Fiesta San Fernando Neighborhood Street Fair

Fiesta San Fernando opens Thursday, April 23, for three days of free music, food and crafts around San Fernando Cathedral and Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio. (fiestasanantonio.org) The event runs through Saturday, April 25, and KSAT listed it among this week’s no-cost Fiesta options as the city’s 11-day Fiesta celebration continues through April 26. (ksat.com 1) (ksat.com 2) Fiesta San Fernando is staged at the site where organizers say “Fiestas” began more than 280 years ago, tying the neighborhood fair to one of the oldest parts of the city center. (fiestasanantonio.org) Organizers describe it as a family event built around two free entertainment stages, small-business vendors, home-cooked food and handmade crafts. Main Plaza’s event listing also says admission is free. (fiestasanantonio.org) (mainplaza.org) The fair sits along the routes for both the Battle of Flowers Parade on Friday, April 24, and the Fiesta Flambeau Parade on Saturday, April 25, giving visitors a downtown base during two of Fiesta’s biggest crowd days. (fiestasanantonio.org) (ksat.com 1) (ksat.com 2) That location matters during a festival that now stretches across more than 100 events citywide, with some major attractions charging admission while others remain free. Texas Public Radio said Fiesta began as a single parade around Alamo Plaza in the 1890s before growing into today’s citywide schedule. (tpr.org) (ksat.com) The Battle of Flowers Parade, set for Friday morning, is the founding event of Fiesta and one of the few parades in the United States produced entirely by women volunteers. The Fiesta Flambeau Parade follows Saturday night as a lighted downtown procession that KSAT said draws more than 800,000 spectators. (battleofflowers.org) (ksat.com) For people looking for a lower-cost way into the weekend, Fiesta San Fernando offers a free stop in the middle of downtown just as parade crowds build on April 24 and April 25. (ksat.com) (fiestasanantonio.org)