Flambeau Parade Attracts Hundreds of Thousands

A Star Wars themed float at the Flambeau Parade (photo by Isabella Weston)

By Isabella Weston

Close to 750,000 people lined the 2.6 mile parade route on the streets of downtown San Antonio Saturday, sitting in their lawn chairs and patiently waiting for the Flambeau Parade to start.

The parade marks the second Saturday of Fiesta every year, featuring hours of progression of themed floats, dancers, live music, and bands all clad in light-up costumes. It is one of the most popular Fiesta events.

This year’s parade did not disappoint the hundreds of thousands of spectators. The festivities kicked off with the Fiesta Fun Run, where several hundred runners of all ages dressed in costumes and ran through the streets where people cheered them on.

From the float full of dancers dressed like pop star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, to the comical “May the Flush Be With You” float from the San Antonio Water System, to the marching bands with hundreds of students, the parade was full of excitement and spectacles.

Meanwhile, vendors of all kinds lined the parade routes selling Mexican trinkets, dresses, confetti poppers, key chains, and other fun objects. Among them was Laura Uvalle-Villereal, a local vendor and San Antonio native, who has long been part of the festivities.

“I’ve been coming to this parade for as long as I can remember. I used to come with my parents. Now I sell my own things,” she said. “Thousands of people walk by my stand. It makes it exciting and fun to be out here selling my merchandise while the parade is going on.” Her most common sale is the Fiesta flower crowns, which was worn by almost every person at the event.

Uvalle-Villereal also brings her children along most of the time, and their favorite thing of the parade is the glowing costume dances on the city streets. “It makes the city seem less scary to them, and they love dancing to the music and watching the floats go by,” she said.

Meredith Peckham, a junior at Trinity, was enjoying the parade as well. “The parade was beautiful and truly unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Peckham said. “It was so fascinating to see so much of San Antonio come together to celebrate Fiesta.”

Peckham is from Syracuse, New York, and only got to see Fiesta when she came to Trinity. “I am really grateful I had the opportunity to go and immerse myself into San Antonio’s charming culture.”

Fiesta is San Antonio’s annual cultural celebration that lasts about two weeks. The Fiesta tradition in San Antonio has been going for more than 120 years, and the Flambeau Parade has occurred every year for the last 71 years.