Luminaria has been rescheduled for 7 p.m.-1 a.m. May 5 in HemisFair Park, 200 S. Alamo.
According to the Luminaria website, the event has been canceled due to inclement weather. The organizing committee is working to schedule an event on another date.
By Sylvia Hernandez
The boom, boom sound of steel drum bands, the sight of crowd-pleasing street dancers and the smell of funnel cakes and outdoor grilling will bring downtown HemisFair Park to life March 10 for the 5th annual Luminaria, a free outdoor arts event running from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Luminaria, according to their website, is the brainchild of former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger. The event is San Antonio’s festive way of spotlighting local artists who specialize in dance, visual arts, music, media arts, theatre and literary arts, in an effort to bring contemporary art to the public in an open setting.
This one-night happening is modeled after similar festivals in Paris, Madrid and Toronto and is made possible through the generosity of artists, arts organizations, volunteers and public and private donations.
Luminaria Artistic Director Richard Rosen said that when the idea of Luminaria was conceptualized in 2007, the event planners hoped for a crowd of about 25,000 people.
“But in its first year, attendance actually exceeded 200,000 and it has grown exponentially every year,” Rosen said. “Last year, Luminaria drew a crowd of just over 300,000; it was by far the biggest.”
Over 200 proposals within the various art categories were submitted for this year’s program and 87 were selected Rosen said. Music, the largest category, makes up 34 of the 87 artists that will be showcased.
This year’s event features nine performance stages, three galleries and over 20 specific installations throughout the grounds of HemisFair Park.
For more information about Luminaria 2012, call 210-212-4999 or visit the website at www.luminariasa.org.
Melody Mendoza is the Comunidad Editor for The Mesquite. Previously, she reported on the development of the year-old Main Campus Building and Brooks City-Base Campus, and has followed Texas A&M-San Antonio's growth through its plans for two new buildings. Melody is a communication-journalism major, serves on the Student Media Board and is a freelance reporter and part-time editorial assistant for the San Antonio Express-News. She is a 2008 East Central High School graduate, an award-winning reporter for The Ranger (San Antonio College's student newspaper), and a youth leader at her church.
