 While it may help a lot, you don't have to be a Texas politician to sling a little mud. At least not in January each year. Welcome to the annual San Antonio River Walk Mud Festival, set to get underway this year the weekend of January 12-15. Anytime, of course, is a good time to have a party on the River Walk, but this festival proves that San Antonians will use just about any excuse to "keep the party going."
It all centers around the draining of the San Antonio River, or at least the horseshoe portion of the downtown River Walk, which is a project that takes place every January. It's time when the San Antonio Parks & Rec Department cleans up the River Walk, Texas' most renowned tourist attraction, and a time when public and media officials of the Alamo City vie for honors as the King and Queen of the Annual Mud Fest.
 A mud festival with a king & queen? You bet, and a host of crazy, not-your-normal festival events to go along with it, like the Mud Pie Ball, the Pub Crawl, the Mud parade and the annual Arts & Crafts Mud Show staged along the dry riverbank.
Sponsored this year by Michelob beer, the festival takes on a Mardi Gras style flavor of zany events and celebrations, where locals flock to enjoy what traditionally is the "slower season" for visitors downtown.
Well, there's hardly a slow season in San Antonio. But there are fewer visitors to the River Walk in early January than most other times of the year. And the Mud festival represents a time when the river resorts back to the locals to enjoy.
And enjoy it they do! With an annual attendance near 20,000, the Mud Fest is proving that you can stage a party in San Antonio for just about any reason and can expect a crowd to show up.
If you're traveling to the Alamo City from out of town, be aware that not all is perfect on the River Walk leading up to the Mud Fest. Each year city workers take their heavy equipment into the river bed where they scoop up the debris that has accumulated from the millions of visitors (29 million at last count) that visit the River Walk every year. From wedding rings to silverware, those a huge amount of debris cleared from the river.
But leave it to San Antonio to come up with a way that makes it fun for its local citizens to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help the process along. And besides, where else can you find a good Mud Festival?
The festival is now a popular method of raising funs to support River Walk projects. In fact, the coronation of the Mud King & Queen is based upon the contestant's ability to raise funds for river projects.
Anytime of year is a great time to enjoy the vast attractions and amenities offered on Texas' most famous tourist destination, even when the river is drained of its water and the mud begins to fly!
For more information about the Mud Festival, visit the official site.
Happy slinging!
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Rio Grande Valley
