This is a contributed piece by our non-profit partner, the San Antonio River Foundation
Fiesta San Antonio® is a special time for locals and visitors alike! The sights and sounds of this 10-day celebration feature over 100 events that are put on by local non-profit organizations. With COVID-19 canceling last year’s Fiesta season and 2021 having half of the regularly scheduled events, this year’s lineup of Fiesta events represents the resiliency of our community and local non-profit organizations.
The San Antonio River Foundation (River Foundation) and our partner, the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority), will participate in these festivities with our Official Fiesta event, the Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta! This FREE event is open to the public along the San Antonio River. The Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta provides its attendees the opportunity to kayak the San Antonio River, an activity many participants have not been afforded, with kayaks provided by Mission Kayak.
The Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta is a community-centric event designed to bring awareness to the beautiful Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project on the San Antonio River. This 8-mile linear park has over 16 miles of trails along the river for pedestrians and bicyclists to enjoy, plus a paddling trail for canoeing and kayaking. Located on San Antonio’s Southside, the Mission Reach encourages health, wellness, and environmental stewardship.
With COVID-19 changing how many Fiesta events have been planned, this year’s event has a new look and a temporary location change to Mission County Park Trailhead[SS1] . This shift in scenery will not take away from the excitement and celebration of the Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta. We will have our beautiful 2020 and 2021 Fiesta Medals for sale. These medals highlight two of the stunning works of public art along the San Antonio River, the Arbol de la Vida, and CoCobijos. There will also be food trucks and booths that highlight the many organizations that made this year’s Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta possible. We have also partnered with Metro Health and the Fiesta San Antonio Commission to offer a mobile vaccination station at the event. Community Members will be able to walk up and receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the event and other events spread throughout the city.
This year’s event has a strong emphasis on the kayaking portion of the Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta. Participants will get to take part in an obstacle course to test their skills and enjoy a fun day on the San Antonio River. The kayak sponsor, Mission Kayak, will provide all the necessary equipment needed for the event. Registration for the Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta opened on Monday, May 17 at 10:00 am, and within 23 hours of registration being opened, all the FREE reservations were filled! The River Foundation and the River Authority could not anticipate this level of interest so early in the registration process and are overjoyed with the amount of support the event has received from the community.
At this time, the River Foundation and the River Authority are encouraging everyone who missed registration for this year’s event to follow both organizations on our social media channels for more FREE opportunities to kayak the San Antonio River. We look forward to hosting this year’s event and celebrate with the attendees the San Antonio River, Fiesta style. VIVA!
