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Fiesta is in full swing through this week and the weekend. Check out these photos from events by TPR photographers and reporters.
Lunchtime at Market Square during Fiesta de Los Reyes and Main Plaza for Fiesta San Fernando
While many Fiesta events are ticketed and are a full adventure to plan, downtown workers and residents can find themselves able to head to Market Square for a quick bite of Fiesta favorites and some live music.
Main Plaza is also seeing food booths and live entertainment in the shadow of San Fernando Cathedral.
Fiesta de Los Reyes: Through May 4
The popular free event happens every day of Fiesta through May 4 at Market Square downtown.
Sandy Garza and her husband Rolando are long-time Fiestagoers.
“I've been going to the [Battle of Flowers] parade since I was itty bitty, and me and my husband, we ran a booth at NIOSA for the last probably 10 or 15 years, so it's something that we like to do as a family and it's something that we look forward to every year," Sandy Garza said.
It’s Patricia Ferreira’s first Fiesta.
"Love it, love it, absolutely love it. It's fun," she said. "A lot of different people out here with cultures and they're just enjoying themselves."
Shoppers have a selection of colorful Fiesta items to choose from.
All sorts of food choices are available at Market Square, along with drinks, live music and shopping.
The first weekend of Fiesta saw beautiful warm weather for outdoor events, and Market Square was full of partiers all weekend.
This particular event is a favorite of Anastasia and Edgar Catalan.
“Brings back like a lot of heritage from our ancestors," Anastasia Catalon said.
Edgar Catalon added, "And turkey legs! The food! We don't drink but we come and have a good time.”
This year’s Fiesta De Los Reyes has stepped up security with metal detector screenings at the entrances and plenty of law enforcement on hand.
Fiesta Fiesta at Travis Park: Thursday, April 24
The official kickoff event for Fiesta was held at Travis Park this year.
The tie of San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg was ceremonially cut to signal that it was time to loosen up and have some fun. Senior military officials appeared, and the crowd enjoyed a military flyover.
Fiesta Oyster Bake at St. Mary's University: Saturday, April 24
On Saturday, the second and final day of the Fiesta Oyster Bake on the campus of St. Mary’s University, festivalgoers began piling in to the campus at noon to the smell of oysters baking and the sounds of live music.
It started as an alumni gathering more than 100 years ago and has grown into a premier Fiesta event that includes 100,000 oysters and 32,000 chickens-on-a-stick. All the proceeds benefit students at St. Mayr's University.
Ed Meurer oversaw the oyster baking. He described the not-so-complicated process.
“Lay them out on the grill here and just let them cook. If the fire is hot enough, it should take about 15 to 20 minutes,” he said.
Kathy Moreno dove right into oyster shucking with no problem.
“No, not at all. There's a knife here that you can give a deposit on and they open the oysters very well and then when you take the knife back, they give you your money back,” she said.
Not everyone was having such an easy time. Steven Gleich was struggling to open his oysters. "I stabbed myself once," he said.
Kate Watson was one of the many artists who performed on multiple stages at Fiesta Oyster Bake.
Oysters weren't the only food choice at Fiesta Oyster Bake. Those wanting food on a stick were not disappointed.
Check back for more posts as Fiesta continues through Sunday, May 4.
