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Fiesta-quette: Crowd Etiquette for Outdoor Events

07 Apr 2011 By: Diane Gottsman

It’s Fiesta time in San Antonio and thousands of people will be coming to the party. If you plan to join the fun at events like Night in Old San Antonio or the Oyster Bake, these few crowd etiquette tips will help you brave the crowds and have a great time.

Here are a dozen ways to keep the fun in Fiesta – or any event that draws large crowds:

 

  1. Taking the kids? Part of the fun is trying the great food at festivals, but do yourself and your kids a favor and make sure everyone is fed and rested before you go. You can still try the fun food, but the lines will be more bearable if the kids (and you) are not wild with hunger.
  2. Bring your own water. April weather is warm. Be prepared to stay hydrated.
  3. Remember the sunscreen! Other mandatory supplies include hand wipes, hand sanitizer and a few extra sheets of toilet paper for those high-traffic portable potties.
  4. Speaking of port-a-potties – use them! It’s far better to stand in a long line than getting caught using the hedges. You’ll be in a crowd of thousands – there are no discreet hiding places, no matter how quick you think you’ll be.
  5. Wear shoes and clothes you don’t mind ruining. Odds are good that you’ll get some sort of food or drink sloshed on you.
  6. Dress your kids and pets for comfort. Although they may look adorable in their fiesta outfits, make sure their clothes are comfortable and not too hot or itchy.
  7. Fiesta has gone “Green” this year. Use the recycle bins to dispose of your bottles and cups.  Litter not, lest you be labeled a litter bug. Even if it seems like everyone else is doing it, do the right thing and walk 20 feet to the garbage can to dispose of your trash.
  8. Part of the fun of these events is seeing people you know. When you stop to chat, step to the side, out of the main thoroughfare, so you don’t block the flow of traffic.
  9. If you smoke, be sure to do so away from others. Smoke in designated areas. There will be designated bleachers for “No Trash, No Alcohol and No Swearing” at the two parades. Take advantage of them!
  10. Crack cascarones at your own risk! Try to avoid a cascarone attack when someone is eating or drinking so they don’t end up with a cup of confetti. The correct way to crack a cascarone is to break it above the person’s head and sprinkle the confetti on your prey.  If you insist on hand-to-head contact, be gentle with the pressure when you smash the egg on your unsuspecting victim’s head!
  11. Keep an eye on your kids and pets. Before you take the kids to a new event, do a little homework and find out if it’s kid- and/or pet-friendly. Is it somewhere you can successfully navigate a stroller? If the kids don’t have fun being packed in a crowd on a Thursday night at NIOSA, you won’t either.
  12. At some events, you are walking shoulder to shoulder in very tight crowds and standing in long lines for food and drinks. Be patient and remember you’re there to have fun!

 

For more information about this festive event, check out Fiesta San Antonio.

For more Fiesta Etiquette Tips watch Fiesta Etiquette on SA Living.

Happy Fiesta-ing!

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Diane Gottsman

Diane Gottsman is a national etiquette expert and modern manners professional, sought out industry leader, television personality, accomplished speaker, Huffington Post blogger, author, and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, a company specializing in executive leadership and etiquette training. Diane is routinely quoted in national and international media including The New York Times, The BBC, CNN, Bloomberg Business Week, Kiplinger, Huffington Post Canada, U.S. News and World Report, and Forbes. She is the resident etiquette expert for two popular morning talk shows, SA Living and Good Day Austin. She has been seen on The TODAY Show, HLN Headline News, WGN Chicago, and CBS Sunday Morning. Her clients range from university students to Fortune 500 companies and her workshops cover topics ranging from tattoos in the workplace to technology at the dinner table and the proper use of social media.