The end of March will bring the beginning of the first full Fiesta San Antonio celebration in three years, and officials with Fiesta and the city are asking people to safely have fun during the annual citywide festival.

A Fiesta media day event was held March 2 at Estancia del Norte San Antonio, where Fiesta royalty and representatives from military and local organizations sponsoring Fiesta events gathered to promote Fiesta’s return.

The popular multiday celebration, whose origins date back to the 1890s, was entirely canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; an abbreviated version of the typically springtime event took place last June with fewer than half of the normally scheduled activities, Fiesta officials said.

This year’s Fiesta, scheduled from March 31 to April 10, will feature nearly 100 events.

Jon Fristoe, Fiesta San Antonio Commission president, said there is a safer atmosphere in which a full Fiesta can take place and be completely enjoyed by partygoers.

According to the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, Fiesta is “a party with a purpose,” because proceeds from each individual event go to various local charities and nonprofits.

“Let’s enjoy ourselves, get face-to-face, unmask, come together and demonstrate what this city’s all about,” Fristoe said, describing Fiesta as the nation’s biggest cultural celebration. “We’re going to put it on for you, and it’s going to be the biggest and baddest [event] ever.”

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said he remembers meeting with Fiesta officials two years ago when they decided to cancel the 2020 edition of Fiesta due to the outset of COVID-19.

“Between then and now, we’ve seen challenging times,” Nirenberg said. “I’m looking forward to getting back together with family and friends while remembering all those hard times that made Fiesta 2022 the sweetest Fiesta in the history of San Antonio.”

Representatives from Monarch Trophy Studio, one of the participants at the March 2 Fiesta media event, said their Hollywood Park company will host a Fiesta medal event where vendors may sell and trade Fiesta medals.

The event will be held 11 a.m.-3 p.m. March 19 at 16227 San Pedro Ave., and will have free admission. Monarch Trophy officials said vendors interested in taking part in the medal event may email [email protected] or [email protected] for details.

Community Impact Newspaper’s San Antonio March editions will contain a guide to Fiesta.