{"id":265485,"date":"2026-04-25T05:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/265485\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T05:30:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:30:28","slug":"my-first-fiesta-in-san-antonio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/265485\/","title":{"rendered":"My first Fiesta in San Antonio"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO \u2013 I just moved to San Antonio and experienced my very first Fiesta during Friday\u2019s Battle of Flowers Parade. <\/p>\n

What I learned quickly: Fiesta isn\u2019t just something you attend. It\u2019s something you jump into feetfirst. <\/p>\n

After hitting the streets and talking with parade-goers, here\u2019s what I learned about how to do Fiesta right:<\/p>\n

1. Go all in, especially on the parades<\/p>\n

San Antonians didn\u2019t hesitate when I asked for advice: Go to as many parades as you can.<\/p>\n

The Battle of Flowers Parade is one of the biggest, but it\u2019s just one part of a much larger celebration. If you want the full experience, you can\u2019t just pick one. You\u2019ve got to show up for all of it.<\/p>\n

2. Medals are a big deal<\/p>\n

Before Fiesta, I had no idea how important medals were<\/a>.<\/p>\n

People wear them proudly on sashes, trade them and even give them away to strangers. By the end of the parade, I went from having an empty sash to collecting a few and already wanting more.<\/p>\n

3. Be ready for cascar\u00f3nes (and don\u2019t be shy)<\/p>\n

One of my first hands-on Fiesta moments was cracking a cascar\u00f3ne on someone\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

These are the colorful confetti eggs. I joined in on the fun. Now, my hair is full of confetti. I love it!<\/p>\n

4. Dress the part<\/p>\n

Flower crowns, bright colors and festive outfits are everywhere. Fiesta fashion is all about celebrating loudly and proudly.<\/p>\n

5. You have to try chicken on a stick<\/p>\n

I kept hearing about it, and then I started seeing it everywhere.<\/p>\n

Chicken on a stick is a Fiesta staple. After finally trying it, I understand the hype. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s simple: crispy chicken, a soft roll and a jalape\u00f1o on top. It just works.<\/p>\n

I even learned one vendor at the Battle of Flowers Parade is putting their own spin on the tradition. After running out of rolls, they started using tortillas instead \u2014 proving Fiesta is just as much about creativity as it is tradition.<\/p>\n

6. Don\u2019t just watch, you must participate<\/p>\n

This might be the biggest takeaway.<\/p>\n

From cheering with strangers, to taking photos, to getting pulled into moments I didn\u2019t expect, Fiesta is all about joining in and having fun.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to know all the traditions right away. You just have to be willing to be part of it.<\/p>\n

7. Fiesta is about community<\/p>\n

As a newcomer, that stood out the most.<\/p>\n

People welcomed me in, shared traditions, handed me medals and made me feel like I belonged \u2014 even during my very first Fiesta experience.<\/p>\n

8. Yes, it\u2019s a party, but it has a purpose<\/p>\n

Fiesta may feel like one big celebration, but behind it all, there\u2019s a deeper meaning.<\/p>\n

Many of the events are hosted by local nonprofits and organizations, with proceeds going back into the community \u2014 supporting scholarships, programs and local initiatives across San Antonio.<\/p>\n

So, while you\u2019re enjoying the food, music, and parades, you\u2019re also helping give back.<\/p>\n

9. Final takeaway<\/p>\n

By the end of the day, I had my flower crown, new medals to add to my collection and my chicken on a stick in hand.<\/p>\n

While I may still be new to San Antonio, I\u2019ve learned that there\u2019s no perfect way to do Fiesta.<\/p>\n

You just show up and let the experience take over.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 I just moved to San Antonio and experienced my very first Fiesta during Friday\u2019s Battle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265486,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[31842,7185,14489,82,84,83],"class_list":["post-265485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-battle-of-flowers","tag-fiesta","tag-ksat-team","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}