The ballroom of the Estancia del Norte hotel came alive with a miniature version of Fiesta on Tuesday.
At the annual Fiesta Commission Media Day, Michael “Mr. Fiesta” Quintanilla led a condensed parade of Fiesta royalty, local dignitaries, dancers and mascots as a prelude to speeches by new Fiesta President John Meyer, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and others.
The annual 10-day festival takes place April 20-30 this year.
For Fiesta’s 132nd year as San Antonio’s primary citywide celebration, Nirenberg foregrounded the more than 100 nonprofit organizations that host events throughout the city to benefit their missions and give the annual festival its tagline: party with a purpose.
“Let’s not forget that these parties raise important funds for some really important nonprofits throughout our community,” Nirenberg said, asking for a round of applause to honor the many volunteers that help make more than 100 events happen each year.
Present were a diverse range of organizations, among them the San Antonio Zulu Association, United San Antonio Pow Wow, Inc., the San Antonio Polo Club, Disability SA, the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum and Therapy Animals of San Antonio.
Each of these nonprofits adds to the array of festivities with their own signature events: A Taste of New Orleans on April 21-23, the Celebration of Traditions Pow Wow on April 22, the April 22 Fiesta Kings Polo Match, the April 25 Fiesta Especial Celebration Day, the Fiesta Family Blues Festival on April 28 and the Fiesta Pooch Parade on April 29.
Fiesta Especial enters its 20th year of celebrating people with disabilities, offering “a myriad of accommodations that help them come out and be a part of the community, and be safe and welcomed and accepted into San Antonio’s celebration,” said Melanie Cawthon, Disability SA’s executive director.
Traditional Fiesta events and parades will take their customary places, from A Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA) April 25-28 in La Villita to the Fiesta Flambeau parade April 29, both celebrating their 75th anniversaries.
The Texas Cavaliers will hold their annual river parade April 24, and the traditional Battle of Flowers parade — which first ran in 1891 and initiated the annual carnival that evolved into Fiesta — will take place April 28.
Other annual favorites include the April 21 Rey Feo Crowning Celebration Fiesta, the Fiesta Oyster Bake on April 22, the Fiesta Arts Fair and A Day in Old Mexico and Charreada on April 23, the campy Cornyation variety show on April 27 and the somber All Veterans Memorial Service on closing day April 30.
Meyer noted the array of events and said, “Try something new,” exhorting festivalgoers to make plans to attend an event they’ve never made it to before.
New for the Fiesta Commission is the location of Fiesta Fiesta, its annual festival kickoff celebration, in Travis Park on opening day April 20 from 4-10 p.m.
As in past years, VIA Metropolitan Transit will offer Park & Ride service to and from several Fiesta events from April 21-29, including the Oyster Bake at St. Mary’s University, A Taste of New Orleans at the Sunken Garden Theater, the River Parade, Battle of Flowers and Flambeau parades downtown, NIOSA and the King William Fair in the historic King William District just south of downtown.
More information on the Park & Ride program is available on the VIA website.
The full events calendar is available on the Fiesta Commission’s official website.
