Luminaria

This years Luminaria was terrible compared to years past. I suppose if it was your first year there it might have been so so. But I found it to be rather lame this year. Better luck next time. On a positive note, I admire that the city is doing this type of thing, and I commend them for the effort, but bring it back to where it was before. I’ve seen so many events in this town start off amazing then steadily decline. I really hope they get back on track next year, it has the potential to be something very special for San Antonio.

In 2008 then San Antonio Mayor, Phil Hardberger had a vision for the city. He wanted to create an event that merged the art community with our city. Using our perceptions of light and night visual artists, poets, musicians and dance groups were encouraged to participate to give it a narrative. It was held all over town for one day, with events occurring simultaneously and in some cases, side by side. It was quite an amazing spectacle.
But in the years since its first inception I have seen it move away from its initial mission. It feels more and more like an event befitting Fiesta Week, certainly not a celebration of our art community. Little by little the forces of commerce such as food vendors and Anheuser Busch have taken this event and turned it into something else. Which is why this year I was a bit hesitant in attending. After reading an article that said it was planning on going a different direction, I decided to see what changes were implemented.
One noticeable change this year was the choice of location. Rather than having it downtown by Hemisphere Park it was moved more toward The Central Library and throughout the River walk. I think that was a really smart move on their part. While it did spread out the crowds, it did create more traffic. For example areas were blocked off and I think there was some confusion as to where you could park; and not be ticketed. In addition having it toward the center of downtown meant people did not move more freely.
I must admit though I was absolutely floored in the choice of art pieces and visuals when I first got there. The murals by international artists on walls were spellbinding. Seeing an installation of random hammocks in the middle of downtown was both bold and clever. And the pinball room illuminated by the lights and sounds of the machines in a dark room, was pure genius. But after that there was not much else that engaged or that allowed us to be engaged.
Another facet, at least for me that really did not lend to my experience here was in the choice of musical entertainment. It was a huge coupé in securing acts like Girl in a Coma, Texas Tornados or even Grammy winning artists, like Santa Cecilia. However, I would’ve like to have seen more local artists performing on a much smaller scale. Instead of having three or four main stages, like they do at Fiesta why not have acts playing all throughout the event. Local musicians from here and beyond the city limits such as acoustic guitar players, DJ’s, alt-​rock bands, rockabilly, even tribute bands would’ve sufficed.
Having specific points where art and music was located was helpful. But having specific areas where art and music was located was also limiting as well. For example you might see a visual along a building, which was then punctuated by food trucks, beer vendors and those folks that sell those fluorescent swords, like at the carnival. It just felt like an atmosphere more conducive to partying and not enough art to be shared or appreciated.
After seeing that food and beverages took precedence over the actual art of the event I quickly lost interest and left uninspired.
Luminaria is a well intentioned event by the city that has lost its way. There is some art but its scope no longer warrants blocking off downtown. In my opinion I think they should reconfigure and revamp this event. Instead of having city officials and vendors at the table the discussion should include the real art community at large. But then again hearing two gentlemen debate over whether to order brisket or street tacos, well there could of been art in that?

It was OK. There were some interesting installations. Lots of color, etc. the ‘glow’ drinks for purchase at the SW Craft Center were cool. What toxins did I ingest? Just kidding.
However, I think I prefer the true downtown location around Hemisfair Plaza.
Beer was $ 6 but you got a Bud Light/​Luminarias koozie with the bottle. The glow drink was also $ 6, as was wine. Good music on several stages.

San Antonio’s arts event of the year!
This is such a fun time, like First Friday, but you can’t buy any of the art, and it’s all as big as Texas! The art festival has live music, demonstrations, performance art, galleries, and whole buildings dedicated to works of art.
It only goes on one night a year, and in 2014, it’s supposed to be at a different location than previous years at Hemisfair Park.
It’s a mix of local, and national artists who come in to set up for the night and show off what they’re up to. The festival has only been going on a few years, but each year it’s better and better, and bigger too!
There’s food for sale, and beer and wine, ’cause a cold one is necessary to put you in the right frame of mind for some of the work.
I’ve always enjoyed all the displays that they put on, and the diversity of the work. There’s usually a book bank that gives away truckfulls of free books. So if you like to read, you might bring a bag to shovel ‘em into!
Parking can be a issue, so I’d recommend taking a bike.

