Battle of Flowers Parade

Ask any expert where Fiesta would be without the Battle of Flowers Parade and you’ll likely get “nowhere.” Sprung from the eccentric roots of an 1891 ceremony in which participants pelted one another with flowers in tribute to “the fallen heroes of the Alamo and Battle of San Jacinto,” the Battle of Flowers is not only the germinating seed for San Antonio’s signature celebration — it’s an unsinkable icon, an impossibly bedazzled spectacle, a movable feast for the senses that essentially shuts the city down so that all can partake in a hyperlocal holiday dubbed “Fiesta Friday.” Proudly produced “entirely by women, all of whom are volunteers” (400 of them to be exact), the Battle of Flowers this year adopted a broad parade theme of “For the Love of Texas” that invited participants to draw creative inspiration from festivals, flora and fauna; traditions like tubing the Guadalupe and hiking Big Bend; Texas in music and movies; iconic Texan women such as Barbara Jordan and Emma Tenayuca; and Lone Star legends and lore — from the Ghost Tracks to the Dancing Devil. Grand marshaled by country star and San Antonio native Pat Green, the 128th annual event extends beyond the parade with the Battle of Flowers Band Festival, which brings together 30-plus high school marching bands for a competitive showcase that culminates in a collaborative performance complete with fireworks ($7-$19.50, 6:30-9:30pm Thu, Apr. 25, Alamo Stadium, 110 Tuleta Dr.) and unofficial after-parties at Pearl (12:30-5pm Fri, Apr. 26, Pearl Park, 303 Pearl Pkwy.) and the Bonham Exchange ($5-$15, free for adults before 8pm, 10am-4am, Bonham Exchange, 411 Bonham St.).