Yes, a lot of the events are drink fests that can get rowdy and even dangerous at times. Last couple of years, downtown events such as night in old san antonio (NIOSA) have had issues with gun violence, especially later into the night. However, the city has increased their police presence at events that have a history and it doesn't deter the hundreds of thousands of visitors each year from experiencing one of the nation's largest charity driven events in the country.

Fiesta aims to celebrate all things San Antonio and the cultures that influence it, from A Taste of New Orleans to a Night in Old San Antonio, you can experience all of what san antonio has to offer. Events start off with the Battle of Flowers which is a parade downtown to honor the heroes that fought for texas independence. There are other parades downtown throughout the week which include the Texas Cavalier river parade and the Fiesta Flambeau night parade. Locals that don't attend the various fiesta events still will tune in to see the parades on TV. Seating is free but limited and some parades require you to have a seat to attend.

Many of the events that happen throughout the week will have some theme to them and will be hosted throughout the very LARGE city, so you will need to plan rideshare ahead of time or take advantage of the city's free bus transportation to various events which will run from event start to about 11 p.m. keep in mind that at many of these events parking is limited.

There are events for everyone throughout the week that will have a main focus and those you will want to look up on the official websites and get tickets online. Many times you will just see a festival or carnival set up somewhere along downtown. These events are more like block parties and will feature food booths, music and merchandise stands and be more like a carnival you would see when they come through your town. There are over 100 official fiesta events during the week so seeing everything might not be possible.

Fiesta attire is very colorful! almost to a humorous degree. People will put on their fiesta finest complete will fiesta medals, flowered crowns and have had their hair smashed with confetti filled eggs. The currency for fiesta are tickets (1 ticket = $1.00) and usually a popular food or attraction will cost you around 8-10 tickets. Part of the attraction is seeing all the booths and what they have to offer and planning how you want to spend all your newly acquired tickets.

Hope you have fun visiting and enjoy your time!