2009 Swallows’ Day Parade Returns to San Juan Capistrano on March 21
San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – Over 130 entries will be featured in the 51st Swallows’ Day Parade in downtown San Juan Capistrano on Saturday, March 21, 2009. Fiesta de las Golondrinas – meaning Festival of the Swallows – activities pay tribute to the annual return of the swallows and San Juan Capistrano’s Spanish and western heritage.
One of the nation’s largest non-motorized parades, the Swallows’ Day Parade features 500 horses in various equestrian entries, high school and military marching bands, floats, folkloric dancers, historical reenactments and dozens of local community groups. Highlights include the 1st Marine Division Band, color guard and 1st Battalion 11th Marines from Camp Pendleton, the Kelly Boyz Dancers performing along the route to the live music of The Brant Vogel and Hell Bent Band and a horse-drawn Wells Fargo Bank stagecoach. Melitas Forster, great granddaughter of Don Juan Forster and original owner of the Swallow’s Inn, will serve as this year’s grand marshal.
The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. at Ortega Highway and Del Obispo Street and continues along Camino Capistrano. Attendees who arrive early can catch the annual Pancake Breakfast from 6:00 – 10:30 a.m. at the Women’s Club located at 31442 El Horno St. Another major parade-day attraction is the Mercado Street Fair with food booths and a variety of vendors that takes place at the historic Town Center Park off of El Camino Real and Ortega Highway from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
The Fiesta Association will host a Shuttle Bus from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with pick ups at Endevco and FluidMaster along Rancho Viejo Road between Ortega Hwy and Junipero Serra. Roundtrip fee is $2.00 for adults and kids under 10 free.
The Fiesta de Las Golondrinas is tied to the legendary return of the swallows to the Mission San Juan Capistrano on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19th. The square-tailed cliff swallows spend the summer in San Juan Capistrano and leave in late October to travel 6000 miles for a winter in Goya, Argentina.
For more information about Fiesta de las Golondrinas events, call 949.493.1976 or visit www.swallowsparade.org.
The San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association
The San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association is an all-volunteer organization that manages and produces the annual Swallows’ Day Parade and other Fiesta de las Golondrinas events throughout the year. A nonprofit, nonpolitical organization, the Fiesta Association is led by a board of directors and is entirely self-funded through donations and various fundraising activities.
