Thank you YELP for the tickets! this was our first time to the festival and we looked forward to…read moretesting out some great barbacoa. Located at the most southern part of SA, it was quite a drive for us, but always open for adventures. Once there, you'll encounter many people/families using there properties for parking spaces and charging $10. The walk isn't too far from the music pavilion, but there are people driving golf carts if you need help. The festival consisted of a few food vendors, craft vendors, and 3 live music band areas. We found there wasn't has many barbacoa vendors as we thought. After testing a few, our fave was Chela's tacos. Good flavor. Tried a Big Red - interesting bubble gum flavor, but wowsa 61 grams of sugar lol Lots of picnic tables-we relaxed, and listened to some country music.

This festival was fun with lots of food trucks and music throughout the day on two different…read morestages! There was also quite a few vendors indoors to shop around. I did appreciate that. There were also a couple of booths that gave away freebies. Bonus! However, for the expense of tickets and parking, I do not think it was worth it. You can go to free street fairs that are like this, or even better. I don't think it's worth the cost.

Such a special San Antonio experience! The Western Heritage Cattle Drive Parade is a beautiful,…read morefree, family-friendly event that truly celebrates the city's history and culture. From the longhorn steers and mounted riders to the military cavalry, law enforcement units, Charro riders, and folklórico dancers, there's so much to see and appreciate. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming, not overly crowded, and it's easy to find a great viewing spot along the route. It feels authentic, educational, and festive all at once. This is a wonderful way to kick off rodeo season and reconnect with San Antonio's roots. Highly recommend making time for it at least once (and probably every year after)!

01 Feb 2025 Back…read moreagain for 2025. We missed the longhorns last year, so we made sure to get downtown earlier this time. We arrived about 10:15am and secured pretty good seats street-side on one of the cement flower planters. We got to see the longhorns driven by and left pretty soon afterwards so I could get to the library to have my Yelp Elite 2025 pictures taken. Ironically, after leaving the library, we got to see some of the parade participants on their way back - charros, military on horseback, a couple of rodeo clowns, some horse-drawn wagons. It's a nice event.

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.

A party with a cause! The WEBB Party is put on to benefit…read morethe San Antonio AIDS Foundation. It's an official Fiesta event, put on at the Aztec Theater, usually. Last year's party had been postponed due to the pandemic, but here's hoping it returns! It's an amazing event- everyone shows up all gussied up, usually around a theme. If you've never been to the Aztec, this is a great way to see such a beautiful venue. Especially when the Aztec isn't trying to gouge you on drinks and bottled water. The Aztec has shut off their drinking fountains so you can only get bottled water from their bar, usually at a high price. But since this party has an open bar, that's not an issue for the WEBB Party. On stage, they have music, performances, drag shows, and other often-times raunchy entertainment. Leave the kids at home. The best part is the open bar, and all you can eat. Local restaurateurs show up and dish small portions of their best meals. Grab as many as you like! It is one of the more expensive Fiesta events, but with all the glitz, glamour, food and drinks, it makes a it a great time- plus, the fact that it's for a good cause! Usually you can get VIP tickets that allow you early access to the party, so you don't have to worry about the best food and drinks running out. I think VIP also has a private bar and seating area. After the event, there's a free shuttle that goes to an after party over at Bonham Exchange.

Webb Party was a blast this year as they celebrated their 25th year in 2018! Held at the iconic…read moreAztec theater this year, the theme was Masquerade and were folks dressed to the 9s. Although the tickets have a higher price mark there's two important points that should make it easier purchasing them. 1. Proceeds benefit the San Antonio Aids Foundation 2. OPEN BAR AND BITES There were quite a few food vendors including Luther's, Piatti, a culinary art school, Lick, and so so many more. The open bar included beer, wine, rose, and well liquors. In the VIP area there was a dedicated bar and VIP only restaurants which was nice. It was super nice to see how friendly everyone was and I'm certain I did the photo booth like three times haha. Honestly, the highlight of the night was seeing Jinx Monsoon perform a set. One of the more sentimental moments was their presentation of awards which included a moment highlighting the founders of WEBB and hearing the backstory on how this event came together. Most importantly was the why behind the story. I'm so happy it's back as an official Fiesta event and I'm certain to go back!

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!

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.

The Day of the Dead Festival in downtown San Antonio keeps getting better every year!…read more This year the festival took place all over Hemisfair park (included the new section) as well as La Villita. The festival had numerous food and beverage vendors, as well as other activations from big brands. The festival also included live music happening all across the park with the main stage at the new section of the Hemisfair. My favorite part about the festival were the giant alebrijes they had across the festival. I've always been fascinated with alebrijes so to see them in a large is really espectacular. The reason why I am giving the festival four stars instead of five is because of the altares. I was born and raised in Mexico, and grew up with altares all my life. With that being said, altares have RULES and there are things that MUST be included in order for them count as one. For example, all altares must be three levels, must have water, salt, a path with marigolds, pan de muertos, etc etc. NONE of the "altares" around the festival were even slightly close to representing a real altar that you would find in Mexico. If they are going to make a contest out of it, they should at least require for them to have the minimum requirements. Day of the Dead is a very important day for many of us, and to see it represented with such a lack of care is very disappointing. With that being said, I would still come back to the festival and would take advantage of all the free activations they have throughout the day.

A great family & pet friendly free event. A lot of walking…read moreand creative alters to see. Do face painting first. Bring something to sit on (towel, sheet) to sit and watch entertainment.

If you're not here, then you should be. And if you never made it here, well, te chingaste…read more What you missed: 1. Jäger 2. Tamales 3. Brisket 4. Jäger 5. Beer 6. Music 7. Jäger 8. Adult face painting 9. Photo booth 10. Jäger Our group thoroughly enjoyed every part of this event. The weather was great, the music was cool, and the beverages were flowing. Special shout to Yelp, Fernanda and her volunteers that were giving out pretzel necklaces with check in. Hopefully this will be an annual event as it was so much fun.

Pros: Not too crowded…read moreGood music Some shade Beer for sale Water for sale Food for sale Cons: Not a big variety of food or enough food vendors Besides music, no other entertainment It was H-O-T I am sure that the organizers will learn from this year and change a few things next year. We can't change the weather and I expected it to be hot. I was grateful for the shade and fan under the pavilion. It would have been nice to have more tables and/or chairs. The bands playing were great. They had a variety of music. They had a good amount of beer booths. With general admission, you did get one free beer. Now for $5 a beer, I would have expected to at least get 12 ounces. They served the beers in small cups that looked more like 8oz to me. I do understand that beer is always overpriced at these events. Food was ok, but it would have been nice to have more food booths. The food tickets were $1 a piece. I had one lackluster soft pretzel. At $3, I consider that a steal. I'm not sure how much everything else cost. Water was one for $3 or 2 for $5. Overall, it was a good first year event. I am sure it will only get better from here.