 Fall Art Festivals
in San Antonio
By CHARLIE JARRELL
Fall is a fabulous time to be in San Antonio. Summer’s heat is fading, and the cooler weather invites citizen and visitor alike to be out and about enjoying many opportunities to sample the rich cultural life that drives the heartbeat of this colorful city.
During the Fall Art Festivals, photographs, calaveras, accordions, wine, food, mariachis and all that jazz energize and celebrate a very vibrant San Antonio experience. Most of these festivals began as grassroots efforts and expressions by individual artists and organizations. They now define the creative, artistic and cultural character of San Antonio.
Fall Art Festivals® is coordinated by the City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs. Most events are free and open to the public.
FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA
Sept. 1-30 | Citywide – Regional
This international photography festival is an eclectic, month-long celebration of the photographic arts. Dozens of exhibitions showing traditional photographs, digital images, photography-based works, photographic installations, funky camera and alternative photographic processes, are presented in galleries, museums, art centers and other exhibition places throughout San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country, South Texas and the Texas Gulf Coast. All exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information please visit the festival’s Web site, www.safotofestival.com.
Jazz’SAlive
Sept. 16-17 | Travis Park
Jazz’SAlive presents the best local, regional, national and international jazz musicians in a two-day outdoor festival in San Antonio’s beautiful Travis Park. Local acts perform in the afternoon, and national artists are showcased in the evening. Jazz’SAlive also hosts the Starlight Salute Gala and the Jazz’SAlive Champagne Brunch, both at the historic St. Anthony Hotel, by the park. Jazz’SAlive is organized by the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Parks Foundation. All concerts are free and open to the public. For more information please visit the Web site at www.saparksfoundation.org.
 International Accordion Festival
Oct. 13-15 | La Villita
The International Accordion Festival presents richly diverse squeezebox-driven musical traditions from all over the world. The festival also organizes workshops by master accordionists, dance instructors and accordion makers. Open-mike sessions, food booths, and plenty of dancing space make the accordion festival a wonderful opportunity for visitors to interact with these vibrant musical traditions. The International Accordion Festival is a free two-day outdoor festival, open to the public. For more information please visit the festival’s Web site, www.internationalaccordionfestival.org.
Día de los Muertos
Oct. 28 – Nov. 20 | Citywide
Altares, ofrendas, calaveras, flores, pan de muerto, chocolate, visual arts, poetry and music. Día de Los Muertos is a colorful flurry of traditional and contemporary festivities that celebrate ancestral remembrance and harvest season rituals from Central Mexico’s indigenous cultures. Organized by Centro Cultural Aztlán, with altars and exhibits on display all over the city, Día de los Muertos is a mainstay of San Antonio’s folklore and a vivid expression of its cultural heritage. For more information please visit the festival’s Web site, www.sacalaveras.com.
New World Wine & Food Festival
Nov. 7-12 | Citywide
Uncork your senses at the 2006 San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival Nov. 7 – 12 as we explore Old World and New World influences with a special emphasis on Spain. Toast with us for six days of fabulous food and wine filled with seminars, winemaker lunches and dinners, grand tastings and everything in between. Delicious discoveries await you everywhere. Join us and celebrate these uniquely diverse culinary experiences in San Antonio. For information, visit www.nwwff.org or call (210) 223.2881.
 Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza
Nov. 30-Dec. 3 | Citywide
Celebrate the music of Mexico in the Alamo City with a tradition that spans five generations and over 100 years during a concert featuring the Mexico City-based Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan. One thousand mariachi students gather during Ford Motor Company’s Annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza to participate in the largest mariachi group and vocal competitions in the United States. “Serenata en el Rio,” mariachi workshops, a mariachi mass and community performances are part of the celebration. For more information please visit the festival’s Web site, www.mariachimusic.com.
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