Your guide to Fiesta San Antonio 2025
Why it matters: Fiesta raises millions of dollars for local nonprofits and brings thousands of attendees to the core of the city.
Between the lines: While Fiesta has evolved to celebrate cultures, food and all-around puro party vibes, it has a complicated history.
But, Fiesta's expansive list of events gives people the freedom to celebrate and plan their itinerary in a way that reflects their values.
How it works: Fiesta is a giant umbrella with more than 100 official events — free and ticketed.
And there are plenty of themed, offshoot events happening at bars and restaurants.
Basically, you'd be hard-pressed not to find someone with a flower crown and/or confetti in their hair for the foreseeable future.
State of play: Fiesta Fiesta will kick off the fun 4-10pm Thursday at Travis Park. It's a free party with music, food and lots of medal trading. The weekend continues with a list of headline events.
Oyster Bake is Friday and Saturday at St. Mary's University. Hours vary; tickets start at $30.
A Taste of New Orleans starts Friday and lasts through Sunday at Sunken Garden Theater. Hours vary; tickets start at $22.
Alamo Heights Night is 5:30-11:30pm Friday at the University of the Incarnate Word. Tickets start at $20.
What to try: Fiesta is full of flavor. While A Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA), heralded as a hub for eats, doesn't start until Tuesday, vendors at each of this weekend's events will have Fiesta's iconic snacks for sale.
Take it from Edmund Tijerina, longtime local food writer, who tells Axios oyster shots at Oyster Bake are a must.
If you go: Keep an eye on the weather as storms could bring some rain Thursday to Fiesta Fiesta.
What's next: NIOSA (Tuesday through Friday), Battle of Flowers Parade (Friday) and the Fiesta Flambeau Parade (Saturday).
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Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Didn't make it to Fiesta San Antonio? Happily, the vibe stays alive year-round
On my last night in San Antonio, I sat on the banks of the river and watched a flotilla of colorfully decorated boats glide past. Those on the boats waved, blew kisses to the crowd and swayed to the sound of mariachi music. I was at the Texas Cavalier River Parade, an integral part of Fiesta San Antonio since 1941, and inspired by the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco in Mexico City. On this night, Mexico's capital city and the one-time capital of Mexican Texas were connected by a cultural thread. Every April, the city pays tribute to its Mexican heritage with a 10-day calendar of events that serves up the essence of fiesta. With more than 100 enticing options to choose from, one might not know where to start. Will it be the oldest event (1891) honoring heroes of the Alamo and Texas independence? At the Battle of Flowers Parade, the route passes the Alamo where riders often halt the floats to hop off and place a yellow rose on the Alamo Cenotaph. Will it be a charreada (Mexican-style rodeo) at Rancho del Charro or a Chili Queen Cook-off in downtown San Antonio? Or maybe "A Night in Old San Antonio," a four-night festival within a festival held in La Villita's historic squares to honor not just the city's Mexican heritage, but that of all the ethnic groups that have left their mark on San Antonio? And surely it must be the Flambeau Parade, the signature event that has become America's largest illuminated night parade. Some 200 illuminated entries – from floats to equestrian units – light up a 2.6-mile route through the downtown area. If all of this has you excited, it's not too early to start making your plans for next year's Fiesta San Antonio (April 16-26, 2026). But if you just can't wait that long, here's some good news – in San Antonio, it's always fiesta. The world-renowned Riverwalk probably needs no introduction. Here, along two levels of landscaped walkways on the San Antonio River, visitors can take narrated boat cruises that glide under canopies of cypress, cottonwood and oak trees and beneath elaborate stone bridges. A fiesta attitude prevails year round at Riverwalk restaurants such as the Iron Cactus (their menu of more than 100 premium tequilas aids in the frivolity) and Little Rhein Prost Haus, a German contribution to the Riverwalk dining scene. Its literal translation "cheers in the house" ensures a perpetual fiesta. As does the Arneson River Theater, the outdoor performance venue at the entrance to La Villita where the audience sits across the river from the stage while entertained by musical performances from opera to flamenco throughout the year. A food fiesta This year marked the arrival of the Michelin Guide to Texas, with 12 San Antonio restaurants receiving recognition, and one Mixtli, a trailblazing Southtown establishment serving modern Mexican cuisine, earning a coveted star. But even before that, a food fiesta had been in full swing. Another Southtown favorite is Casa Hernan, where owner/chef Johnny Hernandez has turned his former hacienda into an upscale cantina decorated with finds from the art and culture rich states of Mexico. Just cross over the impressive koi pond into an atmosphere of continuous fiesta, largely due to the genuine hospitality of Hernandez, but also to the impressive selection of hand-crafted cocktails, agave spirits and local beers and small plates such as flautas de pollo (stone ground corn tortillas, chicken, cream, guacamole and salsas.) If Southtown is up-and-coming in the food fiesta scene, the Pearl District is ground zero. Where the Pearl Brewery once stood, a dining and entertainment zone has flourished, anchored by the third branch of the Culinary Institute of America (pop in for a tour or sign up for a cooking class). Hotel Emma and its restaurant, Supper, have become well-known in the culinary world, so even if you can't snag a dinner res, stop in for an elevated take on a western saloon at Sternewirth, the hotel's