Your Guide to Latino Heritage Month Events in San Antonio

In San Antonio, National Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as Latino Heritage Month, can fill your calendar quickly.

Between performances, neighborhood celebrations, film screenings, local art, mariachi, and events digging deeper into Mexican American and Tejano history, there are plenty of ways to celebrate. And in a city where Mexican and Latino culture shapes so much of everyday life, celebrating is a must. 

Latino Heritage Month runs from September 15 through October 15, and San Antonio’s broader Fiestas Patrias programming includes more than 40 events across the city.

If you’re deciding what deserves a spot on your calendar, here are some options to consider:

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See The Circuit in English or Spanish

📍Little Carver Civic Center

Francisco Jiménez’s autobiographical book “The Circuit” follows Panchito, a child growing up in a migrant farmworker family in California. San Antonio performer José Rubén De León brings that story to the stage in a one-person dramatic reading presented by Teatro Farolito.

The English performance takes place Sept. 25, followed by a Spanish-language performance Sept. 26. Both are free! This is one of the quieter events on the calendar, and it’s an opportunity to experience a story about migration, family, labor, and childhood through live performance. 

• Support San Antonio Women Artists at MujerArtes

📍MujerArtes Adobe Studio

MujerArtes Women’s Clay Cooperative is celebrating its 31st anniversary with an exhibit and sale featuring hand-painted ceramic work made by local women artists on September 26.

The cooperative is a project of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, and the anniversary celebration will also include live music and food. It’s the perfect opportunity to see work made by locals, meet the community behind it, and actually take a piece home. It’s also a chance to support a West Side arts program that’s been creating space for women artists for over three decades.

Watch Superheroes Take Over the River Walk

📍Arneson River Theatre and River Walk

Yes, Latino Heritage Month can include superheroes, too! The kids will love this one. 

The Rey Feo Superhero River Parade for Education will bring costumed characters, entertainment, food, and a river parade to downtown San Antonio on September 26. Proceeds from reserved parade seating will support educational opportunities through the Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation.

If you want an event that’s more family-friendly, this is probably the choice for you. It will be colorful, unmistakably San Antonio, and give you a reason to spend an evening along the river.

Learn About the Tejanos Who Shaped San Antonio History

📍Alamo Plaza

For Latino Heritage Month, the Alamo is putting the focus on Tejanos connected to the site’s history, from early San Antonio settlers and 1836 defenders to figures including Juan Seguín and Adina De Zavala.

Local cultural organizations, descendants, and living-history programming will help tell those stories on October 3 at the event Tejanos at the Alamo, offering a chance to learn about the Tejano people who helped shape both the Alamo and the city around it.

Spend a Weekend With Latine Sci-Fi

📍Various locations

Raza Cósmica: A Constellation of Latinx Sci-Fi Cinema returns for its sixth year with three days of science fiction and speculative films by Latinx and BIPOC filmmakers from the U.S. and around the world, starting October 8. So get your tickets if you love the movies. 

The festival closes Oct. 10 with Xicanx Versus Aliens at Central Library, combining a live podcast about UFOs, cryptozoology, the paranormal, and other wonderfully weird subjects from a person-of-color perspective with a selection of cosmic short films. Admission to that program is free. 

Hear the Next Generation of Mariachi Musicians

📍Arneson River Theatre

Few settings say San Antonio quite like mariachi echoing across the River Walk.

The annual Diez y Seis Mariachi Festival, taking place on October 11, features middle and high school mariachi students from San Antonio and the surrounding region. The event has been hosted by the Diez y Seis de Septiembre Commission for more than 20 years, with participating music programs benefiting from performance funds.

Go for the music, but pay attention to who’s performing. This festival gives young musicians a major downtown stage while helping sustain mariachi education locally.

Close Out the Month on the West Side at Fiesta Alegría

📍Plaza Guadalupe, 1314 Guadalupe St.

Last but not least, the Avenida Guadalupe Association‘s ninth annual Fiesta Alegría will fill Plaza Guadalupe with food, drinks, local artisans, and community entertainment on October 10.

The Avenida Guadalupe neighborhood has spent decades preserving and celebrating San Antonio’s Mexican American history, including through its long-running Dieciséis de Septiembre traditions, so there’s something very special about this event. 

Whatever you decide to enjoy during Latino Heritage Month celebrations, there’s no shortage of ways to experience the culture, history, creativity, and community that make San Antonio what it is.