and romance of "Sleeping Beauty" as part of its 2023 lineup. The show is expected to feature a massive cast of 200 of the city's most talented youth performers.
Scheduled for May 12 and May 13 at various times at the Majestic (224 East Houston St.). Find more information here.
15.
The city's biggest venue will also host one of the biggest contemporary American alternative rock bands in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose San Antonio stop in May will account for one of just two Texas dates on their latest tour. The Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will perform alongside Thundercat and another turn-of-the-century rock mainstay, The Strokes.
Scheduled for May 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Alamodome (100 Montana St.). Tickets are on sale now.
16.
Just in time for summer excursions, downtown's Witte Museum will invite families to meet its own family of big-toothed, bone-crushing Tyrannosaurs, showcasing the predators in all their glory.
Opens May 27 at the Witte (3801 Broadway St.). Free with museum admission. Find more information here.
17.
The submissions process is now open for the 2023 edition of CineFestival, which touts itself as the longest-running Latino film festival in the country. Taking place at Guadalupe Theater but potentially expanding this year, it's a showcase for dozens of films from all cinematic levels—San Antonio-based directors, Hollywood filmmakers and everyone in between.
Runs July 12 to July 16 at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (723 South Brazos St.). Find more information here.
18.
The Briscoe will once again pay homage to all things wild and all things west with its National Day of the Cowboy celebration. Set for July 24, the community event includes everything from live music and craftmaking to cooking demonstrations and the chance to unleash your inner cowpoke.
Scheduled for July 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Briscoe Western Art Museum (210 West Market St.). Free with museum admission.
19.
Some things never change in San Antonio. Tim Duncan is the GOAT. We don't tolerate temperatures below 40. And Blue Star continues to be the place to be on the first Friday of each month.
Rebranded as Contemporary at Blue Star just in time for the new year, the Southtown arts-and-eats district always seems to have new exhibits opening. The best way to stay on top of them is their website or Facebook page, but among their spring showcases is the solo exhibit "Songs of Resilience from the Tapestry of Faith," which explores identity and belonging through the artist's take on scifi and fantasy.
Runs Feb. 3 to May 7 at Contemporary at Blue Star. Find more information here.
20.
Calling all cosplayers! In 2023 downtown will play host to what's expected to be a massive gathering of pop culture aficionados at the San Japan Anime Convention, "the largest anime and gaming convention in South Texas." In addition to the artists and gamers who will be on hand, the multiday September event will showcase live music, a car show and guests set to be announced soon.
Scheduled for Sept. 1 to Sept. 3 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (900 East Market St.). Tickets on sale now.
21.
A few short weeks after San Japan departs, the annual Big Texas Comicon will return to the Gonzalez Convention Center for more autograph-signing, cosplaying action. One of the biggest events of its kind, the 2022 event drew the likes of Matthew Lillard, Mario Lopez and Anthony Michael Hall to the Alamo City. Keep an eye on the convention's website for 2023 guest announcements.
Scheduled for Oct. 6 to Oct. 8 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (900 East Market St.). Find more information here.
22.
The Queen of Country Pop, a.k.a. Shania Twain, is bringing her Queen of Me Tour to San Antonio later this fall. The Grammy winner is celebrating 40 years of performing in 2023 and the release of her sixth studio album, sure to bolster her status as the best-selling female artist in the long and storied history of country music.
Scheduled for Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the AT&T Center (1 AT&T Center Parkway). Tickets are on sale now.
23.
Just in time for Halloween, the McNay is set to explore the career and artistic influence of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" director Tim Burton via a fall exhibit showcasing interior set mock-ups and character models used in the iconic family film. The museum will turn into an arena of eccentric sights and peculiarities to get fully into the spooky-season spirit.
Exhibit opening date is TBD at the McNay Art Museum (6000 North New Braunfels Ave.).
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