Fotoseptiembre
You’d be hard-pressed to find wall space in September that isn’t filled with photographs, and you can blame Michael Mehl for that. The local artist and curator started Fotoseptiembre USA back in 1995 with a small offering of exhibits and conferences. Since then, the festival has drawn international interest in its exhibitions of photography and photography-based art forms around San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country. Expect the curation to be vast (and the content blushworthy), with mid-career and internationally renowned artists showing alongside local students and hobbyists. The well-rounded 2016 program included group exhibits like “Kick It Old School,” which limited process to traditional and non-digital, and “Caras III,” which focused on the face as the initial brand we come to associate the substance of a person with their form. Previous standouts run the gamut from a Graciela Iturbide retrospective to the Ansel Adams showcase “Distance and Detail.” Free with few exceptions, September, fotoseptiembreusa.com.
Luminaria
With a successful 2016 in an Eastside footprint from Dignowity Park to the Carver, Luminaria’s perserverance through torrential downpours in 2015 and local discontent in 2014 paid off. New murals at the Nolan Street underpass are just part of the evidence that Luminaria is meeting its mission to light up San Antonio as an unparalleled city of art. Established in 2008, the night-time festival crafts a gallery out of the cityscape, cramming murals, live music, projections, film screenings, theater and dance into a corridor of the Alamo City. Previous artists include Iker Muro, Chris Sauter, Gary Garay and Spot Barnett, among others. Free with few exceptions, October, luminariasa.org.
San Antonio Beer Festival
If you fancy yourself a connoisseur of craft ales, then the one-day San Antonio Beer Festival is your must-attend event this fall. With over 400 beers on tap from nearly 125 breweries around the world, the festival is jam- packed with unique casks, one-of-a-kind collaborations, and your favorite porters, stouts, pilsners, ales, wheats, belgians, ciders, and lagers to name a few. Hosted in Dignowity and Lockwood parks, the festival also offers live music, games, a wine garden, food trucks, local vendors and more. Visitors receive sampling cards upon entry to try the unbelievable assortment of libations. Snag a VIP pass for early entry, access to a catered VIP zone and a branded swag bag. But you’ll want to call your sitter for this one — all guests must be 21+, rain or shine. Prices vary, October, sanantoniobeerfestival.com.
