Rain ponchos were seen all around Fiesta 2015 for several hours but thankfully no heavy downpours!
NOTE: Fiesta Fridays is a special series to highlight the many memories I have of Fiesta through the photographs I’ve taken since 2003.
Fiesta 2015 was a cold and rainy one…and if I were superstitious, I would have said all this happened because it was our 13th year! However, even with the cold and steady drizzle, Fiesta was a success because of the people who threw on rain ponchos and came out to enjoy the day with family and friends. I have many great memories of Fiesta 2015 in the rainy weather which I shared in my blog post that year called “Fiesta 2015 Rain or Shine!”
Mosaico Flamenco performs at Fiesta 2015 on the Main Stage.
This year we had a group called Mosaico Flamenco perform on the main stage. I always enjoy watching and photographing dance groups and this group was incredible! I love the swirling of the costumes and the angles of the bodies captured in mid-movement. This dance group was really beautiful and I ended up staying to watch their entire performance. Usually, I will photograph for a few moments and then move on to capture something else going on at Fiesta. There is always so much to catch and experience! This time though, I caught a rather intimate moment the group had right before taking stage too…they huddled together by the stage and said a prayer. Like I said…it was such a sweet and intimate moment. I watched for a few second and wasn’t sure if i would photograph or not but I wanted to remember it so took just two photos. The group also had their own live music to dance to and that added quite a nice element to the performance.
Fiesta also tried something new with food that year by creating a separate ticketed area we called “Cocina Latina.” A limited number of Latino food vendors participated and provided samples of their best dishes. Attendees loved this and probably got to sample dishes they wouldn’t have ordinarily tried! There was also the opportunity to sample Hornitos tequila too which was definitely a hit!
Some of the food samples at Cocina Latina at Fiesta 2015!
Our artists were also crowd pleasing that year which was proven when people braved the cold and wet weather and hung with us until the soggy end! In fairness, the drizzle had stopped by the last two acts but i just remember my feet being so cold from walking through the wet grass all day – AND…I didn’t have on the best shoes that day. Oh well…live and learn…
Toby Love sings to the crowd at Fiesta 2015!
We had a return visit from Toby Love, sporting a light…almost white colored suit, which made his presence even more stark when the fog machine started rolling out the fog! It made for some great photos during his performance including one I took from the back of the stage of Toby Love center stage and singing directly to the crowd. It’s one of my favs!!!
Members of the Fiesta board pose with Headliner – Bobby Pulido – before he takes the stage! (L-R Chris Miller, me, Vanessa Vargas Bobby Pulido, Matt Ennis, Cristina Almanza and Carlos Aleman.
Another favorite photo is one taken of several members of the Fiesta board with the last headliner – Bobby Pulido. He is such a personable guy and was great with the crowd. I got quite a few photos of him performing with his band but one that we’ve used for many Fiesta promotions and advertisements is of him playing his guitar right in front of the audience. I love crowd shots and this one was perfect from my vantage point…the lighting from the stage hit the people in the front just right and so I began snapping away.
Come back next Friday for my last post in this Fiesta Friday series and read more about Fiesta 2016!
Oh…one last photo that I love from Fiesta 2015…me with board members, Vanessa Vargas and Cristina Almanza! #selfie!
Selfie with board members Vanessa and Cristina as we began the day! My hair was still dry at this point!
Southern Señora 