Event coverage

Fiesta Parade Roundup

Our photos from three Fiesta San Antonio parades: the Battle of Flowers Parade through downtown, with charros, escaramuzas, royalty and bands; the Fiesta Flambeau Parade, lit up after dark; and the Texas Cavaliers River Parade, with royalty, mariachis and confetti on barges along the River Walk.

A rider in a wide sombrero and an embroidered navy charro suit swings a yellow rope loop over his head on a dappled gray horse, with a tall yellow brick building and spectators behind him.

A charro swings a lasso above his head as he rides a gray horse past the crowd.

Battle of Flowers: charros and escaramuzas

A woman in a wide sombrero and a white ruffled dress with a blue sash rides sidesaddle on a dark horse, next to a man in a black charro suit on a brown horse with a white face, as spectators line the street.

An escaramuza rider in a ruffled white dress sits sidesaddle beside a charro on a brown horse.

Two riders in sombreros, one on a dark brown horse holding the U.S. flag and one on a white horse holding the Mexican flag, ride down a street lined with spectators and umbrellas.

Charros on horseback carry the American and Mexican flags down the parade route.

A smiling woman in a cream sombrero and white embroidered jacket waves while holding sunflowers and purple flowers, seated on a brown and white horse with silver tack, with packed bleachers behind her.

A rider in a white charra suit waves and holds a bouquet as her paint horse passes the bleachers under the overpass.

Battle of Flowers: royalty, bands and the crowd

A blonde young woman in a tall gold crown and a gown covered in multicolored flowers smiles under an arch of gold foil leaves, with out-of-focus paper flowers in the foreground.

A float rider in a gold crown smiles beneath an arch of gilded paper leaves and flowers.

A girl in a coral top sits in a folding chair holding a pink umbrella printed with a cat face, surrounded by girls and women standing and sitting, one holding a plush toy and another a small child.

A girl watches from under a pink cat-face umbrella while the people around her lean in for a view of the street.

A woman with dark hair and red lipstick smiles beneath a large fuchsia feather headdress with a silver rhinestone crest, against a blue sky.

A float rider smiles under a towering pink feather headdress with a jeweled crest.

A large red and gold Chinese dragon with bulging eyes and a fringed mane is held aloft on poles by marchers in orange shirts and yellow pants under a highway overpass.

Marchers in orange shirts raise a red and gold dragon on poles above the street.

A young man and two young women in white shirts, bow ties and charro-style trousers and skirts play violins while walking, with medals pinned across their chests.

Mariachi violinists play as they march, their white shirts pinned with medals.

A young man in a red shirt and black pants carries a silver sousaphone with its bell high above him, with other sousaphone players in red and band members in red-plumed hats behind.

A sousaphone player in a red band shirt calls out as his section marches down the street.

A woman in sunglasses sprays a fine mist of water from a bottle over young mariachi musicians in white shirts and wide maroon bow ties, who keep playing violin and flute as they march; a paper flower is tied to one violin.

A woman sprays a cooling mist over young mariachis as they play violin and flute down the Battle of Flowers route.

Fiesta Flambeau: the night parade

A parade float covered in colorful paper fringe and outlined in string lights carries a man in a charro suit and red sombrero and a woman in a flowered dress under a large star, with marchers walking behind on a darkening street.

A float topped with a giant paper star glows against the evening sky as marchers follow behind it.

An older man in a dark green charro suit, red bow tie and red embroidered sombrero stands with his hands at his chest in front of a huge star made of red, yellow, blue and pink paper fringe edged in lights.

A man in a charro suit and red sombrero rides in front of a float’s lit paper star.

A smiling queen in a white gown and crown and a man in a gold crown and green robe sit on a float with a giant red-and-white citrus slice, a Texas flag and the words Texas Citrus Fiesta in string lights.

A crowned queen and a man in a gold crown ride the Texas Citrus Fiesta float, its name spelled out in lights beneath a giant grapefruit slice.

A smiling woman with a white bob wig, glitter on her cheeks and a headpiece of translucent butterfly wings dances in a white fringed costume dotted with small lights, with more dancers behind her.