This event exceeded my expectations in terms of things to see and do. I enjoyed the leisurely pace I could take to explore the festival, and the fact that it took place at night (when the TX weather is not trying to burn me) was welcoming. It’s an outdoor and indoor FREE arts event that showcases everything from actual sculptures and paintings to live plays. One neat display involved a screen showing a black-​and-​white movie about the Alamo with a live group of musicians supplying the sound in front of it. Another intriguing display was a hill covered with many lit up old-​school projectors, each with a different transparency. My friends and I also stumbled into an auditorium where some interpretative dance was occurring. Other interactive installments were set up all over the grounds to engage visitors while passing by.
The only negatives I found were the dense crowd in the food area and paucity of free parking. In addition, the lines for the ATM and for the food tickets were not clearly delineated, so I spent a good 20 minutes waiting in the wrong line. I did enjoy the wide variety of cuisine available though and loved how the local food trucks were present too. Also did I mention red velvet funnel cake? Best funnel cake I’ve ever had in my life! I would return just for this…

Great way to start spring break. Will definitely attend again next year.

Luminaria is one of the best free festivals, showcasing local artists and all they bring to the scene in SA.
This is my second year going, and I am in love! This year the weather was quite muggy as it rained on and off all day; but, that did not stop anyone’s parade. Literally, the street parades kept on chuggin’ along.
As you meander through Hemisfair Plaza and onto the streets, it is hard to stick to a plan of seeing any one installation. Your attention is constantly diverted to another set of shiny lights and bright colours. La Villita is brought to life with music and beer and food vendors, with no cover charge and proceeds going to the art community. Muchas Gracias.
Embrace your inner hippie and revel in a night of song, dance, colour, and light; rain or shine, it’ll be one of the greatest times you’ve had downtown.

I can’t say I’m the hugest carnival/​fair enthusiastic. Especially during the Texas «spring» (read as: summer in disguise). But given that this is a once of year event and I am fond of contemporary art (colorful flashy lights-​themed art? All the better!), why the heck not?
First thing to remember is, just pay for parking, if you can even manage to find a lot that isn’t full. And if you don’t have plans to visit Luminaria during this particular day, steer clear of downtown. Basically, yes parking was a tad frustrating.
The art installations were scattered around the park/​fair area. Some of them were kind of hokey, but some quite lovely, although decent photo opportunities were hard to come by because of the massive throngs of people. We did wander into a few of the buildings that housed more familiar mediums of artwork. One in particular had some, um, interesting nature photographs, in that they were pretty terrible and overzoomed/​pixxelated. But art is subjective or whatever. There were a few areas sectioned off for fun kids’ activities, but most of the art was passive enjoyment.
There was massive selection of food stalls — a few I recognized from Austin. We had dined earlier, so we didn’t partake, but the lines were ridiculous, although yes, it was nonetheless crowded pandemonium.
We ended up staying only an hour or so, because as it turns out, this is pretty much like every other fair. It was pretty and free and up to expectations.

Luminaria was so, so much fun and most importantly, free! It seemed like every single area had something going on whether it be fire-​breathers, light installations or live music. I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun at a free city event!
We got there about 6:30 and luckily, settled in the last spot at a nearby parking lot. I’m so glad there was no admission charge because that meant all my money went to food! They had so much variety going on, everything from Empanadas from So-​Frito! to kebabs from The Rickshaw Stop. The fire performers were also in the area so we sat on the grass with our grub and watched a gal hula-​hoop with flames!
Luminaria definitley lived up to its name, it seemed like downtown had come alive in the coolest way possible. I’m now convinced that the Tower of the Americas should always be illuminated in the spectrum they had going on. Everywhere you turned, something boring had been turned into something amazing. A tree was lit up in the deepest blues, water fountains alternated between purple and green and a walkway had been turned into a scene from Pac-​Man.
I didn’t get a chance to stay there until the very end but later on that night as I was driving past the area, they released brightly lit lanterns into the sky. Just a magical sight to see to cap off an amazing event.

I was impressed.
First of all — free entrance, that’s a plus.
Lots of good food, art for those who like it, and music for those who don’t really care.
I will care about art from time to time, but on that particular night, I was more in the mood for something fun, so I thoroughly enjoyed sitting at the end of the festival, listening to various symphonic bands (!) and eating pretty decent foodie stands from Chela’s to Smoke Shack to all of the chain restaurants that need not be mentioned. And to top it off, we accidentally walked through a parade on our way to the car.
Good show!

