SAN ANTONIO – Visions of mariachi music and Mexican food in the middle of Market Square on Cinco de Mayo quickly came to an end for some people in San Antonio on Monday.
The City of San Antonio told KSAT 12 News in a written statement that the celebration it previously announced on Facebook would not be happening after all.
“The Cinco de Mayo event was not canceled; it just was not part of this year’s planned events at Market Square – the event was included on an event calendar in error,” according to the statement from Kelly Saunders, public relations manager for the Center City Development and Operations Department.
The original Facebook post on the city’s municipal government page mentioned that there would be a celebration at the downtown location from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, complete with mariachi music, folkloric dancing and Mexican food.
However, within a few hours, an additional banner was added to the post saying, “This event has been canceled.”
A story on KSAT.com on Monday morning referenced the information as it was posted on Facebook.
However, Saunders later asked that it be updated to say that it was not canceled.
A new Facebook post on Monday said the Tuesday event was “replaced” by a Piñata Drop that had already happened on Sunday, May 3.
“What’s up with that?” asked Robin Miller, visiting San Antonio from Dallas. “How can you tell people we’re going to have a celebration, but we had it the day before, and it’s already over?”
Miller said she was confused by the mixed messaging.
She spoke to KSAT 12 News while browsing Market Square shops with her husband.
Miller said they previously had been considering staying an extra day in San Antonio.
“But if the celebration is not going to be here, we’ll go home where we’re going to celebrate for sure,” Miller said. “What if we’d driven all the way from Dallas to come to the celebration here and then get here to find out it’s been canceled?”
Lucinda Pena hoped the outdoor celebration would bring more traffic to her business inside the mercado.
She said the news about the event is a big letdown.
“I think it lets (visitors) down a little bit,” Pena said. ”It lets us down a little bit because people come asking us, ‘Where is the event?’”
Pena said Market Square is the heart of the city, and there’s no better place to hold this type of celebration.
“We are the spot,” Pena said. “You want to come and take part in the Cinco de Mayo. We have the food. We have the drinks.”
In her statement, Saunders said the celebrations are not an annual event.
She said during those years where the end of Fiesta falls close to Cinco de Mayo, the city usually does not hold a celebration.
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