Hundreds of people flooded a portion of downtown San Antonio Friday night for the fifth installment of the Maverick Music Festival, the city’s only annual urban music festival that features local and nationally-known talent.
The crowd was calm, fun-loving, and polite. Having gone to a few music festivals in the past, I was used to beer being spilled on my shoes and the overwhelming fear of my camera shattering between two dancers. This was not the case at Maverick Music Festival. Babies and older couples shared the space at La Villita. Dancing teenagers smiled sweetly as I took their picture. I wandered through flower crowns, arms laced around waists, and signs for aguas frescas and fruit cups. Light strings kept the space softly illuminated as the band, Book of Love, left the stage for De La Soul. A moon lit up the sky and was silhouetted by a large balloon and the Tower of the Americas.
Even with a large group of people gathered for the featured Friday act, the theme of respect remained. De La Soul asked all photographers to enjoy themselves as well, so for an entire song we photographers put our cameras down and bobbed our heads to the hip hop.
Food and drink from local restaurants and vendors were available throughout the evening and attendees browsed the Bizarre Bazaar market for unique and often handcrafted goods.
Day passes for Saturday, $59, are still available online here. Shows start at 11 a.m.
