Christmas Events Fill First Week of December in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo’s Christmas celebrations are set to fill the first week of December, with signature events scheduled across town, including Angelo State University’s annual tree lighting, the opening of the Concho Christmas Tour of Lights, the Lights of Christmas Parade, and the 44th year of Christmas at Old Fort Concho.

ASU will host its annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in front of the ASU Mayer Museum at 2501 W. Avenue N. Holiday activities begin at 4 p.m., with the official lighting taking place at sundown at approximately 6:30 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public.

Festivities at the ASU event include a Holiday Pops Concert by the ASU Symphony Orchestra, Chorale and Mariachi Los Pastores; a synthetic ice-skating rink; inflatable bounce houses; a caricature artist; a photo ornament station; and a variety of arts and crafts. Visitors can take photos with Santa and ASU mascots Roscoe, Bella and Dominic. Free refreshments, including cookies and hot chocolate, will be provided. December “Night at the Museum” activities will also take place inside the ASU Mayer Museum.

Cart shuttle service will run from the Health and Human Services Building and the Houston Harte University Center parking lots. For pedestrian safety, a one-block section of Johnson Street between West Avenue N and Vanderveer Avenue will be closed during the event. ASU’s 26-foot Christmas tree will remain on display through the holiday season.

Another event this week is the Concho Christmas Tour of Lights, which opens with a soft launch on Friday, Dec. 5, and will run nightly through Dec. 31. The 2.5-mile river display features more than three million lights. The drive-through route will operate from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. to midnight on weekends. Vehicles will enter at Bryant Boulevard and West 1st Street, and a suggested donation of $8 per vehicle will be collected.

The community tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, beginning at 5:15 p.m. in the parking lot near West Concho Avenue and South Chadbourne Street. The San Angelo Community Band and the Twin Mountain Tonesmen are listed as scheduled performers.

The Lights of Christmas Parade will also take place on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown San Angelo. Organizers expect approximately 85 entries. The parade route will follow a rectangular path with turns at 4th Street and Oakes Street, 4th Street and Chadbourne Street, Chadbourne Street and Concho Avenue, and Concho Avenue and Oakes Street.

You can find a map of the parade route HERE. 

Rounding out the week’s celebrations is Christmas at Old Fort Concho, which runs Dec. 5–7 for its 44th year. The event spans more than 20 buildings and includes artillery demonstrations, reenactors, merchant buildings, children’s activities, and daily entertainment.

Parking lots surround the fort, including the large lot in the Paseo across South Oakes Street and additional lots on Flipper Street and at Flipper and Burgess Street. A special lot for visitors with mobility issues is located at Oakes at East Avenue D, with two ticket booths nearby.

Food offerings include the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning, a Sunday morning breakfast in the Stables Hall, and a food court with multiple vendors. A Chuck Wagon Camp will return on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., serving stew, bread, coffee and cobbler for $20.

Guests can visit the fort’s sutler store in Barracks 1 for stocking stuffers, books, shirts and ornaments. Two new exhibits will also be available featuring the History of the San Angelo Standard Times newspaper and Frontier Army Bands.

The event continues in all weather, with activities held both indoors and outdoors. On Saturday night, the Stables Hall will host “A Musical Night in Another Century,” featuring performances by the Frontier Brigade Band and the Sweet Song String Band from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Christmas at Old Fort Concho will run throughout the weekend with support from sponsors, merchants, reenactors, staff and volunteers.