JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
San Antonio’s Fiesta royalty of King Antonio and El Rey Feo were both in attendance to witness the graduation of over 700 newly-minted Airmen from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland April 21.
Fiesta is an annual ten-day celebration unique to San Antonio. Replete with non-stop parades, carnivals and music, the festival typically centers around two figureheads; King Antonio, the official face of Fiesta elected by the charitable Cavaliers Foundation, and El Rey Feo, the “people’s king” appointed by the El Rey Feo Consejo Education Foundation. Traditionally, both officials visit a BMT graduation during the first week of Fiesta for a “Royal Review” of the graduating troops, and also spend time mingling with the top brass at the base.
“We want to keep fostering relations with the military,” said Michael Casillas, King Antonio XCV. “I love being over here with these men and women. It’s just an honor.”
Fred Reyes, the 69th El Rey Feo, concurred.
“Without the military protecting us, we wouldn’t be partying,” Feo said. “This city gets behind the military wholeheartedly.”
For any Airmen looking for recommendations on what to do during Fiesta, Casillas is your man.
“If you need any help getting introduced to Fiesta, I’ll be more than happy to help you personally,” he said. “There’s just so much to see here, it can be hard to pick one thing.”
Visit www.fiesta-sa.org for a complete list of Fiesta events.