From now until January 3, almost every event at The Rock at La Cantera is free with free parking, and you can just show up. Only four things on the calendar cost money: a corn pit, a 5K, a skating rink and a New Year's Eve party. Each one has its own sale date, session limits or refund rules. For anyone in the Dominion, a short drive down I-10, those four are the part of the season that takes planning. The free events can go on the calendar as they come.
The Rock's own pages lay it out. The Rocktober page says "the majority of our Rocktober lineup is free and open to the public." The Holidays at The Rock page lists free admission and parking for the tree lighting, the holiday market, the fitness morning, the pet drive, the dueling pianos and every Holiday Flix night.
What's there between events
The Rock is a roughly $500 million, 45-acre campus led by Spurs Sports & Entertainment. It's built around the Victory Capital Performance Center, the team's 134,000-square-foot practice facility. Phase I came with Frost Plaza, a public restaurant, the Spurs Club and a 22-acre park. Construction started in November 2021, and the Performance Center held its grand opening on Oct. 19, 2023.
Frost Plaza is open daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and has a 40-foot LED screen, a half-court and a splash pad that runs March through September. The Gunn Family Coyote Dog Park next door covers 7.5 acres. The San Antonio Report described it as owned by Bexar County and maintained by SS&E. An EF-1 tornado touched down near The Rim on July 15 and closed the park for repairs. KSAT reported that it reopened Friday, Aug. 21, more than five weeks later. KSAT also put its traffic at about 50,000 visitors a year.
Food is open every day of the season. The Rock's property tracker lists Roca & Martillo, Lil' Bros BBQ, Ice Ice Dady and the Official Spurs Fan Shop as open. The Spurs Club is also listed, but it's members-only. KSAT described Roca & Martillo as serving Tuscan-Italian and South Texas food, with a rooftop patio over Frost Plaza. The San Antonio Current reported that Lil' Bros BBQ, a smoked-meat kiosk, opened in September 2025. The CrawDady crawfish kiosk is closed for the season until spring 2027.
The four paid events and their deadlines
Each paid event works differently, so it helps to see them side by side.
| Event | Dates | Cost | What to plan around |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote's Corn Corral | Oct. 17 – Nov. 8 | Tickets from $6 per person | Limited spots per session; weekdays open at 4 p.m., weekends at noon |
| Culinaria HalloWine 5K | Sat., Oct. 31, 8 a.m. | $40 early price ended Sept. 7 | First year at The Rock; pre-race starts 7:15 a.m. |
| Outdoor skating rink | Nov. 21 – Jan. 3 | Paid ticket and signed waiver | Days open change during the season; walk-ups rarely available |
| Rock the Clock NYE | Thurs., Dec. 31, 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. | General admission or VIP | Tickets go on sale Oct. 15 |
The corn pit is new this year. The Rock calls it a giant interactive corn play pit for all ages, and it opens with a ribbon cutting at noon during Pumpkin Palooza on Oct. 17. Pumpkin Palooza itself is free and runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the corn pit needs a ticket. Since spots per session are limited, opening day is the likeliest time to find a session full.
The HalloWine 5K has a new venue. Culinaria lists The Rock as a new location for its costumed run-and-walk, which ends with a reception of wine, beer and food from local chefs.
Rock the Clock opens ticket sales three days from today. Rhythm & Beats plays live, and the party is billed as all-ages.
The rest of October, all free
With the corn pit and the 5K booked, everything else this month is free:
- Sunday Scaries, every October Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m., with live music and happy hour specials. The two left are Oct. 18 and Oct. 25.
- Back to Basketball, Sunday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Fourth Friday, Oct. 23, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Howl-O-Ween, Saturday, Oct. 24, starting at 4 p.m. at the Gunn Family Coyote Dog Park, with a pup trick-or-treat trail, food trucks and a SNIPSA adoption fair. The Rock lists two end times, 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., so check the event page before going.
- Fall Flix, Oct. 28 through 30: Twilight, then Hotel Transylvania, then a Hocus Pocus double feature.
- Halloween Spooktacular, Oct. 31, 6 to 10 p.m., with trunk-or-treat, a costume contest, a live DJ and a petting zoo.
