Victoria is turning 200 years old this year and festivities kick off this week as the city celebrates its bicentennial.
The celebrations will feature aspects of Victoria’s history, present and future.
It kicks off with an opening keynote of the Victoria Bicentennial History Symposium from Carolina Castillo Crimm, Sam Houston State University professor emeritus, titled “The Power of Family: The De León family and the Settlement of Victoria, at 6 p.m. Thursday at the University of Houston-Victoria North building’s Walker Auditorium, followed by an opening reception.
The symposium continues Friday with panels across the UHV campus reviewing prehistoric Victoria, its early settlement, its postwar period and more.
The event will wrap with a closing keynote from Karl Jacoby, Ph.D., a Columbia University American History professor at 7 p.m. Friday in Walker Auditorium.
As the weekend begins, the community will participate in the Victoria Day of Caring from 8-11 a.m., an event that brings community volunteers to serve various nonprofits and organizations in the spirit of community service.
Others not already signed up for volunteering in Victoria’s Day of Caring can enjoy live music and support local businesses with Mother Clucker’s “Home of the Six Flags Market,” 10-4 p.m. in downtown Victoria. It will have some of the first live performances on the DeLeon Plaza’s new performance pavilion.
Performances throughout the day include John Paul Ortiz & Rose Marie, Solid Jazz, Mariachi Tapatio, VISD Ballet Folklorico and Stephanie Ross & The Southern Drive Band.
Saturday afternoon, the big celebrations start with a special ceremony marking the opening of the renovated DeLeon Plaza, including a ribbon cutting and the unveiling of statues honoring Victoria’s patriarch and matriarch Martín de León, and Patricia de la Garza.
At the end of the 200th anniversary of the city’s founding, the city will party with a bicentennial ball at 6 p.m. at the Victoria Community Center with a Texas chic/semi-formal dress code. People can check ticket availability through Victoria Parks and Recreation at 361-485-3200.
It will include live entertainment, food and celebrations of all things Vicotria.
The weekend’s events will end at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with a special Mass in honor of the DeLeon family founders. Those interested in attending or for further details are encouraged to contact Blanche De Leon at 361-649-4680.
Victoria Bicentennial History Symposium
- 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday
- University of Houston-Victoria North building, UHV Commons and Museum of the Coastal Bend , 2200 E. Red River St., Victoria.
- Attendance is free and does not require advance registration. For full schedule and details visit https://www.uhv.edu/symposium/
Victoria Day of Caring
- 8.-11 a.m. Saturday
- Various community nonprofits and organization
- The Victoria Day of Caring promotes community unity by bringing residents together to participate in caring acts of service as a way to say “thank you” to those who have made this community what it is today. For information about volunteering visit https://www.justserve.org/victoriadayofcaring.
Home of the Six Flags Market
- 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
- DeLeon Plaza, 101 N. Main St., Victoria
- This unique market showcases the heart and soul of Victoria, offering a diverse array of crafts and delicious snacks crafted by local artisans and small businesses. Enjoy tasty treats from several local food trucks on site, as well as live music from local artists.
DeLeon Plaza Ribbon Cutting and Statue Unveiling
- 1-3 p.m., Saturday
- DeLeon Plaza, 101 N Main St., Victoria
- A ribbon cutting for the brand new De Leon Plaza expansion and the unveiling of the Martín de León and Patricia de la Garza statues. The program will feature guest speakers, a special ceremony by the De Leon descendants to honor their ancestors, performances by local mariachi and Ballet Folklorico groups, fantastic photo ops, and more.
Bicentennial Ball
- 6-10:30 p.m., Saturday
- Victoria Community Center, 2905 E. North St., Victoria.
- 200 years ago, empresario Martín de León received approval from the Mexican Government to found the colony of Nuestra Señora Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria in the state of Coahuila y Tejas. The city will host the Bicentennial Ball, presented by Prosperity Bank at the Victoria Community Center, a ticketed event that will include food and drinks, live entertainment, and a celebration of all things Victoria.
DeLeon Honorary Mass
- 10:30 a.m., Sunday
- St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 101 W. Church St., Victoria.
- Patricia de la Garza was instrumental in the founding of Victoria’s first church, St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Celebrate a special Mass in honor of founder Martin De Leon and his wife Patricia de la Garza. If you are interested in attending a Bicentennial Brunch after this Mass, please contact Blanche De Leon at 361-649-4680 for tickets and more details.
Timeline: 200 Years Celebrating Victoria’s Bicentennial
Open through
- June 9
- Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art, 1201 N. Moody St., Victoria.
In between the local and the global, countless stories were created by settlers, immigrants, ranchers, indigenous peoples, armies and many other sources. And like any history, these stories echo in the South Texas area today. The theme is a nod to the bicentennial, but within our culture today, carries multiple meanings, from combined years of experience to the personal experience of a family and their ancestors. The focus will be 200 years around Victoria but will also work to include the history of immigrants and travelers who found their way to Victoria through trial, opportunity, and serendipity.