popular bar. But be forewarned – some nights you might have to queue for a table there as well. But it's worth the wait. My favorite Pearl District eatery has become Brasserie Mon Chou Chou, a stylish spot serving French comfort food. Grab an outdoor table, and you'll swear you're in Montmartre (although with a higher heat index), whereas inside has a distinctly New Orleans feel. Inside or outside, the atmosphere is always vibrant, and the food is a fiesta for the tastebuds. A recent launch, L'apero Canapes and Petits Four menu, features dishes such as blue crab fritters with lobster aioli; lobster vol au vent (lobster, cognac and cream in a flaky pastry); steak on pave (prime steak on crispy potato with Bearnaise); Pissaladiere (a Nice-style tart with onion, anchovy and mixed olives) and Choux Chantilly (puff pastry with Tahitian vanilla cream) – all accompanied, if you are in a festive mood (and of course you are) with copious amounts of champagne. New hotel with a fiesta flavor San Antonio has no dearth of great hotels, both historic and trendy. But on this visit, I stayed at one of the city's newest properties, the Kimpton Santo on the Riverwalk. Full disclosure: I am not usually enamored with new properties that seem to try too hard to come off as hip and cool. But from the moment I checked into the Kimpton Santo and was handed coins to redeem for drinks in the bar, I felt that no one was trying to be anything but friendly and welcoming in true Texas style. The architecture is stunning (the swimming pool outside of the rooftop cocktail bar has incomparable views of the city); the staff is one of the friendliest I have ever encountered, and Dean's Steak & Seafood offers the best in prime Texas beef and seafood dishes from chilled Alaskan king crab to whole Dover sole with lemon, brown butter and capers. If the weather isn't too torrid, opt for a table in the courtyard and have your dinner in the shade of a 100-year-old live oak just across from hotel rooms that were once a part of a German-American schoolhouse predating the Civil War. With design elements that feature natural woods, terracotta, woven textiles and Tejano pottery, the Kimpton Santo strives to create an authentic experience that celebrates the city. And after all, isn't that what fiesta is all about? _______ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Poll: What is the strangest town name in New Mexico?
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – With hundreds of cities, small towns, villages, and unincorporated territories, New Mexico is home to plenty of places with unique names. The stories behind those names are often just as interesting. KRQE asked viewers via social media what they considered to be the strangest town name in the Land of Enchantment. Poll: What's the best small town in New Mexico? Here are the top answers from News 13 viewers: Truth or Consequences Pie Town Weed Albuquerque Jal Tijeras Alamogordo Carrizozo Nutt Raton Truchas Tucumcari Zuzax After a radio show contest, the city of Hot Springs renamed itself Truth or Consequences. Ralph Edwards, host of the NBC Radio quiz show Truth or Consequences, announced in March 1950 that he would host the show on its tenth anniversary in the first town that changed its name after the show. Hot Springs officially changed its name on March 31, 1950, and the program was broadcast from that location the following evening. For the next fifty years, Edwards would come to town on the first weekend in May. This gathering, which was later dubbed Fiesta, featured a stage show, a parade, and a beauty pageant. Every year on the first weekend of May, the city continues to celebrate Fiesta. Local officials, the winner of the Hatch Chile Queen pageant, and the previous year's Miss Fiesta pageant queen usually participate in the procession. In Ralph Edwards Park, Fiesta also includes a dance. Pie Town is well known for its interesting moniker. Norman Smith, a successful miner and general store owner who made pies for westbound tourists, is credited with giving Pie Town its famous name. Every September, on the second Saturday, Pie Town hosts a 'Pie Festival.' Remote New Mexico town expects to draw in visitors with annual pie festival Several towns on this list were named for specific people, from town founders to significant residents to Spanish dukes. Weed was named after William H. Weed, who established a branch store there. Hailing from Alburquerque, Badajoz, in southwest Spain, Viceroy Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 10th Duke of Alburquerque, gave the city of Albuquerque its name. Jal was named for a herd of cattle branded with John A. Lynch's (JAL) initials. Nutt was founded by, and named for, H.C. Nutt. When translated from Spanish to English, a few of these town names seem more peculiar; for example, Tijeras, meaning 'scissors,' Raton, meaning 'mouse,' and Truchas, meaning 'trout.' New Mexico town named 'The Happiest Small Town in America' Some names originated from Spanish or Native American languages and were adapted into neologisms, or newly coined words. A grove of robust cottonwoods close to the Pecos River area inspired the name Alamogordo, which is derived from the Spanish álamo gordo, meaning 'large/fat cottonwood.' The name Carrizozo comes from the Spanish word carrizo, which means 'reed grass,' which is quite common in the region. In order to indicate the abundance of carrizo grass, the extra 'zo' was added at the end of the town's name. Named for Tucumcari Mountain, Tucumcari may have originated from the Comanche word tʉkamʉkarʉ, meaning 'ambush.' Zuzax, an entirely original name, was coined by entrepreneur Herman Adams, who opened a curio shop in the area around 1956 and named the town so that it would be the last entry in phone books. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Washington Post
As more Argentines go childless, pampered dogs become part of the family
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