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Frontier Fiesta is a three-day event at the
University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
that takes place on campus every spring semester, usually in the last weekend of March to the first weekend in April. Student groups perform a variety of shows, host carnival booths and put on multicultural performances, participate in a large cook-off competition, and free concerts from well-known performers. Money raised from Frontier Fiesta goes to ten scholarships offered to incoming freshmen. At its peak from 1946 through 1959, the Frontier Fiesta received national attention by drawing huge crowds of up to 200,000 people and was profiled in ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' magazine. As of 2025, Frontier Fiesta is still an active "student–run, student–led festival hosted by the University of Houston to promote scholarship, community, and education in the University of Houston students, staff, and faculty, as well as in the Houston community." Frontier Fiesta exhibits talents of the University of Houston student body. "Each year a piece of the University of Houston campus is transformed into a fully functional town called 'Fiesta City.' Frontier Fiesta features free live concerts each night, variety shows by student organizations, carnival booths, multicultural performances, and a BBQ Cook–Off and Bake Fiesta."


History

In 1940, a group of students started a tradition known as Frontier Fiesta. This annual event had variety shows performed by students and concerts and was intended to bring together University of Houston students and the Houston community. The tradition grew tremendously over the next few years and became hugely popular, and Houston mayors often declared "Fiesta City" as an official "town" for the week.
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
stars such as
Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...
,
James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...
,
Anne Baxter Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway theatre, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe, and t ...
,
Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...
, and Patsy Swayze were attracted to the annual event. ''Life'' magazine once dubbed it, "The Greatest College Show on Earth". It also drew attention for only accepting Confederate money. The annual tradition became too large and involved as the event was having a considerable impact academically for the students involved. Due to this, Frontier Fiesta was discontinued after the Frontier Fiesta of 1959. In 1992, a group of students worked to bring back the tradition of Frontier Fiesta, and to this day it is again an annual tradition at the University of Houston. The Frontier Fiesta Association is the student-led group that plans and runs the event. However, the university's staging of the event has been criticized by various groups. The
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
caused officials to scrap the 2020 event and defer to 2021.


Variety Shows

One of the main features of Frontier Fiesta are the variety shows. These shows, hosted by student groups, are 30 minute long shows that include singing and dancing. These shows are judged in an individual competition as groups compete for the coveted Joe Koppel Award (named for the second chairman of Frontier Fiesta in 1941), which is awarded to the best overall show. In addition to the show itself, the student groups construct elaborate "fronts" which act as an entrance to their tent for the performance. The fronts line the main midway of Frontier Fiesta, effectively becoming "Fiesta City". They are usually constructed in a theme to match that of the show. For example, an Old West jailhouse may be the front for a show that centers around a jailbreak. Frontier Fiesta was originally Western themed and most of the fronts and shows were done in an Old West style (country music and dancing were the norm). As the years have gone by and as the student groups participating in the event have become more diverse, Frontier Fiesta has deviated from its Old West heritage and become more current.


Cook off

After shows, student groups, alumni groups and other cook off teams host various cook off sites, where their patrons can enjoy the remainder of the evening eating, drinking and listening to music at their tent. These sites are usually privately run and an invitation or an entry fee is required for participation. Individual schools also host cook off sites for students and alumni, such as the Bauer College of Business and the Architecture School. Frontier Fiesta boasts a "world class cook off" where several cook off teams compete in five food categories: Chicken, Ribs, Brisket, Beans and Fajitas. In addition, a baking contest is held where cookies and other desserts can compete for awards. A cash prize is awarded for the winners in the brisket category.


Concerts

After the revival of Frontier Fiesta in 1992, free concerts were added to cap off each night at Frontier Fiesta. Popular entertainers such as
Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He also wrote t ...
,
Doug Supernaw Douglas Anderson Supernaw (September 26, 1960November 13, 2020) was an American country music artist. After several years performing as a local musician throughout the state of Texas, he signed with BNA Records in 1993. Supernaw released four s ...
, Robert Earl Keen, Cory Morrow, and Roger Creager have been known to grace the stage. Each year the Fiesta Committee is given a significant budget and asked to bring in talent that will be widely accepted and well liked. In past years, Tejano bands such as
Los Palominos Los Palominos are a Tejano group from Uvalde, Texas. History Los Palominos were formed in 1986 by four brothers under the name Los Tremendos Pequeños. Their repertoire includes polka, '' rancheras'', '' boleros'', ballads, and ''cumbias''. They s ...
, hip-hop entertainers such as
T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...
, The Clipse, and alternative rock bands such as
Cobra Starship Cobra Starship is an American dance-rock band from New York City, New York, formed in 2005 by Gabe Saporta. He recorded the first album as a solo project, ''While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets''. Saporta later enlisted guitarist Ryland Bl ...
, along with some lesser known bands and have been a part of the Fiesta tradition. In 2014, performers included B.o.B,
A Great Big World A Great Big World is an American musical duo from New York made up of singer/songwriters Ian Axel and Chad King and signed to Epic Records. The group is best known for their single "This Is the New Year", which was performed by the cast in an epi ...
, and Love and Theft.


