San Antonio’s Fiesta Flambeau Parade Featured Del Rio Royalty
9 pageant queens from Del Rio joined the most extravagant part of San Antonio’s multi-day Fiesta festival by appearing in the Flambeau Parade this year, which is known as the largest illuminated night parade in America. The local queens who appeared in the parade are crowned by the Brown Plaza Association, creating a lineup of celebration-themed titles, including Miss Fiesta and Miss Cinco de Mayo, and range from ages 6 to 20 years old. Riding atop a vibrant float designed to represent the Amistad Dam and its iconic eagle statues, the BPA royalty energized the parade-goers with their dance moves while serving as cultural ambassadors of Del Rio.
Beginning as a festival to honor the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, which gave Texas its independence from Mexico, Fiesta has evolved beyond its origins into a spirited celebration of San Antonio’s diverse cultures and heritages. With a similar purpose and passion for Mexican-American tradition, Del Rio’s Brown Plaza Association has found a place in the annual festival, which is visited by over 2.5 million people, according to San-Antonio Express-News.
“The Brown Plaza Association is instrumental in preserving Hispanic heritage and fostering cultural awareness,” says Claudia Lopez-Cruz, Vice-President of the Brown Plaza Association and pageant director for over 35 years, to Connect Del Rio. “Moreover, it is essential to highlight Del Rio's attractions and promote tourism. The collaborative effort of Brown Plaza Royalty, Miss Val Verde and Miss 4th of July royalty to showcase our community as a tourist destination is noteworthy, as they embody the spirit of our city.”
Evelyn Dominguez, Miss Val Verde Teen 2024, reflects on her experience in Fiesta’s Flambeau Parade by saying, “I think it was a great opportunity to show that Del Rio is a very expressive community. We showcased our culture very well that night.”
“I had a really fun time at Flambeau. It was an experience I’ve never [had] before,” says Leilani Garcia, who was crowned Miss Fiesta at last year’s Cinco de Mayo pageant. “Being Miss Fiesta means I could be myself. I could be dancing everywhere and [people] will say ‘Oh yes, that’s what your title is,” Leilani explained through laughter.
The Brown Plaza Association organizes a number of community wide holiday celebrations throughout the year which have become staples of the cultural celebrations happening in Del Rio. With titles like Miss 16 de Septiembre and Miss 4th of July, part of the purpose of appointing royalty is to embody the spirit of the tradition of celebrating these holidays with your neighbors and to keep the meaning of the festivities alive, literally and figuratively.
With their inclusion in San Antonio’s Fiesta, their purpose now calls them to reach out to people outside of Del Rio and Val Verde County. The meaning behind the titles goes beyond festivities as well with the Queens for a Cause initiative, which aims to lend support to various causes like serving underprivileged members of the community by donating essential goods, or spreading the simple message of love and kindness on social media through the queens high-profile roles.
“The mission is to promote community, friendship, and raise awareness for several philanthropies and environmental causes, while embracing her queen within and spreading kindness.”
The math has been done, and in 2024 Brown Plaza royalty have a combined total of 2,000 hours in 190 overall service projects. Brown Plaza Association collaborates with local pageant systems, non-profits and other organizations to put their queens in positions to serve a meaningful reign for themselves and their community. But sometimes their role involves advocating the most basic of human experiences: joy and fun.
One of Fiesta's traditions is trading and collecting medals that to represent different meanings, cultural, historical, or otherwise. Having a medal design of their own to share, the queens had opportunities to interact with other parade participants and Fiesta-goers who were interested in the meaning and spectacle of the float, too.
“I was exhilarated by the response to our float, which mesmerized thousands of spectators and inspired them to dance with our royalty.” Says Claudia Lopez-Cruz. “They [the queens] danced and hyped up the crowds throughout the night. We can’t wait to head back next year.”
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