From Me to You: Viva Fiesta!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Viva Fiesta!

Prepare for a long (super fun) post! I promise there are pictures at the end :)

I’m sure you know of “fiesta” as party, but in San Antonio,Fiesta is an 11-day party. For 11 days in April, San Antonio takes time out of the normal schedule to celebrate culture, food, and fun. And celebrate they do…they even have an actual store called the “Fiesta Store” to get you anything you need for Fiesta. Sombreros (home decorated ones, preferably), medals, ribbons, color EVERYWHERE. These people go all out and hold nothing back.

This is the first year I have been able to attend of Fiesta event. What are they you ask? It all started in 1891 when citizens of San Antonio wanted to honor the heroes of the Alamo and Battle of San Jacinto with a “Battle of Flowers.” They participants pelted each other with blossoms on top of parade floats. Today it is the largest parade in Fiesta (there are 6 totals parades during the 11 day period).

Now, there are hundreds of events during the 11 day period. NIOSA (Night in Old San Antonio) is one of the most popular. That particular one began as a one-day celebration to celebrate the heritage of the city’s early settlers. Now it is a four-night event, bringing in over 85,000 people through its gates. At the event today, there are different heritage “sections” that you can celebrate, such as; Arneson Theatre, French Quarter, International Walkway, Mexican Market, Sauerkraut Bend, China Town, Clown Alley, Frontier Town, Irish Flat, Mission Trail, and South of the Boarder.

There are also events called “Taste of New Orleans,” “Taste of the Northside,” and “Oyster Bake.” They also have arts fairs, gallas, museum events, and much, much more. There are activities ranging from kiddos to retired folk. It really is a true 11 day celebration.

The event we finally made it to was Oyster Bake. The event takes place on St. Marys University campus, with all funds going towards student scholarships and university/alumni programs. This was only a two-day event, Friday night and Saturday from 11 am to 12 pm. There are 7,000 volunteers, 2 full-time staff members and sever part-time employees dedicated to this event alone.

Between Kyle, Jason, and myself we tried a handful of food that was there (not sure if that is good or bad!) The fried oysters tasted like a fish fry up north (which made me very homesick and hungry for a good old Northern/Walleye fish fry)! They also served Flaming Hot Cheetos with melted cheese on top (who thinks of that??), hamburgers, pizza, beef fajitas (apparently hot sauce from South San Antonio is H.O.T. that was no Franks Red Hot, that is for sure). They also had chicken on a stick, beef on a stick, raw oysters, egg rolls, fried cheesecake, and much, much more.

Here is a list of all the food at the event:

100,000 Oysters (baked, fried and raw)
25,000 Fried Chicken Breasts
3,000 lbs. Beef and Chicken Fajitas
6,000 Turkey Legs
10,000 Hamburgers
7,500 Ears of Corn
2,500 lbs. Sausage
21,000 gal. Beverages (beer, soda, water, lemonade, etc.)
25,000 Flour Tortillas
35 Bands/Entertainers

The entertainment is another story. They had 5 entertainment stages. 5. And while you were at one, there was enough people/distance you could not hear the other music. Crazy. They had a “Best of the 80s, 90s, and Today” stage, a County stage, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Family stage Friday night. Saturday night they had Rock (Candlebox and Theiry of a Dead Man!), Country (Aaron Watson and Roger Creager), Tejano/Latino, variety Pop/Rock (Sean Kingston!) and a family stage as well. Again, crazy. 5 stages. At one time.

Anyway. Now that you know WAY too much about Fiesta, (and probably understand why San Antonio is the 3^rd fattest city in the nation), I will show you some pictures!