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Axios
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Your guide to Fiesta San Antonio 2025
Fiesta San Antonio starts Thursday, bringing 11 days of parties, music and culture to the city. 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).
Axios
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Why food is the "real attraction" of Fiesta San Antonio
Fiesta is a food lover's dream, and for many, it's the reason for the confetti-covered season. Why it matters: For 11 glorious days, eating chicken-on-a-stick — and other party favorites — for breakfast, lunch and dinner is socially acceptable. "Let's get real, the real attraction of Fiesta is the food," Edmund Tijerina, longtime food writer and former Express-News food critic, tells Axios. "The parades are nice and it's always fun to reconnect with friends, but Fiesta is an excuse to romp on food that you don't normally enjoy the rest of the year." State of play: Food is available at most — if not all — Fiesta events, official and unofficial. But the epicenter of iconic Fiesta eats is a Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA), held April 29 through May 2 at La Villita, NIOSA chairperson Lisa Pierce tells Axios. Tijerina agrees: "If you're going to do only one event for the food, eat your way through NIOSA." Some of the most popular eats are chicken-on-a-stick (fried, skewered chicken patty), Bongo-K-Bobs (beef shish kebabs) and Maria's Tortillas (fresh corn tortilla with melted cheddar). Flashback: Chicken-on-a-stick, arguably Fiesta's most recognizable food, got its start at NIOSA 77 years ago, Pierce says. The original idea was to make everything handheld for easy partying. "Everything at NIOSA is on a stick. They wanted it to be easy to carry and still stack those cups," Pierce says. Back then, the chicken breasts were hand-battered and fried onsite. By the numbers: NIOSA said 22,000 chickens-on-a-stick, 11,500 Bongo-K-Bobs and 6,600 Maria's Tortillas are gobbled up on average throughout the four days. Behind the scenes: NIOSA is entirely volunteer-run. Last year, 10,318 volunteers participated. Pierce says the level of volunteer dedication often surprises organizers throughout the events industry. Many booths are passed down through generations of Fiesta families. "They've always been taught, 'Never let that booth go,'" she says. "This is something that's bred into these people. It's a generational thing, and no one can redo what we're doing."
