Downtown San Antonio is preparing for one of its busiest weekends of the year as more than 100,000 people are expected to flood the area Saturday for major events.
SAN ANTONIO — Downtown San Antonio is preparing for one of its busiest weekends of the year as more than 100,000 people are expected to flood the area Saturday for a flurry of major events – including Paul McCartney’s sold-out concert at the Alamodome. City officials are warning of traffic delays, packed parking lots, and heavy pedestrian activity around multiple venues.
Along with McCartney’s “Got Back” tour stop, Muertos Fest will fill Hemisfair, Day of the Dead San Antonio will take over La Villita, and Michael W. Smith is performing at the Tobin Center. Meanwhile, the Majestic and Aztec theatres will host shows of their own, creating a Final Four–sized crowd downtown.
Mark Spring, McCartney’s tour production manager, says the massive setup at the Alamodome has been days in the making. “A lot of planning and a lot of people,” Spring said. “We bring about 110 with us, and I use anywhere but, yeah, 400 local people by the end of the time, you know, San Antonio area people. So we’ve got a good size mob by the time we get in here.”
Crews began loading in equipment earlier this week, transporting staging materials from the tour’s previous stop in Tulsa. “Some are here already before I get here,” Spring said. “I bring the indoor show from Tulsa to the outdoor show here. Well, it’s not really outdoors, but it’s a stadium show.”
The Alamodome concert is expected to draw nearly 45,000 fans. While most tickets are gone, Spring said some high-quality seats were held and recently released. “We’ve taken some time to look at some seats that we held and we’ve released some of those. It’s good,” he said.
After the show, teardown begins immediately. “Four and a half days, that’s when the first truck gets here. We’ll be done the day after the show at noon,” Spring explained.
Spring, who’s been in the production business for 23 years, called McCartney’s return to San Antonio special.
“I think people should come out and see this thing,” he said. “They’ll be pleasantly surprised. Come and get them, come see us. I think you’re going to have a good time.”
City officials recommend concertgoers carpool, use rideshare services, or arrive early to avoid delays. With multiple festivals, concerts, and downtown events happening at once, drivers should expect road closures and congestion throughout the evening.
For fans, though, the message is clear: pack your patience, plan ahead, and prepare for a legendary night in San Antonio.