I hadn't been to any Fiesta events since I was a kid, and Victor, of course, had never been. Also, Fiesta has grown quite a bit over the years. When I was young, I remember only two parades, the Battle of Flowers and the Flambeau. Now there's an additional nighttime river parade, a Band Fest, a carnival, and minor events.
Earlier this year, after successfully purchasing tickets for three parades and the Band Festival, I thought, "Now I only have to hope it doesn't rain." Alas, as we left L.A. for San Antonio, the forecast showed rain likely much of the week. Sigh.
Sure enough, the first event for which I had bought tickets ($35 each), the Monday night Texas Cavaliers River Parade, was canceled due to a flash flood warning just two hours before it was scheduled to begin. No refunds, either; the money goes to charity.
One block from our motel, at night, I saw multi-colored changing lights on freeway columns. (See the photos.) I discovered it was Light Channels by Bill FitzGibbons.
Despite the rain early in the week, at least the meals with friends would continue. On Tuesday, we had lunch with my cousin Rochelle and dinner with two friends. Similar outings on Wednesday and Friday.
But on Saturday, Rochelle's son sent me a message that his mother died Friday morning! Apparently a stroke.
The Band Festival was entertaining. The finale had 4100 musicians from more than 40 high schools on the field playing together (see my 19-second video of that), followed by fireworks. Plus, my alma mater, Jefferson HS, won two awards. (Scroll down on this webpage to see the award winners.)
As we left the Band Fest, we experienced the first of two Uber refusals! I asked for Uber, and was notified of the driver and updated on his arrival. But when it said he would arrive in 1 minute, Uber suddenly said, "Searching for another driver" and we had to wait another 14 minutes! The same thing happened a few days later!
The Battle of Flowers parade began in 1891. It remains the highlight of Fiesta. Nowadays, it features a plethora of titled "royalty". The titles are pretty wild; here are a few:
- Duchess of Luxurious Textile Motifs
- Duchess of Ornamental Supremacy
- Duchess of Oceanic Synchronicity
- Duchess of Panoramic Perfection
- Duchess of Exemplary Urban Splendor
- Duchess of Unconventional Resilience
Their gown trains are enormous, and these women are almost always wearing cowboy boots! Click here for a photo album (mostly from the Fiesta program book).
The Flambeau Parade is touted as "America's Largest Illuminated Night Parade". Another fun event.
The King William District is a Texas State Residential Historic District. At the end of Fiesta Week, they have a Fair, including a parade. This parade has some quirky entries -- lots of dogs, including the San Antonio Corgi Club, a Star Wars Society, a Roper Romp of orange-wigged women in kaftans mimicking Helen Roper from Three's Company. (I never heard of Mrs. Roper and had to look this up), and several gay-related groups. See the photos.
