While most San Antonio students were sleeping in on a school-free Friday, April 24, the marching band was already busy with activity. By 8:00 a.m., the “band hangover” was real. After competing at the Battle of the Bands until 11:00 p.m. the night before, the students were back at it as a featured band in the Battle of Flowers parade. The event is long and tiring, but the band stayed energized with snacks.
The Uniform
Changing into a “marching machine” is a very exact process. Students step into their high-waisted bibber pants and give their equipment a final look. The standards are high, and wearing long black socks is one of the biggest requirements. As sophomore Kaitlynn McCarley describes it, the stress of staying perfectly together is high
“If you don’t all look the same, you look like a little chicken,” McCarley said.
Drum Major Sebastian Alfonso stands out in his grey uniform, wearing a custom “Fiesta ’26” patch. As a leader, his focus is on the group.
“At first, I was really nervous because it was my first time… but it got me excited that I was leading the whole band right behind me. It was just awesome,” Alfonso said.
Pre-Parade Stress.
After they reach their destination downtown, the true challenge starts: the long wait. Staying in formation for several hours under the shifting San Antonio sun becomes a test of endurance. McCarley confesses that the outdoor conditions are her main concern.
“I’m most scared of rain because it’ll mess up my instrument,” McCarley said. Woodwind players have to rush back to the buses if it starts to pour.
Surviving the 3-Miles
Maintaining that energy is the hardest part. Unlike football games, where there are breaks between plays, this route requires non-stop movement.
“For the parade, it’s just constant walking,” Sebastian Alfonso said. “It’s different from football games where we get to stand still… for the parade, we’re basically playing the whole time.”
The setlist kept the crowd and the students hyped. They rotate between heavy drum cadences and pop hits like Bruno Mars “Runaway Baby.” Every time they hit a stand, Alfonso shows his signature salute: heart, eyebrow, double-cross and down. By the time they head back to the school around 3 p.m., uniforms are soaked and feet are throbbing, but the pride of surviving the grind makes the exhaustion worth it.
