The Grand Tasting was $75 in advance, $100 at the door - but sold for $35 via an online deal…read more This allowed for the event to sell out, oversell IMO. Lines were too long, trash cans overflowed, and due to the online deal the crowd was decidedly different from years past. Restaurants ran out of food even earlier than last year. Las Ramblas and Kirby's, for example, were out of food by 8:10pm. I'll opt for a Wine Dinner next year unless a press release or article or marketing blitz advertises the Grand Tasting as otherwise improved by way of smaller crowds, shorter lines and actual food that can be tasted until the 10pm close time. Oh, and clientle that does not - literally - put trash on the ground next to an overflowing trash can.

So I got a discount on a ticket to the Culinaria Grand Tasting from Living Social, and was super…read morestoked to attend. Unfortunately, there was no signage anywhere in or near the convention center directing traffic to the event. It ended up taking me about 20 minutes to finally get to the right place, and when I finally did get there, I was totally bombarded by mass crowds. This event was seriously overbooked. It was madness. Not only were the crowds overbearing, but the lines for food were ridiculously long, and so many restaurants ran out of food early! It wasn't even 8:30 when Kirby's ran out of food, and the guys working the station didn't even bother to alert us those of us in line, so we ended up standing there like dumbasses for no reason. Grrr. I skipped the line for Jason Dady's stuff (that damn #dadyland hashtag on Twitter was allovertheplace that night) because it was out-of-control long, but I heard good things about those bites. What little I was able to sample at the event was fine, but nothing to write home about particularly. Most of the people in my party skipped the food lines and opted for wine tastings. Most of the pours were pretty skimpy, which I understand since it is a wine tasting, but I'm just not convinced that the event was worth the $35 I paid via Living Social. It certainly wasn't worth the amount of a full price ticket ($75). All in all, Yelp's two-star rating description says it for me. "Meh. I've experienced better."

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.

Such a family friendly event…read more Despite the rains earlier, the 2026 parade went off without a hitch. Let me say regular parade viewers were out in force early. It was great because your die hards are what give the parade environment a safe feel. From the fans, the vendors, the sponsors, and the SAPD, I truly feel this is a city wide effort to enjoy the state's biggest parade. This year's participants ranged from most of the area hugh school's bands and JROTC, Battle of Flower friends like the JBSA and Navy floats and military bands, the universities were well represented, too. Texas A&M's Corps of Cadets were present, but UT and UTSA were absent. There were bands, there were floats, and there balloons that made the 3.2 mile walk. The Battle of Flowers Association walked their balloon, Texas State Bobcats and Trinity Tiger walked theirs, and the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Mr. Potato Head floated the route too. The parade watchers on St. Mary's and Commerce brought their own music and kept us and the parade goers pumped up. It's nice to see the city leaders and celebrities out as well. Mayor Gina Ortiz, Chief McManus, Stephanie Serna, and others waved to the crowds. Some dance along with the music. The event is free, portalets are available at the intersecting cross streets, and food vendors were all over.so, the value is what you make it. It was a fun time, and we always come back. .

Definitely pay for a seat. We got good ones. Make sure to bring water (or a cooler with…read moredrinks/snacks) and a big hat; you may leave with a sunburn. There are lots of vendors selling flower coronas and snow cones. I was hoping that I would find someone selling aguas frescas, but I never did.

I've gone to this event two years in a row (2012 & 2013)…read more 2012 was amazing. I was new to the area, so I attended the event with my boyfriend and his mom to check out some local restaurants. I'll admit- some weren't local, but most were. They advertised 40 vendors, but they definitely must have had somewhere near 60. Every room of the Witte Museum was packed with restaurants, and they probably had another 15 outside. The atmosphere was awesome, and we couldn't even try every place because there were so many. We walked away completely stuffed, and even more impressed. It remained as my favorite event in San Antonio, so we jumped right on the opportunity to get tickets for this year's. I thought it would be even better seeing as it was the 20th anniversary. I'm so sad to report that it wasn't. We paid $30 for our tickets because we found them on a discount website, but they ask for $50. I probably would've paid $50 because I was so excited to go again This year there was fewer than 40 vendors, with at least 10 of them being drink vendors. We walked around and couldn't believe how empty it was. We were finished in 30 minutes. I left still hungry for dinner. I'm not sure what happened, but I wouldn't recommend wasting your money. Take $30/50 and go have a great dinner at a real restaurant. This just isn't worth it.

Wow, This was a wonderful event. All you can eat & drink with live bands. Food was outstanding…read more Worth waiting in some of the lines. Only thing I would change is add more seating areas and trash cans. Can wait for the next event!!

Bless the St Mary's Church River Parade Festival! This…read moreevent coincides with the Fiesta River Parade in April, and the Holiday River Parade in November. The old church on St. Mary's Street sets up a party in their parking lot which overlooks the San Antonio Riverwalk. From this festival, you might be able to snag a place to sit and watch the parades without having to buy tickets! There's usually seats provided by the church, but they get filled and reserved quickly. You'd do best to bring your own chairs. There's plenty of shade, but it can be difficult to snag a good spot, since there's a bunch of bushes that block the view of the river. The festival consists of a few food booths, with tacos, chalupas and turkey legs, all at a reasonable price. They also sell sodas and margaritas to drink. They also have their own Fiesta medals that they sell, as well as a raffle for valuable prizes. A DJ usually sets up, and blasts the conjunto and tejano hits, with some dancing. Everyone is friendly here, and it's a family friendly event. This is also a good place to hit the port-a-potties downtown during Fiesta. The festival is free and open to the public. All proceeds go to a good cause. St Mary's Church is well known for helping the downtown homeless population.

This is a great annual event. If the weather is good, it is held on the Friday after Thanksgiving,…read moreto coincide with the Ford Holiday River Parade. It is free admission. If you get there early enough, you can snag a free seat to watch the parade. About three rows of folding chairs along the fence up from the river. Food is plentiful and cheap. Tickets are sold in dollar increments. The most expensive item is a turkey leg at ten tickets. Chalupas are two, hot dogs two or three depending on chili or not, fajita tacos are three, sausage tacos three. Beer is three tickets. Not bad. Coffee and sodas are also available. Oldies and Christmas music comes from speakers somewhere near the top of the church. These parishioners really put their heart and soul into this event. We attend pretty much every year. They also throw a similar event the night of the Cavaliers River Parade during Fiesta. Go there.

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 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 :)

A section of the Alamodome is cornered off to create the Illusions Theater. There is then built out…read morea floor section to include fold-out chairs that get you in close with the artists, and the remaining sections are those with dedicated seats you will find at any main Alamodome stage. The sound quality was immersive and the artists sounded pretty good, despite the mix-ups with sound every once in a while that caused you to not be able to hear the artists at times. Overall, though, it was a good quality on par with most stadium shows. Since the Alamodome is cornered-off for this theater, it wasn't very expansive in the restrooms or vendors allowed in the theater, so lines did get rather long. If you are wanting to get a drink, you might be better off with having cash so you can buy from the vendors walking around rather than standing in line missing the show while you wait. The bathroom lines moved rather quickly compared to the amount of people allowed in the theater. Overall, I would definitely come back to see a show at this theater just because it was well thought-out as far as layout goes, but I will be bringing more cash to rely on seat vendors for drinks rather than standing in line.