What is the MUD festival? (San Antonio, Del Rio: restaurants, gardens, moving)

[scrapjacq]

Hi,

I will be visiting San Antonio in January, I have read lots about that you have a mud (River) fesival. Can you tell me what actually happens and how the locals get involved.

Thanks

Scrapjacq

[JNA]

http://sanantonio.about.com/od/sanantonioriverwalk/p/mudfestival.htm (broken link)

http://gotexas.about.com/od/enterta6/a/MudFest.htm

Hope these sites help!

[Insomniac]

The MUD Festival is just an excuse for San Antonians to party (lol, I mean it in a good way) while the Riverwalk is drained and being cleaned. Although the actual festival takes place after the Riverwalk is cleaned and refilled. At the end of the festival a Mud King and Queen is crowned. Basically whoever can raise enough money during the festival for the Paseo Del Rio association that maintains and runs the Riverwalk.

http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/Events/index.asp (broken link)

[scrapjacq]

Thanks,

So it is not a big mud pie fight? I thought that would be fun!

How is the water drained, where does the water come from to refill it.

I have never heard of a river being drained.

In Australia, we have severe water restrictions and can't even use
a hose to wash your car. We can only water our gardens a couple of times per week.

Do you have no water problems?

[Tone]

sometimes we do have water issues. in the past year. not really.

[GWhopper]

Basically, after the Christmas and New Year's holiday, they drain the riverwalk to clean up all the litter that builds up in it.

Two years ago, I dragged my wife downtown to propose to her. I didn't know it was during the "Mud Festival". We were moving, packing up boxes, from one place to another at the time, so we were both wearing crappy t-shirts and jeans at the time. I made some pretense that Laundry's on the Riverwalk had some special that I was craving at the time. I took her down there and saw the drained, muddy nasty river. I thought to myself "this is the worst timing of my life!" I had never been there during the draining of the river, she had never been there during the draining of the river. But I thought, I have to go through with this. So I led her onto the the stone bridge near the Zuni Grill, and proposed to her over a river of mud. I wanted to propose to her in a place where she could always take others and say "That's where my husband asked me to marry him." Some place permanent and famous. I kept telling myself as I proposed, "don't look at the mud".

She said yes. We got married. And both of us could not be happier.

Maybe this year, we will actually go downtown to see the mud parade.

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by scrapjacq

Thanks,

So it is not a big mud pie fight? I thought that would be fun!

How is the water drained, where does the water come from to refill it.

I have never heard of a river being drained.

In Australia, we have severe water restrictions and can't even use
a hose to wash your car. We can only water our gardens a couple of times per week.

Do you have no water problems?

Barring the VERY unusual wet summer we experienced in 2007, we typically have water restrictions as well. However, our water comes primarily from a large underground aquifer and not from the San Antonio River that runs through the city. The section of the river that runs through the center of downtown (the "Riverwalk") is actually a man-made diversion of the river that was built to control flooding, so there are many locks and dams that can be opened and closed to drain and fill that section of the river.

I used to think the Mud Festival was held while the river was still empty and people would parade through the mud in waders; alas, no, the river is full for the Mud Festival. Fun trivia fact: the items most frequently recovered when they drain the river are cell phones, cameras, chairs (from restaurants and other parades), and silverware.

[sillyma]

Originally Posted by CelesteDF

Barring the VERY unusual wet summer we experienced in 2007, we typically have water restrictions as well. However, our water comes primarily from a large underground aquifer and not from the San Antonio River that runs through the city. The section of the river that runs through the center of downtown (the "Riverwalk") is actually a man-made diversion of the river that was built to control flooding, so there are many locks and dams that can be opened and closed to drain and fill that section of the river.

I used to think the Mud Festival was held while the river was still empty and people would parade through the mud in waders; alas, no, the river is full for the Mud Festival. Fun trivia fact: the items most frequently recovered when they drain the river are cell phones, cameras, chairs (from restaurants and other parades), and silverware.

I've lost a cell phone and a camera in the River. That's funny. Too much Patron back in the day.

[Insomniac]

that's funny