Other Events

In addition to the main events, Frontier Fiesta is a place where students, alumni and community members can come and enjoy carnival rides, carnival games (some hosted by student groups), a silent auction and exhibits. Saturday afternoons usually have a "family day" scheduled where parents can bring their children for special events, demonstrations and a petting zoo. * Beard-growing Contest * Annie Oakley Contest * Date Auction * Silent Auction * Little Wrangler Day


Scholarships

A focus of Frontier Fiesta is to raise money for scholarships. The Frontier Fiesta Association awards ten scholarships to incoming freshmen based on academics and community service. As of 2008, Frontier Fiesta has awarded over $70,000 in scholarships. In 2008, Frontier Fiesta granted $10,000 to UH students. In addition there are two students that are appointed "Mr." and "Miss" Frontier Fiesta for the subsequent year. Mr. and Miss Frontier Fiesta are the students that personally raised the greatest amount of money for student scholarships during the festival.


Frontier Fiesta Gallery, 1950s

File:Bella Union.jpg, Bella Union File:Female_student_shaves_male_student_(University_of_Houston_Frontier_Fiesta,_1950s).jpg, Clean Shaven, A student smiles as his beard removal is almost complete File:Corral stage.jpg, Corral stage File:Couple in costume.jpg, Couple in costume File:Students_gathered_by_the_Crows_Nest_banner_(University_of_Houston,_"Frontier_Fiesta",_1950s).jpg, Crows Nest File:Cutting rope.jpg, Cutting rope File:Earl McMillian, Inc. car.jpg, Earl McMillian, Inc. car File:Fancy Dresses.jpg, Fancy Dresses File:Female performer with boy.jpg, Female performer with boy File:Female performers dancing.jpg, Female performers dancing File:Female performers with parasols.jpg, Female performers with parasols File:Fiesta General Chairman.jpg, Fiesta General Chairman File:Four students with guitar.jpg, Four students with guitar, Four male students dressed as cowboys. The one on the right holds a guitar. File:Handshake at Frontier Fiesta sign.jpg, Handshake at Frontier Fiesta sign, Two students shake hands in front of a Frontier Fiesta sign. File:Heart-Shaped Doorway.jpg, Heart-Shaped Doorway, Student in costume standing in a heart-shaped doorway at Frontier Fiesta. File:Students_in_a_mock_"jail_cell"_at_the_University_of_Houston's_Frontier_Fiesta_(1950s).jpg, Jail, Students in a mock jail cell at Frontier Fiesta. File:Jersey Lil.jpg, Jersey Lil, Booth named "Jersey Lil" at Frontier Fiesta. File:8_female_students_of_the_University_of_Houston,_wearing_historical_western_garb_for_"Frontier_Fiesta"_(1950s).jpg, Lineup, Female students in western garb, sitting on a wall. File:On stage at Corral.jpg, On stage at Corral, Male students on the Corral stage at Frontier Fiesta. File:Outlaws at the Gate.jpg, Outlaws at the Gate, Students dressed as outlaws near the Fiesta City gate. File:Pair-O-Dice float.jpg, Pair-O-Dice float. File:Shaking hands with a boy.jpg, Shaking hands with a boy File:Sharing the Mic.jpg, Sharing the Mic, Two performers share the microphone File:Silver Moon Saloon float.jpg, Silver Moon Saloon float File:Southwestern Savings & Loan Association bus.jpg, Southwestern Savings & Loan Association bus, Bus with advertisement for Southwestern Savings & Loan Association File:Fronteir Fiesta Stage.jpg, Stage Show File:University_of_Houston_students_in_a_band_for_Frontier_Fiesta_(ca._1950s).jpg, Student Band File:The Dirty Shame Saloon.jpg, The Dirty Shame Saloon File:Three students eating.jpg, Three students eating File:Badge Pinning .jpg, Badge Pinning, Pinning on a Sheriff's badge File:Blowing Up Balloons.jpg, Blowing up balloons, Two female students in costume blowing up balloons


References


External links


Frontier Fiesta Association

Collection of Frontier Fiesta photographs and memorabilia at the University of Houston Digital Library
* Houstonian. Houston, Tex: University of Houston, 1970. Print. {{University of Houston, show=yes University of Houston traditions Festivals in Houston