San Antonians who love Fiesta also love the Fiesta kings and queens. Did you know that Fiesta has nine official "royalty" members? Naming all of them is kind of like remembering the names of the seven dwarfs (though the queens are MUCH prettier!). In order of when they became official royalty, they are:
  • The Queen of the Order of the Alamo. The organization celebrated its centennial last year. The 101st queen will be crowned the Wednesday of Fiesta week.
  • King Antonio LXVIII. The first King Antonio was crowned about a century ago. The Texas Cavaliers (who also do the River Parade) have chosen this king every year since 1927. The investiture takes place April 17 in front of the Alamo.
  • La Reina de la Feria de las Flores. Since 1947 this queen has been chosen through fundraising for scholarships. The 2010 La Reina was crowned in October.
  • El Rey Feo LXII. The "Ugly King" also earns his crown by raising money for scholarships. Since 1947 the sponsoring organization has given more than $3 million to local students. The incoming king's crowning takes place at La Noche del Rey, April 16 at Main Plaza in front of San Fernando Cathedral.
  • Miss Fiesta San Antonio. The first Miss Fiesta was chosen in 1949 by Reynolds Andricks, the man who also created the Fiesta Flambeau Parade. Miss Fiesta is now chosen in a scholarship pageant. The 2010 pageant takes place Feb. 13 at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre. Tickets are $20 each, available at the Majestic Theatre box office or through TicketMaster.
  • Queen of Soul. The city's African-American community created this royalty position in 1970. She's been an official royalty member since 1973. The 2010 Queen of Soul will be crowned March 27 at the Carver Cultural Center in a pageant that starts promptly at 8:01 p.m.
  • Miss San Antonio. This queen is part of the Miss America organization. The Miss Bexar County organization has been crowning a queen since the 1930s. She became an official Fiesta queen in the 1970s. Miss San Antonio 2011 will be chosen in a pageant that takes place April 23 at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre.
  • Woman's Club Teen Queen. The San Antonio Woman's Club began its tradition of choosing a Teenage Queen in 1981. The new queen will be crowned at the San Pedro Playhouse April 18.
  • Charro Queen. This young woman represents the Associacion de Charros de San Antonio, which sponsors A Day in Old Mexico and Charreada. That's a Mexican-style rodeo. The queen rides in the Escamurza, a group of young women who execute precision horseback movements while riding sidesaddle. The 2010 queen's coronation is scheduled for Feb. 20.
The coronations are all great events, and some of them are fundraisers. Two, the King Antonio investiture and the Teen Queen coronation, are free. So include at least one of them in your pre-Fiesta and Fiesta schedule!