Organizers for Night in Old San Antonio are pausing for 2027 as they grapple with declining attendance and revenue. Could this be the end of a tradition that goes back decades?
KAYLEE C GREENLEE BEAL 2022/Express-News file photo
In the modern era, San Antonio has known years without Fiesta, but it has been more than 80 years since the city has experienced Fiesta without Night in Old San Antonio, or NIOSA.
Arguably the signature event for Fiesta, NIOSA runs over four nights.
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But not in 2027 now that the nonprofit Conservation Society of San Antonio, which created and produces NIOSA, has canceled next year’s gathering. Whether this is a pause or a divorce from the La Villita site remains unclear. What is clear is the event has been facing several challengers, and organizers have said they need time to recalibrate so the tradition can continue.
Here are some of the challenges, according to organizers: A reduction of 43% of event space as well as declining revenue and attendance. The city disputes the assertion that event space has declined.
With no clear solutions to these challenges, and with 2027 rising on the horizon, the Conservation Society announced Wednesday that it will suspend the NIOSA next year so organizers can “review, retool, and reinvigorate the beloved tradition.”
This decision came after the board considered scaling down the event, relocating or rescheduling for another time of the year.
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Whatever the future holds, this is a huge change for Fiesta and San Antonio. The roots of NIOSA run 90 years deep, beginning with the Conservation Society hosting a harvest festival at Mission San Jose.
In 1946, at the city’s invitation, the Conservation Society moved its event to coincide with the Fiesta. In 1948, it was first called Night in Old San Antonio for the first time. Presumably, that was the start of an unsettled debate in the Alamo City: whether NIOSA is pronounced knee-OSA or nigh-OSA.
In 1958, NIOSA expanded to four nights. At its peak, it drew 85,000 people a year to enjoy more than 150 food booths, highlighting and celebrating of San Antonio’s multicultural heritage at 14 distinctive cultural areas. NIOSA has been the Conservation’s biggest fundraiser, generating millions of dollars for the Conservation’s preservation efforts.
The news of NIOSA’s 2027 cancellation took San Antonians by surprise and is a solemn occasion. Only the three Fiesta parades, the Battle of Flowers, Fiesta Flambeau and Texas Cavaliers River Parade rival NIOSA’s prominence and standing with Fiesta.
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The problem is that it’s now better known than attended. Attendance has dropped 48% since 2000.
When Fiesta was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, there was no doubt that once the virus was under control, the festival would return. It did in June of 2021, later than normal, but a return worth celebrating.
The uncertainty of NIOSA’s future doesn’t allow for such confidence.
Betty Bueché, president of the Conservation Society of San Antonio has spoken of a “another event” that will emerge from this crisis. Would that be a reimagined NIOSA with a different format?
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“Reinvigorating a beloved tradition” sounds great, but it also could mean a new event and new traditions.
Would that lead to more success or accelerate decline? It is hard to imagine a new event prospering without the imprimatur of Fiesta or in a different location.
We hope we are wrong, but our concern is NIOSA as we have known it is gone for good. When the new NIOSA is reimagined, may it recapture the magic, fun and reverence for our city’s history.
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Night In Old San Antonio has meant too much to this city to disappear into the night.