6 Best Performing Arts in Downtown and the River Walk, San Antonio

A masterpiece of baroque splendor with Spanish mission and Mediterranean-style influences, this 1929 movie and vaudeville theater once showcased talents like Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and George Burns. Today the fully restored, 2,311-seat theater presents the Majestic Broadway Series of top-notch touring companies of Broadway shows like Hamilton, Waitress, Chicago, and many more, along with concerts and comedy shows. No photography of any kind is allowed, so commit to memory the glittering "night sky," ornate architecture, and dazzling surroundings of one of the finest atmospheric theaters in existence. See a show here if you can get last-minute tickets—they sell same-day tickets immediately before each performance. 

The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts represents one of the most remarkable transformations in the history of San Antonio. After voters approved $100 million in construction bonds, the old and venerable Municipal Auditorium became a world-class performing arts venue. The H-E-B Performance Hall has 2,039 seats in a flat-floor configuration. Besides bringing in top acts in music and theater from around the world, the Tobin has resident companies that reflect the very best that the city has to offer: Ballet San Antonio, Classical Music Institute, OPERA San Antonio, The Children's Chorus of San Antonio, San Antonio Symphony, and Youth Orchestras of San Antonio. Free performances and activities are also held on the grounds on the Will Naylor Smith River Walk Plaza, including free movie nights and yoga and wellness programming. Ask about free scheduled tours of this impressive and important landmark. 

Erected in 1939, this unique outdoor music and performing arts venue in the heart of La Villita was designed by River Walk architect Robert H. H. Hugman and built by the WPA. Have a seat on the grass-covered steps on the river's edge and watch performers on the small stage across the water. In this open-air format, the river, not a curtain, separates performers from the audience. Some of San Antonio's top events take place here, including Fiesta Noche del Rio, a summer music and dance show presented since 1957, making it the oldest outdoor performance of its kind in the United States.

This community treasure is the cultural heart of the city's east side. Year-round performances, classes, and programming focus on their mission to celebrate the world's diverse cultures, with emphasis on African and African American heritage. Acts that have graced the stage at the Jo Long Theatre for the Performing Arts include top names in modern dance, ballet, music, poetry, and theater. The Carver Gallery, in the theater lobby, presents visual artists in free exhibitions that change every few months. The building complex itself has a storied past, with the Little Carver venue housed in what was once a beloved neighborhood church and the Jo Long Theatre lobby once a city library designated only for black residents when segregation kept them out of other city library branches.

Founded in 1980 to preserve and develop Chicano, Latino, and Native American arts and culture, the GCAC regularly stages dance, music, and theatrical performances. It also displays the art of emerging artists and holds classes in dance and music, with a unique summer theater day-camp for young aspiring playwrights, actors, and tech crew. Of the center's major annual events, the Tejano Conjunto Festival is a huge draw, bringing together more than 10,000 conjunto music lovers from all over. The annual CineFestival San Antonio presents five days of Latinx film. The GCAC is a national model that has inspired other community-based Latinx arts organizations nationwide. 

Since the time of HemisFair '68, this small but impressive two-story center has exhibited Mexican culture as depicted in film, dance, art, and more.