Culture of San Antonio - Annual Culture Events

Annual Culture Events

• Celebrate San Antonio is the city's New Year's Eve celebration held on South Alamo Street adjacent to HemisFair Park. The festival has several stages with musical entertainment, food, family activities and more. The evening culminates at midnight with a spectacular fireworks show that welcomes in the New Year. The fireworks are shot from the top house of the Tower of the Americas as well as from other locations on the ground.

• Cinco de Mayo festivities take place in Market Square.

• Fiesta is an annual 10-day citywide festival held in April to honor the memory of the heroes of the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. Over 100 events take place during the anniversary of Texas' independence from Mexico. The festival's beginnings date back to 1891 when a group of ladies decorated horse-drawn carriages, paraded in front of the Alamo, and pelted each other with flower blossoms. By 1895 the parade had developed into a week-long celebration and today this event, now referred to as the Battle of Flowers Parade, is the centerpiece of the annual celebration. Other major events that take place during Fiesta are Texas Cavaliers River Parade (the parade literally floats down the River Walk rather than city streets), Fiesta Flambeau Night Parade, A Night in Old San Antonio (foods from around the world in historic La Villita), the King William Street Fair, the St. Mary's University's Fiesta Oyster Bake, Fiesta Arts Fair, and Cornyation.

• Fiesta de las Luminarias takes place on the River Walk where the river is lined with 7,000 luminarias (candle-lit, sand-filled bags) to light Mary and Joseph's path as they search for shelter on the night before Jesus' birth. The procession is a Mexican-American tradition and takes place on nine nights in December. The festival procession has been held on the River Walk for over 40 years.

• The Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony is presented by the Paseo del Rio Association and the City of San Antonio the day after Thanksgiving when the switch is pulled to turn on over 122,000 lights that illuminate the River Walk for the holiday season. To cap off the celebration, decorated floats wind down the river ending with a float featuring Santa Claus and his Latin counterpart, Pancho Claus.

• The Passion Play held at the Cathedral of San Fernando, the oldest Catholic cathedral in the U.S., portrays the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion every Good Friday. The play has been held here for over 250 years.

• The Michelob ULTRA River Walk Mud Festival is a festival to commemorate the yearly maintenance and draining of the channeled portion of the River Walk. Held each January since 1986, the festival crowns a Mud King and Queen, holds an art festival, Mud Parade, and Pub Crawl.

• The San Antonio Film Festival (previously known as the San Antonio Underground Film Festival) was founded in 1994 by executive director Adam Rocha. The festival screens competing feature films and shorts, and offers workshops for filmmakers.

• The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, established in 1950, is a 16-day event held in February at the AT&T Center and Freeman Coliseum. There are 20 PRCA rodeo performances held in conjunction with musical entertainment from country, rock ’n’ roll and Latin artists, livestock auctions, carnival rides and retail outlets at the event. The volunteer organization raises funds for its scholarship program with proceeds from this event.

• In June, Shakespeare in the Park produces a Shakespeare play that is free to the public. The play is held at the San Antonio Botanical Garden.

• The Texas Folklife Festival (TFF) held in June is a four-day cultural festival that brings more than 40 of Texas' ethnic groups together in one place to showcase their authentic food, music, folk dancing and authentic crafts. The first TFF was held in 1972 and was modeled after the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Festival held in 1968 in Washington, D.C.

• The Tejano Music Awards, an awards ceremony dedicated to Tejano music, was held every March between 1980 and 2000. After several years in Eagle Pass, the annual event will return to the city.

• In 2009, San Antonio became the first U.S. city to sanction and sponsor an official Diwali celebration including a fireworks display and 5000 people in attendance.In 2011, the attendance had increased to 15,000 people with three Mayors (present, recent and the past)presiding the event that showcased authentic Indian food, folk dances from various States of India, and the first ever Zumba Bollywood - a dance/exercise routine to the tunes of Bollywood music. This event commemorates the Sister City Alliance that was established in 2008 between San Antonio and Chennai, India. "Diwali San Antonio" will be celebrated annually on the first Saturday of November.