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Fiesta royalty show off their shoes as parade crowds shout \u201cShow us your shoes!\u201d\u00a0during an annual Battle of Flowers parade.<\/p>\n
Jessica Phelps<\/p>\n
People attend Fiesta Fiesta, the official kick-off event for Fiesta, at Travis Park in 2025.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Jaz, El Rey Fido Duchess of the Fire Hydrants, sports a flower crown while attending Fiesta Fiesta at Travis Park in 2025.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Duchess of Fantastical Evolution Peyton Monroe Levy, front, waves from her float as it makes its way down Commerce Street during the Battle of Flowers Parade on Friday, April 26, 2024, in downtown San Antonio, Texas.<\/p>\n
Josie Norris\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
With a history spanning more than a century, Fiesta has plenty of traditions.<\/p>\n
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Along with floral crowns,\u00a0cascarones and sashes full of medals, Fiesta culture brings out some unique behavior and wardrobe choices every April.<\/p>\n
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Plenty of those distinctive Fiesta practices will be on display Thursday evening when the 11-day event gets underway with\u00a0Fiesta Fiesta<\/a> at Travis Park. The free, family-friendly event officially launches Fiesta, which marks its 135th anniversary this year.<\/p>\n From medals and decorative hats to\u00a0shoebox floats and chants of \u201cshow us your shoes,\u201d\u00a0San Antonio Explained looks at the various Fiesta customs that make up the annual \u201cparty with a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n ALSO READ: San Antonio Explained: Why cascarones are an Easter and a Fiesta tradition<\/a><\/p>\n Chants of \u201cShow us your shoes\u201d<\/p>\n One account says the chant started in the mid-1980s<\/a> when a royal court preparing to ride in the Battle of Flowers parade inadvertently revealed they weren\u2019t wearing fancy footwear with their sequined attire.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The story goes that when the float carrying a royal court broke down and the young Fiesta royalty lifted their gowns while disembarking the float, they showed nearby spectators the sneakers worn under their ornate gowns. The incident delighted the crowd, sparking cries of \u201cshow us your shoes\u201d directed at other royalty in the parade. The other royal courts responded by showing off the sneakers and casual shoes under their gowns.<\/p>\n In the years that followed, such chants grew and more royalty responded. The chants\u00a0soon became a tradition at Fiesta parades.<\/p>\n Royalty on Fiesta floats expect to show off their shoes, and they\u2019ve become\u00a0creative with their footwear<\/a>. Quirky slippers, cowboy boots, decorated sneakers and bedazzled flip-flops have been worn by Fiesta royalty.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Show your\u00a0shoebox floats<\/p>\n Shoebox floats <\/a>are made from discarded shoeboxes of various shapes and sizes that are decorated using different materials to fit a chosen theme.\u00a0 Some schools host a small festival after the parade, serving food and drinks and inviting\u00a0mariachis or other musicians to perform.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear when the tradition of Fiesta\u00a0shoebox floats started.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Published reports and archived photos show local students working on the project in the 1980s. Some parents say it likely started in the 1970s, when Fiesta royalty regularly started visiting schools and the shoebox floats helped create a festive atmosphere.<\/p>\n RELATED: See every Fiesta San Antonio poster, from the first in 1981 to 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Medal mania<\/p>\n The colorful custom-designed pins have been a part of Fiesta since the 1970s, evolving from the commemorative coins that the Texas Cavaliers started handing out during visits to children\u2019s hospitals in the 1940s, cultural anthropologist Michaele Haynes told Texas Public Radio in 2015.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n By the early 1970s, other organizations started handing out similar Fiesta coins, including ones noting the year or a special event. An early version of the medals we know today\u00a0\u2014 decorative pieces of metal attached to a colorful ribbon pin\u00a0\u2014 evolved by the 1980s. Some historians have cited the city\u2019s military presence for influencing the standard design of today\u2019s Fiesta medals, which resemble the hardware worn on military uniforms.<\/p>\n READ MORE: San Antonio Explained: What\u2019s with the excitement over Fiesta medals<\/a><\/p>\n Medals grew in popularity through the 1990s, and by the early 2000s, collecting and trading medals<\/a> had become a beloved Fiesta tradition.<\/p>\n Creating and selling Fiesta medals is a fundraiser for many groups and schools, as well as for businesses that designate a nonprofit to receive proceeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A collector often wears medals on a sash draped across their body or around the neck, while others have worn vests or hats to display their collections.\u00a0<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Express-News Fiesta Medal Contest winners announced for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Tip of the hat<\/p>\n
Students in many local elementary schools are assigned to create a float to be showcased in a school parade, mimicking the actual parades taking place during Fiesta.<\/p>\n