Oct. 31 is the busiest day of the season. The 5K starts at 8 a.m. and the Spooktacular starts at 6 p.m., at the same address.
Nearby events overlap with The Rock's on two weekends. The RIM's movie series at RIM Commons shows Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Oct. 17, the same day as Pumpkin Palooza. It shows Hocus Pocus on Oct. 24, the same day as Howl-O-Ween and six days before The Rock's own Hocus Pocus double feature. In Leon Springs, Paradise Live has a ticketed "Rock, Boo's, Blue's & Brews" night on Oct. 24 and a free Spooktacular Concert on Oct. 25 at 25389 Boerne Stage Road. Aue Station is hosting "A Night in Leon Springs-Day Zero," a benefit with dinner and live music, on Oct. 22 at 24059 Old Fredericksburg Road.
The November gap
Rocktober ends Oct. 31, and Holidays at The Rock doesn't start until Nov. 21. During those three weeks the corn pit stays open through Nov. 8. The broader Frost Plaza events calendar fills in a few more dates: rockFit Rewind featuring TruFusion on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m., an Official Spurs Watch Party on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m., and Rock & Rewind featuring The Spazmatics on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
The rink sets the pace from Thanksgiving to New Year's
The holiday season opens Saturday, Nov. 21, with the Opening Night Tree Lighting presented by Frost, 7 to 10 p.m., with dueling pianos and free admission and parking. Next is the Wrap & Rock Holiday Market, with more than 75 local makers and young entrepreneurs. It runs 6 to 10 p.m. on Nov. 27 and 28, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 29.
The rink is the one holiday attraction you have to plan around. The Rock calls it an expanded Glice rink, and its days change four times during the season:
- Opening weekend: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Thanksgiving week: daily, 4 to 10 p.m., closed Thanksgiving Day.
- Dec. 1 through 18: Thursday through Sunday only, 4 to 10 p.m.
- Dec. 19 through Jan. 3: daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., closing at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed New Year's Eve.
The first half of December is the stretch to watch, because the rink is closed Monday through Wednesday. The Rock says to book online, since walk-ups are rarely available and depend on which skate sizes are left. Every skater needs a ticket and a signed waiver. Skaters 12 and under need an adult on site, and those 7 and under need an adult on the ice with them. Tickets are non-refundable, so check the weather before you buy.
December's free events start in the same weekday-closed stretch. rockFit: Sleigh & Sweat runs Saturday, Dec. 12, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jingle Bell Bark follows Sunday, Dec. 13, from 3 to 6 p.m. Entry is free, and guests are asked to bring unopened pet food or new pet supplies for San Antonio Pets Alive. A donation unlocks free holiday pet photos. On that same Dec. 12–13 weekend, Paradise Live holds its free Lone Star Markets in Leon Springs.
Once the rink opens daily on Dec. 19, the movies start up. Holiday Flix runs on select nights from Dec. 18 to Jan. 2, including Christmas Vacation on Dec. 19, Elf on Dec. 20, a Frozen double feature on Dec. 26 and a Happy Feet double feature on Jan. 2. The second dueling-pianos set plays Dec. 19 from 4 to 7 p.m. All of it is free, but The Rock asks guests to reserve Holiday Flix tickets ahead.
Getting there from the Dominion
The Rock sits off I-10 and Loop 1604, east of The Shops at La Cantera. The Rock says Google Maps users should search "The Rock at La Cantera" instead of the street address. Apple Maps works with 1 Spurs Way, San Antonio, TX 78256. The dog park, where Howl-O-Ween takes place, is at 15915 Old Fredericksburg Road.
Part of the Leon Creek Greenway route is closed. The City of San Antonio's closures page, updated Oct. 1, says the Loop 1604 stretch from north of the Valero Trailhead to The Rim is closed for TxDOT construction until about mid-2027. A separate section under I-10 near the Marquis Trailhead is closed until further notice.
Aden Stiles plans the year with the same attention to deadlines and fine print that goes into every contract. If you'd like to talk about what's happening around the Dominion and northwest San Antonio, Let's Connect.
