Día del Niño

Día del Niño is a global celebration to honor children and their special role in our lives. The San Antonio festival was established in 1998 by the National Latino Children’s Institute under the leadership of Rebeca Barrera in response to a request by students at the 1996 National Summit on Young Latinos held in San Antonio. With the help of a young City Councilman, now Senator José Menéndez, San Antonio became the first city to pass a resolution to establish this day on April 30 and celebrate alongside Mexico and 40 other countries. Día del Niño or Día de los Niños was first officially celebrated in Mexico on April 30, 1925, after Mexican President Alvaro Obregón signed the League of Nations’ Declaration of Children’s Rights in 1924. The first celebration was in Veracruz. The first San Antonio festival on April 30th, 1998, featured child star, Becky Lee Meza from the Selena movie, Scholastic author Pat Mora, the Spurs Coyote, 12-year-old accordionist Domingo Tamayo, and ventriloquist Nacho Estrada in his role as Ronald McDonald. Every child took home an autographed book by Pat Mora. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and other national leaders pledged to help make it a national celebration. By September 1998, NLCI was able to secure bi-partisan support of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Resolution 278 sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R) John McCain (R), Tim Daschel (D), and Ted Kennedy (D) was passed unanimously during Hispanic Heritage Month. With the support of McDonalds, Ford, Scholastic, Target, Disney, and Nationwide Insurance the festival grew to over 200 communities. In San Antonio the festival focuses on sharing cultural knowledge with the community. Each curated experience explores artesanías, literature, games, music, dance, and STEM activities. Bring your whole family. Play lotería with your grandchildren, throw a few chanclas, grind cacao to taste raw chocolate, and make over 20 heritage handcrafts of Mexico and the borderlands. It’s a day you will always remember.