By Edmond Ortiz
La Villita will have official Fiesta programming next year after all despite the departure of a longtime, major Fiesta event.
What you should know
Centro San Antonio, a nonprofit advocacy organization for downtown San Antonio, will put on Guayabera Fest April 20-23 at La Villita.
Guayabera Fest, which Centro initiated as a single-day event in Peacock Alley to celebrate a unique part of San Antonio culture, will replace Night In Old San Antonio, which had long been a multiday staple every Fiesta at La Villita.
NIOSA’s organizer, Conservation Society of San Antonio, announced in September that it was canceling the 2027 edition of the popular Fiesta festival.
The conservation society has cited declining attendance, rising operational costs, net losses, and competition with other events and entities for use of a shrinking footprint at La Villita as reasons for pausing NIOSA.
CSSA continues to look how it could bring back NIOSA, albeit as a comparatively smaller Fiesta event at another location. The cancellation of NIOSA has prompted other Fiesta event organizers to reconsider their programming. The St. Mary’s University Alumni Association is rebranding its its event, Oyster Bake, to focus more on the festival’s live music element.
By contrast, Centro San Antonio and its partners view Guayabera Fest as a lively, colorful festival that will fill the historic downtown village with a variety of activities, including live entertainment on three stages, a range of food options, immersive cultural encounters, a local vendors, including local makers and sellers of guayabera shirts, such as Chasing Camilla.
Organizers intend for Guayabera Fest to take place 5-10 p.m. each day April 20-23, much like NIOSA activities had unfolded at La Villita over the years. There are plans to have ticketing affordable and accessible for revelers.
What they are saying
Centro San Antonio collaborated with Divide and Conquer Denim and Leather, a local maker of custom guayaberas and denim and leather jackets, to create Guayabera Fest, which expanded to Travis Park when it outgrew its Peacock Alley origins.
Trish DeBerry, Centro’s president and CEO, and Javier Trevino of Divide and Conquer, agreed that the guayabera shirt has become an iconic piece of clothing connected to the power of local community, heritage and traditions.
DeBerry also said while she and many other San Antonians were disappointed by CSSA’s decision to suspend NIOSA, Centro San Antonio saw a chance to further grow Guayabera Fest and work with community partners to ensure La Villita has significant Fiesta programming in 2027.
“When this space became available, we thought we’d seize the opportunity to be able to merry the significance of the guayabera…with it becoming the official uniform of Fiesta. So, why not celebrate it?” DeBerry added.
Trevino said the guayabera – a lightweight, pleated, untucked men’s shirt with four pockets – has become “a symbol of San Antonio culture.”
“And not just Latin culture, but Texas culture, too. It’s about how we live, how we grew up and how our history was formed,” Trevino added.
Jim Mery, president of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission’s executive committee, said the cancellation of NIOSA was a huge loss. But, he added, the commission knew it was important for La Villita to host official programming during Fiesta, and saw that Guayabera Fest was a perfect fit.
“We knew how important it was to activate this space. Look at the historical significance that’s bound by the San Antonio River,” Mery said. “We saw the many businesses that are here in this space, and we need to do everything we can to help them be successful.”
John Jacks, the city’s director of downtown operations, shared Mery’s sentiment about replacing NIOSA with a multiday Fiesta event at La Villita.
Jacks said the city already liked how Centro San Antonio had grown Guayabera Fest, and embraced the organization’s idea to relocate it from Travis Park to La Villita.
“We were like, ‘Wow, what a great idea that is. That is just perfect.’ We knew the Fiesta Commission would be supportive, and of course, they were, so everything worked out great. We’re looking forward to a super awesome event,” Jacks added.
According to DeBerry, relocating Guayabera Fest to La Villita for Fiesta and growing the event there represents Centro San Antonio’s commitment to expanding its support for La Villita, which in recent years has undergone city bond-funded enhancements, and where the historic assembly hall is being converted into a food hall.
A portion of revenue from Guayabera Fest will be used to help support La Villita. Also, Centro San Antonio is expanding its annual Holidays on Houston Street experience to La Villita, an initiative designed to help the downtown programming organization gather insight about the village’s layout ahead of Guayabera Fest’s debut there.
