The 66th Annual Swallows Day Parade–Fiesta de las Golondrinas–and Mercado Street Faire celebrates the return of the swallows to the San Juan Capistrano Mission on Saturday, March 21. The Parade and Mercado Street Faire offer a full day of spectacular family fun, celebrating the Old West and the return of the swallows from their winter home in Argentina.
Now one of our nation’s largest non-motorized parades drawing interest worldwide, Fiesta de las Golondrinas began as an outgrowth of a school carnival in the 1930s before growing to become a local equestrian parade. Today, the event is organized and presented by the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association.
The 2026 Grand Marshals are Donna and Ken Friess.Donna and Ken are thrilled and honored to serve as this year’s Grand Marshalls as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mission San Juan Capistrano and the United States of America. Donna and Ken moved to San Juan Capistrano in 1973 to a rural property that came with horses. Ken has had horses since childhood and introduced Donna, who was a beach kid, to the joys of the equestrian lifestyle. As a four-term mayor and councilman, Ken has dedicated his energy to historic preservation and limited growth. Ten years ago, Donna became a certified Mission docent and fell in love with Southern California’s colorful history. This resulted in her book, Capistrano Trails Ride for the Brand. This book documents San Juan Capistrano’s equestrian story, including the Swallows Day Parade.
Donna says, “My life has been better for having horses in it for over fifty years.”
Adds Ken, “Horses and the Swallow’s Day Parade represent the lifestyle I have always dreamed about.”
The annual Swallows Day Mercado Street Faire is a fun-filled event just off the main Parade route where the whole family can eat, dance, play, and shop. It is THE place to be after the parade and goes all day long.
The Faire’s entertainment includes a Country/Western band, DJ, as well as beer, wine, and lots of great food choices from tacos, burgers, gyros, sweet treats, and more. There is also a huge kid’s play zone in Historic Town Center Park.
To help relieve traffic and congestion due to street closures, a FREE Shuttle with convenient parking with multiple Shuttle service locations is available. The Shuttle runs from 8:30am until 5:30pm.
949.615.1920 / SwallowsDayParade.org/swallows-parade/