A marcher in a white wig and butterfly-wing headpiece glows in a costume strung with tiny lights.

Close view of a bearded man lit in blue with his mouth open, wearing a headband of small glowing bulbs and colored string lights over his bare shoulder, with out-of-focus lights behind him.

A man in a crown of tiny bulbs raises his arm, colored string lights draped over his bare shoulder and more lights blurred behind him.

A woman in profile wears a white hard hat with a glowing white rim and a fan of luminous white tubes, with long white fringe at her shoulders.

A drummer wears a white helmet ringed in light and fanned with glowing tubes.

A performer wearing a white sugar-skull mask painted with flowers, a tall headdress of blue and pink glitter swirls and a black jacket printed with skeleton bones spreads both arms.

A performer in a lit sugar-skull mask and swirling glitter headdress opens both arms to the crowd.

A young woman with braided hair, a tall red-and-white shako and a red band jacket wrapped in small white lights plays an alto saxophone, with blurred colored lights behind her.

A saxophonist in a plumed red shako plays as her band marches by in light-strung uniforms.

A girl with a pink flower crown and pink tinsel in her hair holds a glowing pink star wand and a bubble toy beside another child holding a light-up wand, while adults watch the street.

A girl in a flower crown holds up a light-up star wand as the parade passes.

Spectators seated along a street lined with buildings wave and cheer; a girl in a pink flower crown raises one arm while a man in an orange shirt holds up a phone, with confetti in the air.

Families along the curb cheer, wave and snap phone photos as confetti drifts down.

Texas Cavaliers River Parade

Women in yellow shirts and blue sashes raise their arms on a lit barge as sparklers shoot up beside them, while men in light-blue uniforms watch from a sequined striped bridge above.

Riders on the Battle of Flowers Association barge wave beneath a shower of sparks as they pass under the decorated bridge at the Arneson River Theatre.

A crowd seated along a stone river wall under tall trees watches two glowing barges approach on dark green water.

Spectators pack the riverbank as lit barges make their way down the River Walk at dusk.

Seen from above, a red barge with gold trim carries men in light-blue uniforms under a sequined striped bridge where more uniformed men stand.

Members of the Texas Cavaliers raise their arms as their red-and-gold barge enters the Arneson River Theatre under a bridge lined with more Cavaliers.

Young women in crowns and sashes throw their arms up on a purple fringed barge beneath a glittering striped bridge.

Miss Fiesta San Antonio and members of the Fiesta Royal Court wave from their purple barge at the Arneson River Theatre.

Profile of a dark-haired young woman wearing a tall rhinestone crown and a high jeweled collar on a blue beaded gown, with blurred spectators behind.

A young woman in a rhinestone crown and a beaded blue gown with a tall jeweled collar passes the riverside crowd.

A smiling woman in a wide cream sombrero trimmed with silver horseshoe embroidery and a white sash stands beside a young woman in a crown.

A woman in an embroidered charro hat and white sash smiles and waves from a royal barge.

A woman in a black charro suit and yellow bow sings into a microphone while holding a violin, flanked by a violinist and two trumpet players in matching black suits.

A mariachi singer belts out a song with violins and trumpets beside her as Texas Cavaliers look on.

Smiling service members in light-blue short-sleeve uniform shirts wave with raised arms on a barge, with glittering gold and orange stars behind them.

Members of the Air Force Band wave to the crowd from their barge at the Arneson River Theatre.

A group of women in bright felt-flower crowns lean over a barge rail, pointing and waving, with pink blossom branches beside them.

Riders in flower crowns point and cheer toward the bank from their barge.

A smiling teenage girl in a white lace top and bead necklaces stands in a swirl of pink confetti, with a young girl and a man beside her.

A rider on the Mays Foundation float laughs as pink confetti fills the air.

Dozens of excited children in flower crowns and colorful clothes lean over the side of a barge wrapped in bright yellow fringe, arms raised.

Children on the Mays Foundation float wave from a barge covered in yellow paper fringe.

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