Hoop Dreams

7 slam-dunk Final Four events for Houston Cougar fans in San Antonio

Fans don't need tickets to join in San Antonio's Final Four fun.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

The Houston Cougars men's basketball team will shoot for history as it takes on Duke in an NCAA Final Four showdown in San Antonio on Saturday, April 5. A win could send the Coogs to their first national championship game in four decades.

UH fans headed to San Antonio for the game will have to wait patiently until 7:49 pm Saturday for tip-off at the Alamodome. How to fill the rest of the weekend? Much of the thrilling Final Four action will be off the courts, including concerts from Grammy-winning artists, meet-and-greets with San Antonio Spurs legends, and tailgating fun.

Downtown San Antonio will explode with can't-miss events from April 4-7 — and many of them are free. Read below for our guide to the essential events during San Antonio's slam-dunk Final Four weekend.

Fan Fest
April 4 & 7, noon-6 pm; April 5-6, 10 am-6 pm at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Make a full-court press to this celebrity-filled party packed with interactive games, exhibits, demonstrations, autograph signings, and appearances from greats like David Robinson and Avery Johnson. Event sponsor Capital One Bank will welcome cardholders with early entry and free swag.

March Madness Music Festival
April 4, 4:30-10 pm; April 5, 3-9 pm; April 6, 2:20-10 pm at Hemisfair Tower Park.
Top athletes won't be the only VIPs gracing San Antonio during the Final Four. This electrifying music festival includes three days of free outdoor performances from musical heavyweights like Pitbull, Doechii, Jelly Roll, T-Pain, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and Chris Stapleton.

Men's Final Four Friday
April 4, 10 am-6 pm at Alamodome.
Basketball fans of all ages can hoop it up during this complimentary day of interactive activities featuring each Final Four team squeezing in one last practice. Guests can also preview future NBA draft picks as top senior student-athletes compete in the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Star Game.

Tip-Off Tailgate
April 4 and 7, 3-10 pm; April 5, 1:30-11 pm; April 6, noon-5 pm at Civic Park.
These free watch parties for the men's and women's Final Four games include giveaways, basketball-themed activities, and a curated selection of food and drinks. There are also meet-and-greet sessions with Spurs icons David Robinson and Manu Ginobili, former Duke Blue Devils star Christian Laettner, and Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy.

River Rally
April 5, 11 am-noon at the Lagoon at Shops at Rivercenter, 849 E. Commerce St.
Show your team spirit by watching free performances by bands and spirit squads from each of the four participating schools floating along the River Walk.

Final Four Dribble
April 6, 10 -11 am at Travis Park.
While there are no more participatory spots, guests can cheer on more than 3,000 local kids and teenagers dribbling a basketball through a one-mile course downtown. Each participant will move the ball freestyle while wearing a specially designed branded shirt.

Championship River Parade
April 7, after the title game at La Villita.
Fans of the newly crowned national champion can hoot and holler as players and coaches celebrate on barges drifting down the San Antonio River. The victorious team will show off their trophy and hold a final rally at the Arneson River Theater at 418 Villita St.

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REVIVING THE ALAMO

Texas landmark the Alamo reclaims historic cannon from private ownership

Photo by Gower Brown/ Unsplash

A 90-pound cannon used in the Battle of the Alamo is returning to its San Antonio home.

It turns out the Alamo's original 1836 cannons are good for more than just defense — they also make a sturdy birdbath. After serving as a garden ornament for Samuel Maverick’s descendants, an authentic piece of San Antonio history is finally returning home to the revered mission.

According to an Alamo announcement, the swivel cannon weighs 90 pounds and is approximately three feet long. The relic was originally found in 1852 when Maverick built a home near the northwest corner of the battle’s site.

The lawyer and land baron was saved from death when he was urged by William Barret Travis to ride to the Texas Declaration of Independence convention in Washington-on-the-Brazos to send reinforcements. Returning to the Alamo’s grounds, he found a cache of cannons buried where the Hotel Gibbs sits today.

From there, the cannon wound up at the Maverick family’s Sunshine Ranch on the Northwest Side, where it was eventually incorporated into the garden DIY project. In 1955, the cannon was removed from the ranch, and the current location remained a mystery until the Alamo received a call from a Maverick relative in Corpus Christi.

Alamo cannon This Alamo artifact gives an idea of what the cannon will look like once restoration is complete.Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

“The relative graciously donated the cannon to the Alamo,” wrote a rep from the mission. “Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham and Head Conservator Pam Jary Rosser drove down the very next day to take this piece of history home to the Alamo.”

Although the artillery is mostly intact, it is missing its trunnions (the pivot-point protrusions on the sides of the barrel) and cascabel (the knob and neck assembly at the rear of historic muzzle-loading cannons). The parts were removed by the Mexican army to make the cannon inoperable.

Once preservation is complete, this cannon and the Alamo Collection’s other battle cannons will make their way to the upcoming Visitor Center and Museum, where they will be joined by rocker Phil Collins' collection of Alamo artifacts. The Alamo is in the midst of a $550 million preservation project, which includes conserving the Alamo Church, Long Barrack, and the mission’s original footprint. The museum is on track to debut in late 2027.

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