SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CN) — A week before the official start of Fiesta, San Antonians were already getting into the holiday spirit as a group of about 75 local bicyclists took over a portion of downtown for the fifth annual Fiesta Bike Parade.
Organizers of this unofficial Fiesta event encourage cyclists to decorate themselves and their bikes — and riders this year didn’t disappoint. Some donned elaborate hats draped with streamers in eye-popping shades of yellow, pink and green. Others weaved multicolor garlands through their bicycle spokes and adorned their helmets with Mexican paper flowers.
It was a crisp Saturday morning in mid-April. Aromas of cinnamon coffee and breakfast tacos lingered in the air.
“Have a great time, and Viva Fiesta!” event organizer Joey Pawlik, executive director with the transportation advocacy group Activate SA, said as the group kicked off.
Welcome to Fiesta, an only-in-San-Antonio celebration now in its 134th year. Readers may not have heard of it, but it’s a big deal here, with even public schools and government offices temporarily closing for festivities.
The 11-day citywide bonanza — which officially kicked off Thursday, April 24, and runs until Sunday, May 4 — features more than 100 official events, from one-of-a-kind parades and performances to pop-up markets and street fairs. Those include the lively King William Day Fair in San Antonio’s King William Historic District, one of the most historic neighborhoods in the United States.
A so-called party with a purpose, Fiesta runs on an army of volunteers and benefits scores of nonprofits. For many local organizations, it’s the single largest fundraiser of the year. It also means big bucks for local businesses, pumping around $340 million into the local economy.
San Antonio’s historic roots run deep. Founded in 1718, the city long served as the capital of Mexico’s Tejas province until Texas won independence following the Battle of San Jacinto near Houston in 1836.
The origins of Fiesta San Antonio date back to 1891, when locals held the first Battle of the Flowers Parade. That event, which happens on May 2, lives on more than a century later and is expected to draw in more than 350,000 spectators this year.
“The Battle of Flowers Parade was held in commemoration of the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas independence,” said Amy Fulkerson, a senior historic preservation specialist with the city of San Antonio. “It is intimately tied to those events.”
Now, the parade has taken on another life as a core part of San Antonio’s Fiesta celebrations. “While San Antonio had other sorts of celebrations — we celebrated spring carnival and all these other things — it was the parade that [became] sort of the focal point and [became] the reason why we celebrate Fiesta when we do,” Fulkerson explained.
Those are just the official events and history. Over the years, Fiesta has spawned its own cultural traditions, including cascarones (Mexican confetti eggs) and chicken on a stick (fried and usually topped with a jalapeño). All across the city, San Antonians decorate their homes and businesses with papel picado, a type of traditional paper flag that literally translates to “shredded paper.”
Then there are the countless unofficial events, including the Fiesta Bike Parade. It was a festive ride this year, as wide-eyed children cycled alongside their parents and at least one sombrero-wearing chihuahua rode atop its owner’s back. As riders honked their bike horns and shouted out the occasional “Viva Fiesta!,” local cyclist Kino Jimenez belted out a soundtrack of Mexican cumbias — something he dubbed “Fiesta Bike Parade karaoke.”
Around 2.5 miles and an hour or so later, the group ended up back where they started. They socialized for a bit and discussed plans for next year. “It gives us a chance to celebrate our local cycling culture and Fiesta,” Pawlik said of the ride.
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