Editor's Note: For the latest developments concerning the overnight shooting at Market Square, click here.
The Fiesta Flambeau Parade lit up downtown San Antonio for the 76th time to cap the final weekend of San Antonio's 2024 Fiesta for All.
Known as the largest illuminated parade in the country, the event attracts an estimated 750,000 people.
Looming thunderstorms and downtown construction did not stand in the way of the thousands of participants.
The weather held with a few intermittent raindrops as a breeze lifted confetti from the ground up against the colorful floats.
"The finale of Fiesta couldn't end in a more beautiful and San Antonio-cultural-heritage type of way," said Nevia Gonzalez, who has been coming to the night parade since she was three years old.
"We grew up on the West Side. My father used to bring me and my sisters and we couldn't afford to get seats. You'd put a blanket and sit in the street, or you'd bring a wicker chair and stand in the back and try and watch," Gonzalez said. "To see the progression throughout the years of how far we've come structuring the parade. We didn't have the booths. We didn't have all the decorations, the glitter, the confetti."
Melinda Louden has attended the Flambeau Parade for the last 15 years since she moved to San Antonio from Nashville.
"Especially as a non-San Antonio native, I really appreciate how the whole city comes together in such a joyful, happy, community-driven celebration like this," Louden said. "It's just so fun to be a part of. It's peaceful and it's united over a really positive thing."
Residents all over the city braved higher than usual food and drink prices and construction to party with a purpose.
"This is not for the faint-hearted. And with the road closures, it's even more complicated," said Kimberly Lander with a smile.
Lander attended Friday's Battle of Flowers Day parade with her husband. For her, the extra preparation was worth it.
"I think my favorite thing is just the atmosphere. How friendly everyone is. You can go to other places around the country and people are nice, but it's not anything like how people are in San Antonio, especially during Fiesta. Everybody's got something nice to say. Everyone compliments your outfit and your medals," she said. When I tell people about San Antonio and Fiesta, I always tell them it's the best party. It's so fun and we bring our kids."
¡VIVA FIESTA! The Battle of Flowers Parade kicked off in downtown San Antonio today.
— Joey Palacios - Texas Public Radio (@Joeycules) April 26, 2024
Check out some of the scenes.
📸: Vivian Zuniga y yo pic.twitter.com/U3kjqPDI2q
The Battle of Flowers Parade is Fiesta's longest running event. It began in 1891 as a tribute to the soldiers as the battles of the Alamo, San Jacinto and Goliad. Held on the final Friday of Fiesta, Battle of Flowers is an official city holiday where many offices and school districts are closed. Estimates for attendance reach well over 300,000 people.
There are still a number of Fiesta events on Sunday, including Festival De Cascarones, Day in Old Mexico, and Festival de Animales.
The dogs of San Antonio had their Fiesta moment Saturday in Alamo Heights.
Fiesta Pooch Parade organizer Linda Porter-Wenzlaff said it's a special moment seeing as many as 2,500 dogs and people participating — and the costumes are always a sight to be seen.
"We had one family that dressed up as the universe, so the dog was the sun and they were the planets orbiting the dog," she said. "And we had a guy who dressed up like an old cowboy and his dog was, you know, a long-haired dog and he kind of groomed him into a mustache and it looked like they just got off a cattle drive. You see it all."
Proceeds support therapy animal teams in the greater San Antonio area.
Photos from the King William Fair ❤️ 😊 pic.twitter.com/iezhzmXKYu
— Jackie Velez - Texas Public Radio (@JVelez_SA) April 28, 2024
This was David Carillo's first Fiesta. He attended a number of events, including the Oyster Bake at St. Mary's University.
"Schedule your days off, and plan your whole two weeks for Fiesta, and you'll be OK!" he said.
San Antonio native April Viera made it out to Gartenfest, which aims to preserve German music, language, customs and culture in San Antonio.
"I am here to celebrate Fiesta with a German flair," she said. "We come here every year just to enjoy the festivities, the good food, and the wonderful band."
It included a 50-piece Beethoven Concert Band and the Beethoven German Dance Band.
All of the events benefit local nonprofits, like the famed Cornyation and the Chili Queens Cook-Off, which benefit the San Antonio Aids Foundation.
The 16th annual Chili Queens Cook-Off held at the Bonham Exchange dance club is described as a modern take on a historic event. It combines a traditional chili cook-off with a "tacky queen" competition.
The cook-off winners were Alicia and Paul Rodriguez, represented by Antonio Hall.
"Tough competition. There's people out here who own restaurants, and we're just a couple — two average joes — who love to cook," Alicia Rodriguez said, adding that she and her husband were proud to participate even as drag shows are under attack by state leaders. "We have learned over a lot of year spent celebrating many milestones at The Bonham — the effort that's put by the staff and the ownership of the club to welcome anybody who is willing to come," she said. "We love that the event supports the San Antonio AIDS Foundation. So it just really feels like home, and we want to support our home."
The couple will serve as judges for next year's competition.
Fiesta is all about fun and togetherness, Mary Falcon said.
"Fun, fun, fun, free stuff, medals, meet new friends," she added.
She could barely contain her excitement as she watched Fiesta's opening ceremony at the Alamodome and the People's Parade pass by.
"Every time it gets close to the Fiesta time, we just start getting involved. People, start saying, 'Hey, what are you going to do today?' " she said. "It seems like you make time during Fiesta. You make time to get together."
Ciara Davila is 2024's Miss Fiesta. She told TPR that her role is to be an ambassador for all of the San Antonio nonprofit organizations that Fiesta supports.
"I'm here to tell everybody that Fiesta is a party with a purpose. It's more than just a celebration. There's a true meaning behind it. And this year our theme is Fiesta for All," Davila said. "So here at Fiesta, there is something for everybody. All 10 days, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you are local, from out of state, or even from another country, there's something for everybody to enjoy."
Davila said that to her, Fiesta means family.
"Everybody in the city comes together and supports one another," she said. "It's just a wonderful time for everybody to get together and be one big family."
Fiesta’s first full weekend saw a spring thunderstorm on Saturday night that dumped a sizeable amount at the South Side arena of the San Antonio Charro Association, where Charreada, the Mexican style rodeo, was held.
"We got a lot of rain. You know, hour-and-a-half. I figure like two inches," said Edmundo Rios II, who runs the Association.
There was standing water in the sandy arena in the morning, but crews pushed it off with tractors. They also used one unusual tactic to get rid of the water: They burned a lot of it up.
“We're using diesel," Rios explained. "It burns up the water. It dries it up.”
Conditions in the arena improved, especially late morning when the clouds burned off and the sun came out. Thousands of people were entertained by the skilled performers.
Charreada predates and inspired the U.S. rodeo. It's a tradition that is passed on from one generation to the next in San Antonio.
The Charro Association that puts this event on is the largest and oldest on this side of the Rio Grande. There is another chance to catch the event on the last Sunday of Fiesta.
