The $8 price for chicken-on-a-stick apparently was not enough to save A Night in Old San Antonio.
When the Conservation Society of San Antonio leaders said Wednesday it would pause NIOSA, one of Fiesta’s longest-running and arguably most popular events, the organization said the decision came down to declining attendance and years of financial loss.
In 2019, the event brought in more than $3 million for the organization, according to tax documents. In 2025, NIOSA revenue came to only $500,000.
It was the same reason given for the news earlier this year that Alamo Heights Night was canceled for 2026, a Fiesta event organizers said never rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement was met with surprise and nostalgia among San Antonians who look forward to the annual four-day festival at La Villita.
“As a native of San Antonio that grew up with NIOSA, it’s synonymous with Fiesta,” said Trish DeBerry, president and CEO of Centro SA, the keeper and promoter of the urban core. But, she added, “Fiesta is going to go on no matter what. I think although people are disappointed about it, Fiesta-goers will not necessarily disappear from downtown.”
Among the posts of shock and nostalgia on social media were fans of the 90-year-old festival searching for who or what was to blame for the sudden cancellation.
While Corpus Christi resident Jo Anne Howell reacted by saying she can’t imagine her life without it, others sought to hold something or someone responsible — in a range of factors from the pandemic, inflation and the economy to Project Marvel and the increasing number of Fiesta events that now crowd the calendar every April.
In fact, there’s no one cause, said Fiesta Commission President Jim Mery. But the increasing cost of goods and security combined with parking issues downtown and fewer young people participating in Fiesta has all come into play.
Those conditions have the commission, which promotes the annual events, seeking ways to keep it going for the sake of all the nonprofits that benefit.
“Fiesta is a very important part of our culture and our diversity and our heritage of San Antonio,” Mery said. “When you don’t have a big unit piece, Fiesta is hurt. But it’s not going to stop us from celebrating. The commission is going to have to figure out what we can do to help.”
So far, no other groups have told him they’re also struggling, he said. But he recognizes that if the organization is facing the same pressures as the Conservation Society, then he already knows they are under strain.
And if the party poops out, the pain is felt most in the causes those organizations work toward — charities that support the elderly, children, healthcare and animal welfare.
The Zulu Association, which organizes the annual Taste of New Orleans event during Fiesta, gives back to the community through scholarships, food supplies and support of other nonprofits in the city, said Zulu member John Hearn at a recent city meeting.
In the case of NIOSA, “Conservation is what gets hurt, which is vital to our city,” he said. In its 102 years, the organization has used fundraising proceeds from the event and membership dues to accomplish everything from saving the doors of the granary at Mission San Jose to helping relocate the historic Fairmount Hotel.
As for Fiesta, the show must go on.
With 2.5 million people and a $350 million economic impact, Fiesta is one of the largest events in the United States, Mery said. “This event is big. NIOSA is big. But it’s not going to curtail the spirit of the entire Fiesta.”
DeBerry is confident it will be back, maybe even reinvented, she said. “I hold out hope that we’ll have a reincarnation of something perhaps over at La Villita. It may not be NIOSA, which we all love, but there could be something. We’ll see.”
For 2027 at least, one less event still leaves Fiesta-diehards with scores of other events in April and that’s something city officials want to keep going.
“Fiesta San Antonio is a 10‑day, citywide celebration with more than 100 official events, and NIOSA has long been one of its traditions,” said city spokeswoman Kelly Saunders, adding the city remains committed to supporting the celebration.
The Fiesta Commission has an agreement with the City of San Antonio to support Fiesta with law enforcement and fire protection, streets maintenance and park use. Mery said if there’s something in that contract the commission can negotiate to help the Fiesta organizers, “then it’s only right that we try to help with that.”
But he’s not sure what the solutions might be. For several years, the commission has worked to spread the message that Fiesta is more than one event, he added — it’s festivals and carnivals, parades and parties and more.
Yet he doesn’t think the sheer number of events, nor consumer belt-tightening, has diluted the overall attendance.
“What we’re all going through — everybody’s got something that they’re going through — but they don’t go through it during Fiesta time,” he said. “This is important. Fiesta is important.”
