Día de San Juan
Saturday June 24, 2023, 6pm to 10pm
At Mission Garden’s Era, or threshing ground (center of garden)
FREE, All monetary gifts are appreciated. Your gifts help the garden grow.
San Juan Day, June 24, celebrates the birthday of John the Baptist. In Tucson it is a day to celebrate the coming of the summer rains. Over two decades ago the celebration was revived in Tucson by the Menlo Park Neighborhood Association and this year it will again be held in and around Mission Garden.
We would like to invite you to celebrate June 24th the feast day of San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). It is believed that on that day in 1540 the explorer, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado prayed for rain on the banks of the Santa Cruz River, and it indeed rained.
Water from the Santa Cruz River in our desert supported the continuous inhabitation of Tucson for over 4,000 years, on the site of Mission Garden. When the river flowed freely during “the monsoon” season families gathered on the banks, beneath the cottonwood and mesquite trees to celebrate the day.
In Tucson it is traditionally a day of celebration of the coming of the summer rains and will be held at Mission Garden, Saturday June 24, 2023 at 6:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM) through 10:00 PM. Traditional blessings will start the fiesta. There will be aguas frescas inside the garden and food trucks outside the garden. Information tables will be available. There will be mariachis and a DJ.
The Mission Garden gift shop will be open. Please join us for the 25th annual traditional Tucson celebration and enjoy the garden setting for the evening!
Festival Activities will include:
Comments on the festival and its history by Liza Grant
Native American and Catholic blessings
Comments by Lane Santa Cruz
Three food trucks
Oaxarico
Sumaj Bolivian Food Truck
FríaAguas frescas
Music by a DJ (probably Logan Phillips but not confirmed)
A youth mariachi group
Sales of Dia de San Juan shirts and Menlo Park Neighborhood Association shirts
Mission Garden's shop will be open
Art activities for kids
Share & RSVP on Facebook
Please reach out to Kendall at kendall@missiongarden.org with any additional questions
Photos of the rainy season at Mission Garden