SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio City Council will vote on whether revelers will have to pay $5 to get into Fiesta de los Reyes at Market Square during peak times.
Councilmembers will take up the ordinance during their regular meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday. The meeting will be livestreamed in this article. Delays are possible; if there’s not a livestream available, check back at a later time.
The Fiesta event, which has traditionally been free, is a fundraiser for Rey Feo Consejo Educational Foundation, which uses the money for scholarships.
Organizers say a proposed $5 gate fee for the busiest times is necessary to cover the costs of enhanced security that began last year. Those were put in place after a fatal shootout in 2024 and another shooting in 2023.
Fiesta de los Reyes runs from Friday, April 17, through Sunday, April 26, typically between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m., apart from an extension to midnight on the Saturday of the Fiesta Flambeau Parade.
The proposed $5 gate fee would be charged to attendees 13 or older arriving after 6 p.m. on most weekdays, or after 1 p.m. on weekends and the Friday of the Battle of Flowers parade.
If someone enters before those times, they can stay in the event for free.
According to a City Council agenda memo, total ticket revenue is expected to be about $400,000 this year.
The city would get 25% of anything collected above $250,000 in 2026 and 2027.
That share would increase to include a 50% cut for ticket revenue above $350,000 in 2028 through 2030.
More than 250,000 people attend the event at Market Square over 10 days. Although entry has previously been free, the Consejo makes money from sponsorships, booth rentals and drink sales.
The group pays the city a minimum of $135,000, plus 75 and 25 cents, respectively, for each beer or non-alcoholic beverage sold.
Fiesta starts on Thursday, April 16.