SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Fiesta season in San Antonio is known for its color, culture and community. One organization is sharing that spirit to make a difference for LGBTQ+ youth across the city and South Central Texas.<\/p>\n
Fiesta Youth, San Antonio\u2019s premier LGBTQ+ youth program, has been offering weekly programming and a safe, welcoming environment since opening its doors in September 2013.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd throughout the year, we just provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth to come be themselves, hang out, have fun,\u201d organization co-founding board member Darrell Parsons said. <\/p>\n
Parsons remembers the night Fiesta Youth first opened its doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were waiting around waiting for youth to show up, and the first one came through the door. And 10 more came through the door that night,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cAnd since then, we probably have between 30 and 50 youth attending weekly programming.\u201d <\/p>\n
Organizational growth has been more than just numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to see it go from just a small organization to what it is now, it\u2019s been heartwarming. It\u2019s been really nice,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cI wish I would have had this when I was a kid, but you know, we have it now, and that\u2019s what matters.\u201d <\/p>\n
Crystafer Stone, a volunteer who has been involved with Fiesta Youth for eight years, echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see that there\u2019s something now for the kids that are out there today, it\u2019s a life-saving place for these kids to be,\u201d Stone said. <\/p>\n
Midnight in Garden of Good and Evil: A party with a purpose<\/p>\n
One of Fiesta Youth\u2019s biggest annual moments is its signature fundraising event with humble beginnings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event actually started in the backyard of two of our supporters,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cThey wanted to have a Fiesta event. We wanted a Fiesta event that was a fundraiser. So, we got together, and we said, \u2018Let\u2019s do it at your house.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
The Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil masquerade extravaganza has outgrown a simple backyard entirely. Now in its 12th year, the event takes over The DoSeum, a popular San Antonio children\u2019s museum, and transforms it into an adults-only playground for the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get to play around on everything that\u2019s open out here at the museum, so we get to bring out our inner child,\u201d Stone said.<\/p>\n
The event \u2014 open to guests 21 and older \u2014 includes dancing, drag performances, food and drinks all covered in the total price of admission. Every dollar raised goes directly back to supporting LGBTQ+ youth programming.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe raise close to about $80,000 every year, and that has a huge impact when it comes to programming,\u201d Parsons said.<\/p>\n
Scholarships, community and Fiesta spirit<\/p>\n
The fundraiser also serves as the platform for another cornerstone of Fiesta Youth\u2019s mission: scholarships.<\/p>\n
To date, $86,000 in scholarship money has been given to LGBTQ+ and allied youth.<\/p>\n
For Parsons, the event \u2014 and Fiesta itself \u2014 represents something bigger than a party.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, we\u2019re a diverse community here in San Antonio, but we have a cause that brings us all together with Fiesta,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cFiesta Together means we\u2019re going to do this together. We\u2019re in this together.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThese nonprofit organizations \u2014 they depend on the community. They depend on Fiesta San Antonio to survive and thrive and Fiesta Together means that we\u2019re all in this together and we support each other,\u201d Parsons added.<\/p>\n
How to get tickets and support Fiesta Youth:<\/p>\n
\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f April 18, 2026<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udccdThe DoSeum<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f $100+ includes food, drink, parking and more<\/p>\n