San Antonio Conservation Society Launches 2013 Fest

San Antonio Conservation Society has launched the 65th presentation of “A Night in Old San Antonio” (NIOSA), a four-night festival in the heart of downtown San Antonio that celebrates the city’s cultural legacy for more than 80,000 revelers annually.

The event is taking place on April 23 to 26, 2013 at the grounds of the La Villita National Historic District, the 18th century Spanish neighborhood that now serves as arts village, bounded by the San Antonio River and Alamo, Nueces and Presa streets.

Attractions during the event include: 250-plus food, drink and atmosphere booths; more than 20 live musical acts; children’s games; decorations; souvenirs; and costumed volunteers. NIOSA brings the city’s heritage alive in 15 areas: Arneson Theatre (an amphitheater built in 1941 into the natural curve of the city’s river bank), Chinatown, Clown Alley, French Quarter, Froggy Bottom (which pays tribute to the cultural contributions of African-Americans), Frontier Town, Haymarket (which celebrates the produce and livestock markets near San Fernando Cathedral during the city’s Spanish Colonial period), International Walkway (which showcases different ethnic groups that developed San Antonio’s unique heritage), Irish Flat, Main Street USA, Mexican Market, Mission Trail (which honors the early years of the city’s San Antonio Missions), Sauerkraut Bend, South of the Border (Northern Mexico influences), and Villa España (which celebrates the city’s Spanish and Canary Islanders heritage).

NIOSA is one of the top fundraisers for historic preservation in the nation. Funds raised from the event will fund San Antonio Conservation Society’s preservation efforts, as well as its support of education and advocacy programs and projects such as the Heritage Education tours, seminars, community tours, scholarships, the resource library and the house museums.