Apr 18 Thursday
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center announces the call for entries for CineFestival San Antonio, the nation’s original and longest-running Latino film festival. Celebrating its 45th edition, San Antonio’s annual celebration of independent Latino cinema will take place July 11-14, 2024. The festival will accept films finalized after January 2023, continuing its call for programming focusing on Chicano, Latinx and Native American cinema, with an emphasis on Texas and San Antonio related films. The regular deadline for call for entries is May 5, 2024.
Taste of the Republic, the official culinary opening event of Fiesta, will take place Thursday, April 18 at the Briscoe Art Museum. Thirteen San Antonio chef's selected by Chef Brian West will create and serve their vision of Texas cuisine. Ticket holders will be able to sample dishes from all chefs. Each dish will be paired with a carefully selected wine and beer and cocktails will also be served. Tickets are $125 per person, with a portion of the sales going toward the San Antonio Fiesta Commission. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Monday, April 15, 2024 is the kickoff of the MEGA CORAZÓN celebration, an online spoken word marathon that is part of San Antonio’s National Poetry Month participation. This festival presents San Antonio’s poetic tradition that combines street, classical, and slam performance styles in a production that is improvisational, at times painful, and choreographed for a highly visual impact. The festival will begin streaming at urban15.org/live-stream/ at 8pm on April 15, and will highlight about 90 poems from various artists throughout a continuous 24-hour loop.
This year’s poet lineup includes past San Antonio Poets Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, Octavio Quintanilla, and Carmen Tafolla, as well as Texas Poet Laureate ire’ne lara silva, and newly named San Antonio Poet Laureate Eddie Vega. Returning also will be a variety of talented and locally recognized poets such as Anthony “The Poet” Flores, Amalia Ortiz, and Jim LaVilla-Havelin, among others.
The winner of Mega Corazón will be determined by an online vote that URBAN-15 will launch on the same day as the livestream. Once Mega Corazón comes to a close, votes will be tallied, and the winner will be awarded the $500 Gregg Barrios “Precious Words Prize”.
The Gregg Barrios “Precious Words Prize” was created by world-renowned poet and author Gregg Barrios in 2021 to award the Mega Corazon poet selected by the on-line audience for the best performance during the festival. The 2021 winner was Amalia Ortiz, 2022 winner was Jessica Tilton Zertuche and 2023 winner was Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson.
Apr 19 Friday
Apr 20 Saturday
Viva Science SA is a free and family-friendly event that features a distinguished speaker, interactive science booths with fun activities for all ages, demos, a science fair with posters by local scientists, science-themed artwork, delicious food trucks and much more.
The event is being led by The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UT Health San Antonio and graduate student leaders with the support of all schools at UT Health San Antonio and our partners in the community.
Enjoy a fun filled alcohol and admission free fiesta evening of family fun, with food from local food vendors who will be cooking up all your Fiesta faves! You'll find pony rides, face painting, balloon twisters, bounce castle, fun and games all on the beautiful grounds of the San Antonio landmark Los Patios along the Salado Creek.
This event will be free and open to the public! Live music, fiesta themed performances, and a host of fun activities will take place on the lawn along Salado Creek while our Los Patios restaurants serve up their take on traditional fiesta fare!
The 5th Annual Chanclas y Cervezas features a variety of games and competitions that will put your chancla-throwing skills to the test. Compete for the chance to be crowned Rey and Reina of Chanclas y Cervezas 2024!
In addition to live entertainment, families can enjoy photo opportunities, games, chancla obstacle courses, a petting zoo, food, drinks, and a variety of cervezas for purchase. Test your chancla throwing skills for a chance to be crowned Rey and Reina of the Chanclas Court. It's a game the whole family can enjoy, so start practicing and get ready to compete! Leashed pets are also welcome; dress up your furry friends in fiesta gear and let them join in on the excitement.
Online presale tickets are $15, and tickets will be available onsite at the event for $20. All children 12 and under are free, and parking is free and plentiful. Proceeds from Chanclas y Cervezas will benefit Brooks Gives Back, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting various initiatives and non-profits throughout neighboring communities.