This is your average fair. Decent festival food and entertainment. Everyone seems friendly and I…read morelike that there are hand sanitizers throughout the fair. They do have rides but I'm not a fan of pop up carnival rides. Overall, I would come back.

Go early! It got hot today. It was our first time. Now I wish I would have bought the flower…read moretiara. They were so colorful. The food is pricey but most festival food is. We even rode a ride. Wear comfy shoes. Oh and check out the salsa hot booth. My hubby won a care package for tasting them all like a champ. Everything was so colorful. Parking is pricey at 20.00, but goes toward the army rotc for st Mary's. Try to Uber if you can. Everyone was so nice all day.

Nice little space. It's free admission and donation based. They also have a few products for sale…read morein the front. We would love to go back, it's inside the Blue Star complex which is a cute area with a few restaurants, galleries and a wine bar. The buildings are painted different colors and the complex was very nicely done. Could spend a couple of hours walking around here on a nice day!

Art galleries are always fun to go to. This one in particular is free, and accepts donations. Local…read moreartist showcasing their work. It was beautiful there's a parking lot but on a busy day there's no use in circling around and around, just go to the nearby neighborhood and park.

thoroughly enjoyed the last day of fiesta ! in previous…read morereviews seating is somewhat limited, (we were there from 1-4p ) but it's all in the shade. Only Couple things could've left out. The mutton busting and grito calls: too many participants and disorganized, but everything else was great: The horses, the costumes. But the rodeo didn't start till after 3:30. ( they need to advertise this : if I had known, would've arrived a bit later) , but couldn't stay til 7p Vendors were great : food was delicious

It was our first time to go to this event and pat probably our last. The event is advertised as…read morerunning from noon to 6pm. Yes, you can get in about 11:30am, park your car and grab a seat. Then wait a long time for anything to happen. You can watch them ready the grounds for the horses and riders. Makes you think the show is about to start. Not really. Too many gaps between the bits of entertainment. A few youngsters come out and take a few laps and bow to the crowd. We clap because what else do we have? Seating ran out very quickly with people asking 'is that spot saved'? Remember parking? There is no help upon entry. When we left, we had to wait for someone to leave because people had parked any which way, blocking all manner of folks. Very frustrating. As the whole event was. Many people left about the same time we left.

This is a review of disappointment between what the institute of Texan cultures used to be and how…read moreit became now. My main disappointment is I used to volunteer for the Texas Folklife festival which used to be held at the old institute location. If you have been you know exactly what I am talking about. In this new location they have everything almost mixed up together in a very small space. The entrance is $10 for a moment we thought the whole building is the institute... no! It is just one upstairs. I truly felt so disappointed when we went back down my friend joked with the girls at the register wanting a refund. They took her seriously and promised a refund. They tried to do it which it didn't go through then said the manager will... I looked at my bank statement and the charge was there... I let it go! I will never return

"Just getting started" is how one of the attendants put it while we were here- great start!…read more Good mix of modern and classic antiquities that make Texas everything that it is cracked up to be. After all, it is the diverse background of the people that settled here that created the uniqueness that we take for granted as Texan culture. So many influences.... Worth learning how things evolve! The staff here mentioned many things yet to come. We are really looking forward to seeing more of the items that we were all introduced to in childhood if you grew up in San Antonio.

The Houston Street Fair and Market is done. Over. No mas…read more The City Council cut the funds from the budget, and this family-friendly free event is no more. It used to be a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Traffic was blocked off of Houston Street, and pop-up merchants sold art, food, and gave away swag. They even had a rodeo themed event once, where they were showing off roping skills. But since the City Council had better things to do with SA's money, we no longer have this event.

It's been about a year or so since going to one of these, but none the less, I want to review it…read more Actually I am just being a copycat of JT... I think he's neato :) LOL No...actually this is a really cool thing that our city does. It's a free event, and they even offer free parking at the Frost Bank tower. There are always some interesting booths, and great "bad for you " food...stuff you would find at a carnival, but without having to pay a horribly steep admission fee, and your not putting up with the crazy carnies either..LOL There is a good mix of things for adults and kids to do, and see. I love that San Antonio puts this on for us....we have a great city, and this is one more event that we can take part in and enjoy :)

Nueva Street Gallery is an art gallery located in La Villita, a historical place now composed of…read moreshops selling art, crafts, and souvenirs. This art gallery is made up of a conglomerate of local San Antonio artists. Art is focused on the contemporary. Media ranges from glass to oils to watercolor. There is also a good selection of locally made jewelry, along with sculpture and pottery. The quality of the artwork is actually not bad and is a step above some of the other shops in La Villita. Prices are on the higher range, but that is to be expected with quality.

