SAN ANTONIO – It’s that time of year again: the streets of San Antonio are set to come alive with the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Fiesta season!
Beginning in 1891 with the Battle of Flowers Parade, Fiesta San Antonio has grown and evolved over more than a century into a citywide celebration shaped by key traditions, developing into a collection of major local events celebrating the culture, heritage, and community of San Antonio, all while supporting local nonprofits, tourism, and the economy.
From April 18-26, San Antonio will celebrate this over 100-year-old cultural tradition and celebration, with dozens of annual events, each with their own charm and heritage.
You can find a full schedule of events, plus a map showing the events closest to you, on the Fiesta San Antonio Website.
A Night in Old San Antonio
The La Villita grounds in downtown San Antonio will come alive again this spring as A Night in Old San Antonio returns for four nights of food, music, and cultural celebration during Fiesta San Antonio.
A Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA) is scheduled for Tuesday through Friday, April 21-24, 2026, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. each evening at La Villita Historic Arts Village. Gates open nightly at 5:30 p.m. and close at 10 p.m., with alcohol sales ending at 10 p.m. Food and entertainment continue until 10:30 p.m. Organizers said the event is held rain or shine with no refunds.
Marking its 78th anniversary, the four-night festival is produced entirely by volunteers to benefit The Conservation Society of San Antonio, a historic preservation organization founded in 1924.
Proceeds help fund preservation projects, education programs, and initiatives, including the Junior Associates youth program. The event is led by Chairman Julie Terrill and a large volunteer team.
NIOSA spans a five-acre historic area and features 14 themed cultural areas showcasing food, entertainment, and heritage tied to communities that have settled in the greater San Antonio area.
Organizers said the festival includes more than 150 food, drink, and atmosphere booths and continuous live entertainment. Areas highlighted include the Arneson Theatre, China Town, French Quarter, Froggy Bottom, Frontier Town, Haymarket, Irish Flat, Main Street USA, Sauerkraut Bend, Mexican Market, South of the Border, Mission Trail, and Villa España.
Tickets for NIOSA 2026 are available online for $20 through April 24, with a handling fee. During the event, tickets can be purchased at the gate for $25, cash only, for ages 13 and up.
Children 12 and under are admitted free with an adult. Conservation Society members can purchase tickets for $15 by joining or renewing by March 31.
More information is available at niosa.org.
Fiesta De Los Reyes
From April 17 through 26, San Antonio’s Historic Market Square will be alive with food, drinks, and plenty of live music!
Fiesta De Los Reyes is a 10-day event in the historic market square Downtown. Guests can enjoy live music, food, and fun at one of Fiesta’s largest free events.
With vendors from all over the San Antonio area, and an impressive 32 headlining performers across five separate stages, Fiesta de los Reyes has something for everyone!
The event will run between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. from Friday, April 17th, to Friday, April 24th. Festivities will run from 10 a.m. until Midnight on Saturday, April 25, and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, April 26.
RELATED | San Antonio approves $5 fee during peak hours for Fiesta De Los Reyes in Market Square
For the first time in the event’s history, the event will require a $5 cover charge to access the event, reportedly to cover increased security and metal detection.
The San Antonio City Council approved a $5 entry fee during peak hours in a 7–4 vote. Tickets and additional information are available from the Fiesta De Los Reyes website here.
Rey Feo Public Crowning
Families are invited to a free evening of Fiesta fun featuring mariachi music and a look at the history behind one of Fiesta’s royal traditions: El Rey Feo.
Spectators can gather to watch the San Antonio tradition from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 17th at Main Plaza (115 Main Ave). The event is free to attend!
Organizers say the event will highlight the Rey Feo tradition and the work members do to uphold it while supporting fundraising efforts tied to the educational mission of the Rey Feo Scholarship Program. Admission is free.
El Rey Feo, known as the “Ugly King,” is described as the second king to reign over Fiesta. The role traces back to a medieval tradition in which peasants elected one of their own as king for a day. El Rey Feo became an official part of Fiesta in 1980.
The Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation and the Rey Feo Consejo Educational Foundation sponsor El Rey Feo. Candidates for the title raise money that is given to students for college expenses.
The Rey Feo Consejo Educational Foundation was founded by Rey Feo XXXII Logan Stewart in 1982. Notes say it was through Stewart’s efforts that Rey Feo was formally invited to be a part of Fiesta in 1980.
Today, members continue to pursue the title as part of a mission dating back to 1947, when the Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation made a promise to promote the transformative power of education for youth.
The Rey Feo serves year-round as a Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation ambassador and Fiesta royalty, earning the reign by raising at least $250,000 for scholarships in a friendly competition against another candidate.
Each year, the foundation distributes renewable awards to about 150 high school seniors and college students, providing a $2,000 annual scholarship for books and tuition.
Fiesta Cornyation
A longtime Fiesta favorite is returning to the Charline McCombs Empire Theater this spring, with Cornyation 2026 set to honor King Anchovy LIX, Marty Schlesinger.
Organizers say Cornyation 2026 will run April 21 through 23, with shows at 7 and 10 p.m. at the Charline McCombs Empire Theater. This is an Adult-Only (18+) Show.
The ‘Fiesta Cornyation’ show is reigned over by “King Anchovy,” described as Cornyation’s answer to King Antonio and Rey Feo.
Past Kings have included a San Antonio city manager, a dentist, a publisher, an artist, a restaurateur, and a landscape company owner. Organizers teased, “Who will wear the crown this year?”
The show is produced by about 200 volunteers, with elaborate costumes and set designs that are mostly created with recycled materials.
Organizers say all funds raised go to local charities and to provide scholarships to high school graduates seeking a theatrical degree. Cornyation performances over the decades have raised almost $5 million for charities, including the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, BEAT AIDS, and the Thrive Youth Center, as well as scholarship recipients from area high schools.
Fiesta Cornyation is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run charitable organization. Organizers say its mission includes supporting HIV/AIDS education, testing, and treatment, along with other LGBTQ+ causes in the San Antonio area.
Tickets are available through the Majestic & Empire Theater. This is an Adult-Only (18+) Show.
Chanclas y Cervezas
Compete, win, and rule the day! Event goers can join the lineup of games and competitions and have a chance to be crowned Rey and Reina of Chanclas y Cervezas 2026.
The event is held annually during Fiesta, this year running from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on April 18th at Greenline Park.
Presale tickets are $15 per person and $20 on the day of the event. Children 12 and younger are admitted free of charge.
The festivities will take place, rain or shine. While parking is free, attendees should be aware of partial road closures in the area.
For more information, visit the Chanclas y Cervezas website.
Alamo Heights Night – Canceled
Unfortunately, due to a lack of revenue from Alamo Heights Night 2025 and rising expenses to run the event, the Alamo Heights Rotary Club announced that Alamo Heights Night would not return in 2026.
RELATED | Fiesta favorite Alamo Heights Night event canceled this year
The event was previously canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19, Thorp said, and it has had declining attendance and revenues in the following years.
According to Club President Rick Thorp, revenues last year did not raise sufficient funds for organizers to finance the event this year.
Thorp said costs have gone up, and attendance was not what it was before COVID.
Check back in for further additions to this article as we compile all your favorite Fiesta events!