The 64th annual Swallows Day Parade is approaching soon for the San Juan Capistrano community, a historic tradition honoring the return of the swallows and the intersection of the city’s Spanish and Native American heritage.
Organized by the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association, this five-day celebration is renowned as one of the nation’s largest non-motorized parades, showcasing the rich history of San Juan Capistrano.
This year’s theme is “Saddle Up San Juan,” which Fiesta Association President Jim Taylor said was chosen as a nod to the city’s illustrious equestrian background and a means to encourage everyone in the community to “saddle up and join the fun.”
“As we look around, so much of our history is disappearing,” said Taylor, who also serves as the Swallows Day Parade chair. “But this event is a way for us to revive that history and teach everyone what San Juan Capistrano once was.”
The Swallows Day Parade is celebrated in March every year, to coincide with when swallows from Argentina return after winter. Despite a decline in the bird’s numbers over the years, Taylor said the swallows will always “reliably return each March.”
This year’s parade will take place on Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. and include an array of participants such as local schools and businesses as well as 18 wagons and over 200 horses, Taylor said. The parade route begins at the El Camino Real and Ortega Highway intersection and ends just past Stonefield Park on Camino Capistrano.
With the streets surrounding the parade officially closing at 10 a.m., Taylor suggests arriving early to park, or attendees can ride a shuttle bus from the Capistrano Business Plaza (30250 Rancho Viejo Road) or Fluidmaster, Inc. (30800 Rancho Viejo Road). These shuttles will run from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Taylor’s favorite option to “arrive in style,” he said, is to take the train. Metrolink is offering a $10 round-trip ticket, free for 17-year-olds and under, that will drop you off at the San Juan Capistrano station in the middle of the festivities.
And then there is a slew of other events leading up to the Swallows Day Parade.
On Tuesday, March 19, the San Juan Capistrano Mission will host St. Joseph’s and Return of the Swallows celebrations. This event marks the return of the famous swallows to the city with the ringing of the mission’s bells and presentations on the history of the mission and Native American storytelling.
The celebration will begin with St. Joseph’s Day Mass at the mission at 8:30 a.m. and activities, including flamenco dancing and mariachi performances, will run until 2 p.m. Tickets are required for this event and can be purchased at the door or on the mission’s website.
On Wednesday, March 20 at 6 p.m., the Fiesta Grande kickoff event will take place at the Swallows Inn, a local country-western-themed bar. Here, attendees will be able to enjoy live music, food and compete for prizes including the hairiest man, best belt buckle and best outlaw, to name a few.
A few days later, on Friday, March 22, dubbed “Hoos’ Gow Day,” the Fiesta Association brings the “Wild West” back to San Juan Capistrano. Administrators of the parade, known as “sheriffs and deputies,” dress in Western attire and search the town for “city slickers,” as Taylor calls it.
“The deputies will ‘arrest’ anyone not dressed in Western attire, and your bail is a donation to the Fiesta Association,” Taylor said. “Many local businesses call the Fiesta Association to have coworkers and bosses arrested, all in good fun.”
The annual frog jumping contest will also be celebrated on March 22 at 4 p.m. Hosted at Los Rios Park, families can wager on a frog race, hoping that whichever frog they choose will jump to the finish line first. Winners will receive an array of frog-themed prizes.
“Mark Twain” is set to make an appearance at the event to give the story of the original frog jumping contest in Calaveras County.
The Swallows Day Parade is free for everyone, but Taylor said to consider donating to support the program for years to come.
Matt Gaffney, a longtime San Juan Capistrano resident, was chosen to lead this year’s parade as the grand marshal.
Garrney is a well-known member of the community, Taylor said, having helped with the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society and the Fiesta Association for many years, and has attended the parade every single year since 1960. Gaffney was added to the San Juan Capistrano Wall of Recognition in 2011.
The first official Swallows Day Parade took place in 1954, and ever since, it has grown into one of the biggest community events in Orange County, Taylor said. Original events consisted of an equestrian parade and western dances.
This year’s parade holds special significance, as one of its founders, Kay Shaw, recently died. She, along with her husband Fulton Shaw, played a pivotal role in establishing the parade by using her public relations background to attract celebrities to the event. Kay Shaw was the grand marshal of the parade in 2008.
