151 people were arrested for DWI during San Antonio’s Fiesta celebrations this year, police say

With Fiesta 2023 now closed out, the San Antonio Police Department revealed that it picked up more people on DWI charges than during last year’s citywide party.

A total of 151 people ended up in the clink on DWI charges from April 20-30, according to SAPD. That’s an increase of 15% over last year’s Fiesta celebration.

Despite that year-to-year spike, the DWI numbers are down compared to previous years.

During Fiesta 2018, police made a whopping 220 DWI arrests. That compares to 177 in 2019 — the final Fiesta before the COVID-19 pandemic — and 169 DWIs in 2021, as previously reported by the Current.

This year, the largest daily tally of DWI arrests came on April 28, the last day of NIOSA, where police picked up a total of 20 people on DWIs that day.

San Antonio has, on average, a little more than 5,700 DWI arrests annually and is consistently ranked among the worst cities for drunk driving, according to car insurance marketplace BuyAutoInsurance.

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This article appears in Apr 19 – May 2, 2023.