 FIESTA SAN ANTONIO
IS BIG BUSINESS
And it's fun, too
By Anne Keever Cannon
Photography courtesy of Fiesta® San Antonio
Everyone knows that Fiesta in April is a
time for fun — lots of it. With more than
100 events over 10 days, our celebration
has something for everyone — parties,
parades, great food, terrific music and
much,much more.
And we know that our city has a
whole calendar full of other great events
to choose from: the Stock Show and
Rodeo, the biggest Martin Luther King
march in the country, the Diez y Seis
Parade, the Valero Alamo Bowl,
Jazz’sAlive and more. Hundreds of thousands
of people, residents and visitors,
enjoy these activities all year long.
But did you know that of everything
that happens here, Fiesta San Antonio
makes the biggest financial impact on
the city? A study done in April 2007
showed that Fiesta has a direct economic
impact of $284 million.That makes it the
third biggest event in Texas, after the
State Fair in Dallas and the Houston Stock
Show and Rodeo.
What’s an economic impact? It’s the
total of all the money spent by the people
visiting an event. If you go to the
Fiesta Oyster Bake at St. Mary’s University,
for example, you pay an entry fee, and
you probably buy food, beverages and
perhaps a souvenir. Out-of-town visitors
also rent cars, buy gas, rent hotel rooms
and eat at restaurants.
All those purchases are added up for
Oyster Bake and the other 100 Fiesta
events. And for Fiesta 2007, they totaled
$284 million.
Even that isn’t the whole picture of
Fiesta. One hundred nonprofit organizations
produce most of the official Fiesta
events. They may raise anywhere from a
few hundred dollars to more than $1 million.
And most of that money stays right in
the Alamo City. The organizations use it to
help their neighbors.
 Here are just a few examples of the
many Fiesta organization stories:
• The South Texas Chapter of the ALS
Association (Battle ALS with Flowers) uses
its proceeds to provide services for people
with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
• The Rey Feo Scholarship Committee
(El Rey Feo Reception) gives hundreds of
scholarships to local students.
• The San Antonio Conservation
Society (Night in Old San Antonio) helps
preserve the city’s historic structures.
That’s not all. More than 100 other,
smaller groups, such as Scout troops or
PTAs, sell street chairs along the parade
route. They raise thousands of dollars to
fund their own activities all year long.
Think of how many San Antonians have
been touched over more than a century
by all those organizations.
In other words, Fiesta never ends!
So as you enjoy the Texas Cavaliers
River Parade, the St. Philip’s College
Culture Fest & Rib Cook-Off, St. Luke’s
Fiesta Finale or any other event, you’ll
know you’re taking part in the biggest
community benefit in the state.
How to choose which events to go
to? Many families have traditions going
back generations of attending certain
activities. For them, those festivals
are Fiesta.
Other folks, especially newer residents,
may feel overwhelmed when they look at
the schedule. So they fall back on the
better-known events, like the big parades
or Fiestas Fantasias at Market Square.
This year the Fiesta® San Antonio
Commission (the organization that coordinates
the whole celebration) encourages
you to try one or two events you’ve
never been to before.You might consider
adding one of the three new official
Fiesta events to your April calendar:
 Fiesta de los Niños, sponsored by
Port San Antonio, 143 Billy Mitchell
Boulevard on the grounds of the former
Kelly AFB, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A children’s parade will kick off the festivities.
The event includes children’s
rides and games, food booths and live
music. The sponsors say the event will
reach out to “a broader segment of
Southside families, who will benefit by having a quality, child-focused, lowcost
activity close by.”
Fiesta Nueva, sponsored by St.
John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 502
East Nueva, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m. The event features a mariachi service,
live music, children’s games and
rides and the crowning of “King Gallo.”
Proceeds are to benefit St. John’s ministry
and school.
Sculptors Dominion Exhibit, sponsored
by Sculptors Dominion International
Inc. Its event is April 19, 20, 26 and 27 from
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Villa del Carmen,
11354 Vance Jackson. About 70 sculptors
will showcase their work on a six-acre
landscaped area. The organization works
to expose the community to the culture
of sculpturing.
And don’t forget the Fiesta Carnival.
It will be bigger and better than ever
this year at a brand-new location —
Parking Lot C at the Alamodome. There
will be plenty of parking at the Dome,
and VIA will be providing buses to its
Park and Ride station.
Other major changes for 2008 include:
The Rey Feo Reception is expanding
this year. Stop by at Main Plaza at 6:30
p.m. April 18 to see the crowning of
Fernando Reyes, el Rey Feo LX.
The popular All-American Canteen is
moving to the Municipal Auditorium, 100
Auditorium Circle, for its April 19 World War
II-era dinner and dance.
 The Sons of the Republic of Texas have
given their official Fiesta event a new
name, date and focus. The Alamo: These
Sacred Walls takes place at the Alamo
on April 23 from 4 to 5 p.m.
The Miss San Antonio Pageant is to
take place at Charline McCombs
Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St.,
April 27.
Details on these and all the other
events are available at fiesta-sa.org.
They add up to 103 events, and every
one of them produced by a civilian or
military organization that gives something
back. Even the president of the
Fiesta Commission makes it to only
about half of them. Most of us focus on
a handful of activities.
Whatever your personal Fiesta schedule,
you can take pride in knowing that
you’re helping your neighbors help one
another through Fiesta® San Antonio.
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