Luminaria beckoned me from the moment I read about it! A city-​wide FREE event supporting ALL the various arts… How great is that!!! We stayed across the street for the weekend and marveled at the visual light shows, the dancing, the diversity of the music. I enjoy seeing the young people follow their inner light with Flamenco, ballet, traditional Indian (Fantastic!), jazz, etc. The grounds did feel packed with people and the food lines were insane… but the Jason Dady’s DUK Truck was to die for with his famous sticky buns… umm-​umm-​good! Luminaria is also quite a people-​watching venue!
I agree with finding a way to become more environmentally friendly with the driving/​parking situation, seating in the «food courts,» and bump-​up the caliber of some of the musicians. I would also like to see docents stationed at various outdoor installations to discuss the art or give more detail in the information map/​guide about the various pieces. Keep up the great work San Antonio (!) and maintain those relations with your sponsors!

Who doesn’t love a free event in San Antonio like a perfect night in March? I’m glad they decided throw the event in March this year.
I’m a big fan of San Antonio and all the festivals they put on, but this one lacked a little bit of awesome. There were some amazing ideas that seemed to lack more light, which was kinda the reason for this art festival. I feel the outside displays could have been more viewer friendly, especially when there’s 200k+ people in attendance.
I must have heard Katy Perry’s song «Firework» three times near the playground… obviously the kids putting that on was overly excited by Glee’s performance of the song.
It was nice to have all the stages set with wonderful lighting, but I envisioned the Hemisphere Park completely lit up with uniqueness (much like how the River walk appears during Christmas). You could barely see your kids running through the play ground and lots of trees were left shadowed.
Most of the music selection, like the live bands were very entertaining. There was one stage near the bicycle rental (free advertisement) that had a lot of talented acts as well. All and all it was a really great event for San Antonians and their families.
Just a word to the wise, if you didn’t want to pay for over priced food and beers, bring your own. I know I’m glad I wasn’t in that trap of ticket and line madness. That goes for any free outdoor event.

This was my first time to the event — and I’m also from out of town … so for me this was a solid 3 stars… that being said, I did have a lot of fun and would probably go again next year understanding that its a young festival and that it will continue to get better.
I have to admit, there were a lot more people there than I thought would be there. so that was good. I drove in with a friend and we did get stuck in all the traffic getting downtown — we did miss the flashmob which was one of the things that we knew we wanted to see and support (we had the inside scoop since we work for the company that sponsored it) — but it wasn’t *that* bad all things considering. We ended up paying 10 bucks to park in a small parking lot — seemed about right and I had expected that.
Some of the exhibits were still pretty hard to see so you really had to explore to find them. I did have a map, but let’s face it, it’s been a while since my 3^rd grade geography class and I’m not much of a map reader anyways… I would have loved some more prominent signs (remember its mostly dark for most of the festival) or landmarks.
The food, beverage, and ticket lines looked intimidating, but actually they moved us through pretty quickly and most people were prepared with what they wanted or had money/​tickets ready so that really helped.
The food stations were broken up on either side of the festival, which also was a help. We didn’t end up eating there, not because of the food, but because there was really no place to sit and eat. I had access to a room with bathrooms, tables, etc, but it wasn’t worth it to walk all the way back there. So some tables would have been nice… NOW having said that, I’m sure that if there were some tables, they would have been full, but other festivals like this that I’ve been to you just know to expect to sit next to strangers, make a new friend, clean up when you’re done so that others can use the tables when you’re done. Food was pretty reasonably priced — beer and wine was a little pricey. but hey, you’re supporting the arts!
I don’t have kids, but seemed like there were plenty of children there and there was a kids area for people as well. which really helps for those with children.
For next year, would love to see the event partner with the city to promote a busing schedule. good for people, traffic, and the economy — people would meet and park at a shuttle location, park an then during regular intervals would pick and drop people off. Not sure how that plays with the culture in this city, but in Austin, was a pretty regular thing. and if you had to pay a few bucks for the shuttle, it was totally worth it and still cheaper than parking in a lot — unless of course you live (or know someone) who lives in the area.
Anyhoo… looking forward to the event next year!

Luminaria — Arts Come To Light. Amazing concept. So excited for this event to be a part of San Antonio’s culture.
Last year, Luminaria truly flopped, but this year they really outdid themselves. SO many people came downtown to experience local art (everything from paintings and photography to laser light shows and music) that you could barely find parking, even if you were willing to walk several miles, or pay an arm and a leg.
This year, with the addition of RackSpace as a sponsor, things were taken to a whole new level. As I was wandering around looking at everything (and wishing there was more parking) I watched a flashmob happen right before my eyes. So super cool.
Genres of art are celebrated over a broad spectrum and people really came out this year to honor and appreciate the local arts communities. Great job, Luminaria, great job!

