SAN ANTONIO – The Conservation Society of San Antonio will hold its first board meeting since cancelling A Night In Old San Antonio festival for 2027 at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at the Botanical Gardens.
The organization said in a social media post one week prior that it’s cancelling NIOSA 2027 to re-evaluate and offer the best possible experience for the organization, community, volunteers and partners who make the event possible. The event dates back to 1936 and is a four-night festival featuring music, food and multicultural experiences inside La Villita.
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Betty Bueché, president of the Conservation Society of San Antonio, said the executive committee and board members decided to suspend NIOSA 2027 by a landslide vote (17-10).
“Our attendance has dropped by 48% since COVID,” Bueché said. “There is less interest nationwide.”
The president said NIOSA has lost money since 2022. It cost the Conservation Society at least $600,000 every year to run the festival.
In a statement sent to KSAT, a city spokesperson pushed back on the Conservation Society’s statements that NIOSA had lost access to city-owned event space La Villita, saying the claim is not accurate.
“La Villita remains available for NIOSA, with the same event footprint as last year, including full access to Maverick Plaza,” the statement read.
KSAT viewers who no longer attend NIOSA told KSAT they had several reasons for staying away in recent years.
Some said they did not like the crowds. Others pointed to safety concerns after a 2023 shooting at Market Square during Fiesta. Some also said they were afraid of being targeted by immigration officials. But the most common reason viewers gave was cost.
The Conservation Society of San Antonio will hold its first board meeting since the cancellation announcement on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 5:30pm at the Botanical Gardens and the meeting is open to the public.
