2019 San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment
Experience cannon and musket fire at the 2019 San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment on Saturday, April 13, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. The Battle of San Jacinto reenactment itself, complete with cannons, horses, and pyrotechnics, takes place at 3 p.m. Relive the day In 1836, that Texian troops surprised the Mexican army camped here. Shouting “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad,” the rebels routed the larger force in only 18 minutes. Walk in their footsteps, explore the museum, and enjoy a bird’s-eye view from the top of the monument. Canceled for 2019 due to nearby chemical spill.
San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment
The San Jacinto Day Festival is a full day of entertainment, vendors, food, family activities, cultural exhibitors, games and fun set amidst living history: music and dancing on three stages featuring country-western bands, flamenco dancers, Native American presentations, square dancers and much more; food vendors; make-and-take activities and crafts for children; children’s train; petting zoo; medicine wagon show; birds of prey; weavers, spinners, blacksmiths, other demonstrators; and dozens of unique hand-crafted items for sale – and, of course, the San Jacinto Battle Reenactment.
San Jacinto Battle Reenactment
Booming cannons, cracking musket fire, thundering hooves and desperate battle cries resound across the San Jacinto Battle Reenactment as hundreds of history reenactors recreate the events leading up to Texas winning its independence at the decisive Battle of San Jacinto.
Tentative Schedule
10:00 a.m. Festival and Re-enactment Camps open; Festival Demonstrations, Lectures and Entertainment
3:00 p.m. Battle of San Jacinto Reenactment
4:30 p.m. Memorial Service for Combatants on both sides
5:00 p.m. San Jacinto Dau Festival & Camps close
This dramatic battle reenactment is the centerpiece of the admission-free San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment, held on the grounds surrounding the San Jacinto Monument. Sponsored by the San Jacinto Museum of History, Texas Parks & Wildlife and the San Jacinto Volunteers, the festival is a full day of music, entertainment, food, games and fun set amidst living history.
Presented by the San Jacinto Volunteers and other living history organizations from across the state, the San Jacinto Battle Reenactment dramatizes the decisive battle where General Sam Houston led his Texian soldiers to victory over the Mexican Army eventually leading to almost one million square miles of Mexican territory becoming a part of the United States. The historical reenactors dramatically interpret the Runaway Scrape, the cannon duel and the final battle between the two forces.
San Jacinto Festival and Battle Reenactment Gallery Preview
View Full Gallery
On Saturday, visitors can wander freely among the Mexican and Texian camps of the reenactors to learn what the soldiers and their families were doing prior to the battle in 1836 as the reenactors become figures in history for the weekend. At 3 p.m., the official (and historically accurate!) reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto begins; with hundreds of history reenactors—complete with cannons, horses and pyrotechnics—it is the largest in southwest United States.
Volunteers & Vendor Welcome
Volunteers and vendors are welcome to apply to participate in the San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment. This is a large undertaking that cannot happen the contribution of so many! Visit the Annual Reenactment page for pictures from prior years, and learn more about this event.
The San Jacinto Battleground: Then and Now
Visit this online field guide to the San Jacinto Battleground of yesterday and today. Use the opacity adjustment sliders to seamlessly travel back and forth between the two. The markers reveal additional information on the position and movement of commanders and troops, and some correspond to the physical markers on the battleground that were raised by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
About The San Jacinto Monument
The San Jacinto Monument was constructed between April 21, 1936 and April 21, 1939 as a memorial to all those who fought for the Texas independence. Efforts to design and construct the memorial were led by Houston businessman Jesse H. Jones. The Monument is the tallest masonry column in the world. It is more than 12 feet taller that the Washington Monument. It weights approximately 70 million pounds. The star atop the Monument, which symbolizes the Lone Star State, is 34 feet tall and weighs approximately 220 tons. The Monument is faced with Texas Cordova shellstone, a type of limestone noted for its creamy color and fossilized texture.
About The San Jacinto Museum of History
The San Jacinto Museum of History was chartered in 1938 to “preserve and revisualize the history of early Texas.” The Museum’ s collection spans more than four centuries of early Texas history, from the beginnings of European activity in the New World through Texas as a state in the United States. Emphasis is on colonial Texas as a part of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the early days of statehood. The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library houses a collection of more than 250,000 documents and manuscripts and 30,000 volumes of rare books and pamphlets. The Jesse H. Jones Theatre for Texas Studies and the Museum’s presentation Texas Forever!! The Battle of San Jacinto opened in October, 1990.
Location
San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site
3523 Independence Parkway
La Porte, TX 77571
(281) 479-2431
For More Information
San Jacinto Museum of History: Call 281.479.2421; Email sjm@sanjacinto-museum.org
San Jacinto Monument & Museum: Call (281) 479-2421
Tx Parks & Wildlife: Cait Johnson: Call (281) 479-2431, x277; Email caitlin.johnson@tpwd.texas.gov
Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment on the third Saturday of April at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas.
Tags: San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment, San Jacinto Battle Reenactment, Reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas Living History, San Jacinto Day Battle Reenactment & Festival