began in 2012 as part of the university's efforts to build upon longstanding traditions.
=== Best Fest and Fiesta UTSA ===
Fiesta UTSA, an annual event held in April, began in 1978. The first Fiesta UTSA was attended by over 1,000 students and included music, a jalapeño eating contest, a watermelon seed spitting contest, a dunk tank, and other activities. Fiesta UTSA includes booths set up under the Sombrilla in a carnival atmosphere and run by Registered Student Organizations. Fiesta UTSA became the kickoff event for Fiesta San Antonio each spring, having been added to the official Fiesta San Antonio schedule in 1980. Fiesta UTSA was renamed by students in 2022, and is now known as Día en la Sombrilla.
Best Fest, an annual celebration held in October, began in 1978 (as "Bestfest") as "a special salute to five of the state's outstanding festivals," including New Braunfels's Wurstfest, Corpus Christi's Buccaneer Days, San Antonio's Fiesta, the Texas State Fair in Dallas, and George Washington's Birthday Celebration …
