SAN ANTONIO – Update (April 13, 2020):
The Barbacoa and Big Red Festival is joining a long list of events canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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On Monday, the festival said in a statement that it will return in 2021. It was originally planned for May 16-17 at The Greenline inside Brooks — the first time in its 10-year history that it would have been held over two days.
Festival organizers released the following statement:
Like you, we have been closely monitoring what is going on in the world around us with the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. With things rapidly changing we’re making the right decision to cancel the festival based on the facts coming from our leaders and health officials. We want to keep our community safe as well as our sponsors, vendors and staff.
The 2020 Barbacoa & Big Red Festival was supposed to take place at The Greenline inside Brooks on May 16th & 17th 2020. Now, our team has now switched gears to work on a date in 2021.
We wish for everyone to be safe and to continue to do their part of social distancing. Please stay tuned to our social media pages and BBRFest.com for any announcements regarding the new date and information. See you next year!
Thank you, The Barbacoa & Big Red Festival Team
There are 772 positive cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in Bexar County, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Sunday.
To slow the spread of the virus, Nirenberg, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and Gov. Greg Abbott have issued tight restrictions for the public, including the ban of large gatherings.
Original (Jan. 4, 2020):
Barbacoa and Big Red lovers (or pretty much everyone in South Texas), 2020 is your year.
The Barbacoa and Big Red Festival will span two days in its 10th year.
The festival, which calls for live music, food trucks and vendors, announced Saturday that it will take place on May 16-17 at The Greenline inside Brooks. Music lineup, ticket prices and other details have yet to be released.
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Tony Villarreal, one of the festival’s owners, said they expanded the festival in response to the large turnout last year.
“We’re making a lot of different adjustments and improvements to handle to a large crowd,” he told KSAT12.
More than 40,000 people showed up to the festival last year, leading to long lines at the entrance and dozens of complaints.
Villarreal said the two-day option should lessen the crowd on a single day, but security checks will remain in place for safety.
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He said they are planning on adding more entryways and security checkpoints to speed up entry.
Ticket prices are expected to increase this year but they plan on keeping the festival “budget-friendly,” he said, adding they may add VIP ticket options. Parking will remain free.
While musical acts are still under wraps, the festival is “upping the entertainment big time,” he said. They plan on releasing the lineup in the coming months.
It is unclear if the carnival will return but organizers plan on adding water stations.
During last year’s festival, several San Antonio Fire Department units were dispatched to the festival after people called 911 directly to report heat exhaustion. When firefighters arrived, they said the issue wasn’t as critical as first thought, KSAT12 reported at the time.
Complaints of heat exhaustion as thousands attend Barbacoa & Big Red Festival
Last year was the first time Barbacoa and Big Red Festival was held at the 45-acre Greenline inside Brooks. Previously, it was held at R & J Music Pavilion, located on five acres south of the city.