Fiesta City captures San Antonio's centuries old rich celebratory lifestyle. It is a city known for its festivals, celebrations, and rich mix of civil and cultural events. Once the largest city in Texas, from the 1888 San Antonio Fair and International Exposition to Hemisfair in the 1960s, the city has always sought to put itself in the international spotlight. But, day to day, the locals have enjoyed wonderful, if not sometimes quirky, parks such as the San Perdo Electric Park. Featured is the legendary Brackenridge Park, the tenth oldest park in the U.S., complete with the zoo, sky buckets, the Japanese Gardens, and Sunken Garden Theater. Today, Fiesta is still held every spring and has grown into one of the largest civic events in the nation. The centerpiece of hundreds of events is the Battle of the Flowers parade, the second oldest continuously operating parade in the U.S. (after the Rose Parade), complete with Fiesta queens and entries that reflect the colorful, and sometimes surprising, cultures of San Antonio including Mexican and German heritage.
Historic landmarks of present and yesteryear abound, including: theaters such as the Majestic, Aztec, and Empire; Hot Spring Hotel spas which attracted luminaries such as Teddy Roosevelt and Cecil B. DeMille; the Spanish Missions including The Alamo; and the San Antonio river, later known around the world as Riverwalk. Dining establishments has long reflected the local character of the city, as shown through a burgeoning Mexican food scene as well as favorites like the Buckhorn Saloon, the Menger Hotel, Earl Abel's, and many others. From inner city car races and Ostrich races to music by accordion and maracas, San Antonio at rest and at play has a storied and colorful history that is reflected through the postcards over the decades.