Greater San Antonio Chamber employees and members took part in a variety of Fiesta events this year, celebrating the city’s rich culture while supporting the charitable causes that benefit from the 11-day festival.
Fiesta celebrations got an early start for Greater San Antonio Chamber members as the organization hosted its first official Fiesta Mixer at the Hard Rock Cafe. Nearly 300 business professionals celebrated on the banks of the River Walk and enjoyed great food and music courtesy of the Hard Rock Cafe.
Then the festivities kicked into high gear on April 16 during Fiesta Fiesta. Wielding giant gold scissors, Rey Feo LXXVII, Dr. Dámaso Andrés Oliva Jr., cut the neck ties worn by Greater San Antonio Chamber President & CEO Jeff Webster and Chair Kevin Dinnin to mark the official start of the citywide celebration.
“It’s a fun tradition for us to participate in the kickoff festivities,” said Webster. “There’s nothing quite like Fiesta, as it brings our community together in a uniquely San Antonio celebration of our heritage, history and culture.”
During Fiesta, the Greater Chamber also rolls out the red carpet—literally and figuratively—for Fiesta royalty at its headquarters. Amid a shower of confetti, Rey Feo and King Antonio CIII Gardner Peavy greeted staff and exchanged Fiesta medals, as mariachis played in the background.
In his remarks, Peavy discussed the Chamber’s role in establishing Fiesta royalty during the early years of the celebration. “The first King Antonio was Sterling Burke, and he was the President of the Chamber at the same time he was king,” said Peavy. “That year, he created the first Cavaliers coin, which featured a horseshoe on the back, and it said, “good luck.” Since we’re celebrating 100 years, we went back to that coin design this year as a nod to our history.
“I’m the 103rd King Antonio, but we’ve been around for 100 years. There were three kings before the Cavaliers were established. Do you know who created those kings? The chamber! The Cavaliers subsequently took over naming the king so there’s a lot of history between our organizations.”
Before the Texas Cavaliers assumed responsibility for electing King Antonio, the Greater San Antonio Chamber led the selection of the Fiesta royalty. Early monarchs carried titles such as Selamat (“tamales” spelled backwards), Omala (“Alamo” spelled backwards), as well as King Cotton, Zeus, and Rex, reflecting the evolving traditions of Fiesta in its early years.
Fiesta itself was a loosely organized celebration in its early decades and experienced growing pains by the 1950s. Recognizing the need for a more structured and professional approach, the Greater Chamber chartered the Fiesta San Antonio Commission as a nonprofit organization in 1959.
“Our predecessors recognized the tremendous potential of Fiesta, and they helped establish some of the organizations and traditions that are still a part of Fiesta today,” said Webster. “Their decision to create the Fiesta Commission helped take the celebration to the next level, lifting up businesses and nonprofit organizations across the city and shaping our national reputation as a vibrant, culturally rich community.”
Today, Fiesta draws roughly 2.5 million attendees and generates about $4 million in local sales tax revenue. Overall, Fiesta produces an estimated $340 million in economic impact each year, including approximately $188 million from out-of-town visitors.
The Fiesta San Antonio Commission often emphasizes that the festival’s most important measure of success is its impact on the more than 100 nonprofit organizations that benefit from Fiesta events. Dubbed a “party with a purpose,” Fiesta supports initiatives ranging from scholarships for disadvantaged students and housing for those who are unsheltered to foster care services and educational programs for at-risk youth.
By any measure, that impact remains the most meaningful legacy of Fiesta San Antonio.
Learn more about Fiesta San Antonio here.