As of late I have noticed our city is quickly becoming the "It" place. This has been a result of…read moreboth elbow grease and love. With each new day brings a new bar, restaurant, shopping spot, coffee house etc. It's no wonder tourists and locals are discovering and rediscovering what our town truly has to offer. However, I have noticed as far as musical venues as well as events are concerned they have been slow in coming. But with the 2nd Annual Maverick Festival of 2014 I think that that might change. Like Austin's SXSW and ACL which makes that city relevant, last years festival was a success. It was interesting to see how a two day event versus a one day one would fair. And it appeared to work. I like how they mixed relatively new acts with cult followings and paired them with already established ones. For example Friday's lineup had trip~hop artist, SZA opening for Roky Erickson, who plays psychedelic era music from the 60's. Or better yet having grunge darlings, Candlebox on the same bill as Twin Shadow on Saturday seemed a bit odd. And yet it seamlessly worked out. The choice of La Villita Square as the musical venue to host the event was a pretty bold move and yet it paid off. I would have liked to have seen a festival of this magnitude at the Sunken Gardens, which is more spacious, but downtown was a good location as well. The staff and the sound (p.a) were immaculate. Lines for will call and to enter were never more than a few people deep. I think the first day I went there seemed to be some issues with entering and leaving, even with a wristband but by the next day those minor details had been ironed out. The festival's overall presentation of the show itself and stage setup were all top notch. Another thing that helped bolster it was adding a second and third stage respectfully on The Arneson Theatre and Juarez Plaza with local acts. Seeing bands like Carlton Zeus and Sunday, who were rocking out to barges of tourists on the Riverwalk, was certainly not lost on me. The ampitheatre was filled to the brim with punk rockers, metal-heads, skaters, families, unabashed selfies, etc. It seemed to be a celebration where every race, age, gender and socioeconomic one could imagine was welcomed. Since you were given a wristband on admission you could go and come as you pleased. This gave participants free rein to eat from the various food trucks there or have a drink elsewhere, which I'm sure people did. Or have one inside the show itself, as they were selling margaritas, mixed drinks of all sorts and Lite beers. There seemed to be this overwhelming laissez faire vibe and containment coexisting at the same time. While I did have a good time and the overabundance of acts meant there was something for everyone, I did leave with some concerns. 1.) The pricing for one day compared to two seemed a bit steep. And on the second day of the festival having the other stages for free probably had participants opting for the latter and keeping them away from the main acts. 2.) Sound checks bled into other artists set times and created that dreaded dead space. I would have doubled or tripled the back line for gear. And had volunteers help bands put and take stuff off the stage, which cuts down on time. 3.) With some artists thrown off schedule instead of having a stage for local acts elsewhere why not have it by the main stage instead. Pick select bands with a local draw and let them play while the sound on the main stage is situated. I really enjoyed myself at the Maverick Festival. Both days offered unique artists and I was exposed to new music I might not encounter otherwise. I found myself speculating which artist would blow up nationally, like Gary Clark Jr. did last year. I'm sure people will debate its success or ineffectiveness in the coming months, year. But in the bigger scheme of things this lifts our profile. Soon, you won't have to leave your city to see your favorite band. Very soon...

This year was my second time going to the Maverick Music Festival and I had so much fun at both. I…read morereally love what San Antonio has turned into without losing its San Antonio-ness. Both Public Enemy and The Flaming Lips put on a great show. I loved the stage with all the lights, colors, and confetti. La Villita is such a cool place with so much potential and it's nice to have it used for an event like this. I heard a rumor that this was the last Maverick Fest and I'm really hoping that's not true. I love the location because once it was over I easily walked my way over to Azuca and continued my night dancing salsa. I like that the wristbands are for both days for the festival and you can come in and out, that was really great.

Fiesta de los Reyes at El Mercado used to be a fun Fiesta event. You would see the most random…read morethings. The Hispanic Elvis(RIP). La Sucia. The dude in booty shorts with cowboy boots dancing in circles to Cumbia music. Slim Batman. I once saw someone push a baby stroller. And underneath the blanket was a 12 pack of Lite Beer. There was a police presence but it was never equal to the madness there. Maybe its danger created a vibe, like at any second something crazy would happen. Which created an excitement. But even danger has its limitations. As Fiesta-goers traded "Chicken on a Stick" for fist fights and firearms. I began to sense this a year ago. And sure enough it takes someone acting irrationally to spoil it for everybody. So here I am at Fiesta de Los Reyes 2025. Every stretch of the way it is blocked off to prevent shenanigans. The event looks like it is being hosted by Guantanamo Bay. The $20 dollar parking hasn't changed. But now you have lesser options to enter. When we got there, there was a huge fence surrounding it. You have to go through checkpoints, a metal detector and now they wand you. If you think the police are fun at Fiesta events you will love them here. The police presence is more tense and on guard. For example me and my partner walked an eternity to find an entrance. Before we went we read what was permitted and prohibited from taking inside. It allowed for purses of a certain size. Mind you in hindsight maybe we were too hasty on fashion choices. My partner took a purse that turns into a backpack. It can barely fit a small coin purse. At the check point the officer stated, "you can't take that inside!" Even though it was absolutely the stipulated size. Lucky for us someone suggested taking the straps and converting it into a carry on. The officer relented and we gained entrance. Even though the event is free the prices went up exponentially. Which for any Fiesta event is expected, I get it. For every yard of people, police are swarming around you. An event like the Oyster Bake has security strategically placed. Here, you might as well give an officer a bite of your "Chicken on the stick." I will say the music is better spaced out with more diverse music genres. I do miss having the dude with snuck in booze screaming, "Run to the hills." Even though the Iron Maiden Tribute band had played it 5 songs ago. I think the city will appreciate the safety measures. The unintended effect will be that that troublemaking population will find other events with less police presence. I did get really great Pizza at Bruno's Pizzeria and a drink from Vero's Margarita Stand. That's all. I want to come back when it exclusively has the El Mercado vibe and crowd. I'm probably going to scratch this off my list. It needs to change this into a ticketed event and include it with the rest of the rowdy Fiesta lot.

We really enjoyed our day out at Fiesta De Los Reyes. it was very well organized, we felt safe with…read moreall the police presence. Everyone seemed to be on good behavior, and respectful towards the police and others. Saw police and EMT quickly tend to people who had become dehydrated. It was all very well organized! Thank you SAPD, first responders and the Cit of San Antonio!