My friend, who resides downtown, had been to Luminaria last year and raved about how great it was. So I was excited to check it out this year.
Can’t complain about traffic/​parking cause we parked at my friend’s place and strolled up the street to Luminaria. I really liked the use of the different color lights/​lasers to jazz up the area. It was cool lookin’. The projectors showing movies/​clips on the sides of buildings was also cool. We watched a 3-​D movie and the 3-​D glasses were provided free. Also pretty cool were shopping carts full of free books.
Supposedly, last year, they closed down more blocks thus making the festival bigger. I felt 2 blocks (if you want to even count the small one down Hemisfair Park) was NOT enough room/​space for the people and, I agree with Mallory L., the music/​voices from the stages all meshed together into one mushy sound. In future years, they seriously need to consider expanding the area/​have more block closures.
We were disappointed in the «art» located in the Henry B Gonzales Convention Center. The area provided for it was extremely small! We felt it could’ve been bigger and/​or showcased outside along the block as well. There wasn’t much art to see considering Luminaria is supporting the arts.
The beer/​water/​soda booths were well spread out. However, when a friend of mine decided he wanted to get a bite to eat, WOW, all the food was CRAMMED into that one tiny area of Hemisfair Park [you know, Frontier Land at NIOSA?] and it was swarming with people/​lines. Totally NOT smart! He opted to wait to eat until after Luminaria. Future years, suggest spreading out the food booths as they did with the fluid booths.
Overall, we were rather disappointed and felt Luminaria could use many organizational/​spacial improvements. I don’t know if I’d rush to return next year, but, it’s definitely something different to do in SA and should certainly be experienced once. I’ll prob return just to support SA arts!

Um… I’m going to be gentle.
I wasn’t able to make it to this one-​night event for the past two years. I wasn’t just avoiding it because it was in the middle of June; I was truly out of town.
This year, looking forward to the beautiful March weather and having recently discovered some hidden art gems around SA, I was super excited to go, and will admit, had a few expectations.
The traffic wasn’t terrible if you got there on time (festivities began at 6pm) and I don’t really care about parking. I found a spot in a residential area up by Mad Hatters and walked. I like walking, though, for some this is not an option.
Crowds don’t really bother me either if there’s something good to see. For instance, there’s always a really large group of people surrounding the Mona Lisa, but you wait your turn to get a glimpse because it’s worth it. Here, I wasn’t ever really sure what I was fighting to see.
All of the smaller stages and installations were COMPLETELY hidden by the throngs of people or overpowered by the larger stages emanating the loudest music I have ever heard. To be clear, each stage was so loud, they drowned each other out, making one messy amalgamation of sound.
The few shows I did catch were dance troops from local dance schools. They were cute, and some even very good, but I don’t know, I guess I was hoping to see some professional or semi-​professional performances. I mean, I can go see a children’s recital for free anytime throughout the year. Then, a handful of folks busted out the fire twirling (insert real name for this here) and I caught a glimpse of a woman hoola hooping on a stage with fluorescent lights projected all around. Reminds me of nightmares I used to have of what Burning Man would be like.
There was a stage for kids shows, so this might be a great event to bring the family to. And in defense of the loud-​assness, the music was pretty good. They had conjunto, blues, some big band-​y sounding stuff… not bad.
There was one concessions area that was insanely packed. I waited in one line for 10 minutes for a $ 5 light beer (only option) and by then, I was too burnt out on lines to wait again for food, which did sound good. Meat on sticks, gumbo, shrimp your typical fair food. We ate at a restaurant down the street.
Maybe if you know somebody, you have more fun. Perhaps I was lacking direction. But if you look at the schedule, it seems like there are so many shows, so many different things going on from readings to dance to music to film, you feel you’re bound to run into a few great things. I was not so lucky.
An the whole, if you want to go get drunk on like, 20 light beers and dance to loud-​ass music, this is going to be a really fun time for you. If you want to see some art, just make a day to visit some of the fabulous museums and private galleries SA has to offer. Go support the ballet, the symphony, or see a local theater show. It’s not that expensive. I personally prefer First Friday, regardless of the haters.
I’ll probably try Luminaria again next year — it’s a new event, and will either become more arts-​focused or remain just another loud, obnoxious gathering.