Helotes will host the Cornyval festival with carnivals and rodeos starting May 1.
HELOTES, Texas — While organizers are preparing for Fiesta events taking place the final weekend of the 11-day party, folks in Helotes are gearing up for their biggest party of the year.
The annual Cornyval festival kicks off Thursday, May 1, at the PRCA Rodeo in Helotes and runs through Sunday, May 4.
Thursday’s festivities kick off with a performances by the retro fabulous band the Spazmatics, who play from 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The event also includes a full-size carnival a super ferris wheel, games, and amusements. Unlimited ride wristbands will be available for the carnival for $25 on Thursday and Sunday and $30 on Friday and Saturday.
Visitors can also catch the PRCA Rodeo going on for three nights of the festival, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The festivities also include a corn-eating competition.
The young ladies of the Helotes area also compete for the Miss Helotes Scholarship Pageant as part of the festival.
The first Helotes Cornyval was held in 1966 to celebrate the building of the new local post office, and was primarily financed by the late John T. Floore, founder of Floore’s Country Store, which still operates in downtown Helotes.
Since the 1800s, feed corn was a major farming crop in northwest Bexar County and South Texas. Helotes and the Cornyval are a tribute to the area’s heritage. The harvest during this era is celebrated annually in Helotes during the spring, and Helotes’ town name even comes from the Spanish word for corn, elote.
Click here for more details about the festival, including a link to buy tickets. And for a list of the show lineup, click here.
