History
In 1940, a group of students started a tradition known as Frontier Fiesta. This annual event had variety shows performed by students and concerts and was intended to bring together University of Houston students and the Houston community. The tradition grew tremendously over the next few years and became hugely popular, and Houston mayors often declared "Fiesta City" as an official "town" for the week. Hollywood stars such as Humphrey Bogart, James Garner, Anne Baxter, Kenny Rogers, and Patsy Swayze were attracted to the annual event. Life magazine once dubbed it, "The Greatest College Show on Earth". It also drew attention for only accepting Confederate money.
The annual tradition became too large and involved as the event was having a considerable impact academically for the students involved. Due to this, Frontier Fiesta was discontinued after the Frontier Fiesta of 1959.
In 1991, a group of students worked to bring back the tradition of Frontier Fiesta, and to this day it is again an annual tradition at the University of Houston. The Frontier Fiesta Association is the student-led group that plans and runs the event. However, the university's staging of the event has been criticized by various groups.
Read more about this topic: Frontier Fiesta
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