Heavy rain downpours have led to the cancellation of more than one Fiesta San Antonio event this year, but many residents and visitors have proven that it will take more than a bit of bad weather to stop them from taking part in the time-honored, 11-day Fiesta celebration.
During the first part of the festivities, Fiesta royalty has been crowned, large amounts of chicken-on-a-stick and beer have been consumed, and thousands of cascarónes have already been cracked over the heads of the city’s many Fiesta-goers. Oyster Bake drew thousands of visitors to the St. Mary’s University campus last weekend for baked, fried, and raw oyster-eating, as well as live music performances. Art lovers walked through the Southwest School of Arts campus on Saturday and Sunday for the annual Fiesta Arts Fair, which featured some of the city’s best art and craft offerings.
On Sunday, visitors were enchanted by a charreada in “Old Mexico,” a historical and culturally-rich event at the Charro Ranch, and on Monday night, the Texas Cavaliers River Parade dazzled a large crowd along the River Walk with colorful river barges and music.
Later in the week, the Coronation of the Queen of the Order of the Alamo and its hilarious spoof show Cornyation took over the Majestic and Empire Theatres, and young San Antonians demonstrated their musical talents at the Mariachi Festival along the River Walk, along with musical icons like Grammy-award winning Little Joe Hernandez and Juan Ortiz.
The 125th annual Battle of Flowers Parade transformed Broadway into a confetti-filled runway for elaborate floats and marching bands on Friday afternoon, and NIOSA, which started on Tuesday, concluded its culturally-diverse food and music offerings in La Villita on Friday night.
The last Fiesta hoorah on Saturday will include Alamo Height’s Pooch Parade and the King William Fair, a San Antonio favorite that brings a variety of food, arts and crafts vendors, along with live music and dance performances to thousands of attendees. The day will culminate with the Fiesta Flambeau Night Parade on Saturday night, when attendees will bid farewell to this year’s event in anticipation of the year’s to come.
Top image: A boat goes down the Riverwalk as part of the Fiesta River Boat Parade. Photo by Kathryn Boyd-Batstone
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