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Luminaria plans to light up St. Paul Square this Saturday

A laser light was part of the URBAN-15 performance at Luminaria.
Jia Chen
/
TPR
A laser light was part of the URBAN-15 performance at Luminaria.

Luminaria, one of San Antonio’s biggest festivals, will electrify the east end of downtown this Saturday evening.

Executive Director Yadhira Lozano said art is at the core of the one-night festival. “Luminaria is a celebration of all of the arts. It's a nighttime festival where we take over several streets of downtown San Antonio and provide an immersive experience,” Lozano said. “It's a walkable event where you go from one place to the next, you turn a corner, and there's different art throughout.”

Luminaria was the brainchild 16 years ago of former Mayor Phil Hardberger, who had seen nighttime art festivals in Madrid and Paris that inspired him. These last 16 years have seen Luminarias at various ends of downtown. This year’s footprint puts the festival on the East Side, around St. Paul Square. Lozano said the sheer variety of what visitors will encounter is what makes it such a magical experience.

“So you might come across the music stage with live music going on, and keep walking. You'll run into an art installation with lighting and mythical figures,” she said. “You can keep walking, and you'll see projections on a building. Turn the corner, and there's a film being screened on a large two-story building and keep going.”

Little Amal, touches the hand of a child at Luminaria
Jia Chen / TPR
Little Amal, reaches for the hand of a child at Luminaria.

She noted that surprise and wonder are at the heart of discovery in the family-friendly free festival. She also noted that the function of art too often changes per the perspective of the eyes that are looking at it — that, as children, people are encouraged to use art to work through problems or express joy. She noted that art works that way for adults, too, but only if they let it.

“We want people to pick those tools up, and rethink about how art enriches our lives, how it helps us heal through sad times, how it helps us celebrate in happy times, and just love it and just really explore and let your mind wander,” Lozano said.

She noted that there is a music stage, a poetry and theater stage, a film stage and a dance and music stage. The event begins at 6 p.m. and ends at midnight. Parking will be available.

LUMINARIA CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL 2023

“It's just a really beautiful, immersive environment, surrounded by lights and color and sounds and experiences, and also, you know, it's a learning environment. You're going to learn a lot from the artists, and their different projects,” she said.

During her research for the selection of St. Paul Square, she said she was delighted to learn what a commercial and cultural crossroads the area was at its historic beginnings.

The unseasonably hot weather is turning a little cooler this week, just in time for Saturday night’s festival, with a slight chance for light rain.

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Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii