Fiesta de los Reyes — the largest and historically free Fiesta event — could charge a $5 entry fee during peak hours this year under a proposal heading to City Council later this week.
City officials and event organizers say the proposal is aimed at offsetting security costs and preventing financial losses that could threaten the long-running event’s future.
Under the proposal, scheduled for a vote on Thursday, Fiesta de los Reyes would continue to operate daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Historic Market Square, with extended hours until midnight on the night of the Fiesta Flambeau Parade.
The $5 entry fee would kick in at 6 p.m. on weekdays and at 1 p.m. on weekends and select dates. Children 12 and under would not be charged, and attendees who enter before the fee takes effect would be allowed to remain inside without paying.
The proposed change follows a series of security upgrades implemented in 2025 after safety incidents in recent years, including a 2024 shooting that left two people dead and four others injured. A separate shooting in 2023 did not result in any deaths.
Those upgrades — including fencing the event perimeter, screening attendees and increasing coordination with law enforcement, with San Antonio Police Department officers staffing security under the city’s agreement — were credited with improving safety but had significantly increased the cost of operating the event.
According to the proposal, those security costs contributed to the event operating at a financial loss last year. The Rey Feo Consejo Educational Foundation, the nonprofit that operates the event, said security upgrades cost roughly $200,000.
In response, city staff and the foundation have spent the past year working to restructure the agreement to keep the event financially sustainable.
The result is a proposed entry fee structure designed to cover the cost of security and ticketing before generating revenue for either the city or organizers.
City projections estimate ticket revenue at approximately $400,000. Under the agreement, the foundation would retain the first $250,000, with any revenue beyond that split between the foundation and the city. In the first year, the city would receive 25% of revenue above that threshold.
City officials estimate the agreement would generate about $37,500 for the city in its first year, with funds deposited into the Market Square Fund, which supports the management and operations of the Historic Market Square.
In a press release, Thomas Aguillon, a member of the executive board for the foundation, said proceeds from the event help fund educational scholarships for local students.
“Together, the Consejos [board members] and the Foundation have raised more than $11 million in scholarships for students in the San Antonio area over the years,” Aguillon said. “This event is a direct investment in our community’s future.”
The agreement between the city and the foundation is currently set to run through 2030. Under the proposal, the revenue-sharing structure would continue in future years, with adjusted splits that increase the city’s share at higher revenue thresholds.
City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed changes during its April 9 meeting.
