{{Short description|Celebration in Laredo, Texas}} {{infobox music festival | | music_festival_name = Washington's Birthday Celebration | image = [[Image:WBCA Seal.jpg]] | location = [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]], [[Webb County, Texas|Webb County]], [[Texas]] | years_active= 1898–present | dates = Annually; Mid January to End of February | genre =[[Rock music|Rock]]<br /> [[Alternative rock|Alternative]]<br /> [[Latin rock|Spanish rock]]<br /> [[Tejano music|Tejano]] | website = {{URL|wbcalaredo.org}} }} [[Image:George Washington Birthday Celebration Building, Laredo, TX IMG 0809.JPG|200px|right|thumb|<span style="font-size:100%;">The Washington Birthday Celebration Building in [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]] is designed to loosely resemble [[Mount Vernon]].</span>]]
'''The Washington's Birthday Celebration''' ('''WBCA''')<ref>[http://www.wbcalaredo.org/ Washington's Birthday Celebration Association Home Page]</ref> is an almost month-long event held each February in [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]], the seat of [[Webb County, Texas|Webb County]] in south [[Texas]], that celebrates [[Presidents' Day|the birthday]] of [[George Washington]]. It is the largest celebration of its kind in the [[United States]] with approximately 400,000 attendees annually. The celebration consists of various festivals; a Society of [[Martha Washington]] Colonial [[procession|Pageant]] and [[Ball (dance)|Ball]], [[Pocahontas|Princess Pocahontas]] Pageant and Ball, two [[parade]]s, a [[carnival]], an [[Air Show|air show]], [[fireworks]], [[Concert|live concerts]], "Fun-Fest" at [[Laredo Community College]], and a citywide [[prom]] during which many of the Laredo [[elite]] dress in Colonial attire. Each year a prominent Laredo man and woman play the roles of George and Martha Washington. One of its main events, the [[Jalapeño]] Festival, has recently been named one of Top 10 eating festivals in the United States.
==History== The celebration was first staged in 1898 by the [[San Antonio]]-based [[Improved Order of Red Men]], which established the Laredo local chapter called Yaqui Tribe #59. Much earlier, former Laredo Mayor Samuel M. Jarvis (1822–1893), had held a reception at his downtown home in honor of Washington's birthday and had encouraged a larger celebration thereafter, which he never lived to see. Jarvis was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] who had earlier fought in the [[Mexican–American War|Mexican War]] under General [[Zachary Taylor]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arambula |first=Odie |date=February 24, 2013 |title=Mayor Jarvis Had Ideas on Celebration |newspaper=[[Laredo Morning Times]] |page=13A}}</ref>
That original celebration is considered to have been a phenomenal success. In 1923, the association received its state [[charter]]. In 1924, the celebration featured its first Colonial Pageant, with thirteen girls from Laredo, representing the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. The WBCA has become a Laredo institution, with its history closely tied to the history of the community.
In 1962, the WBA president was Honoré Ligarde, a lawyer-banker who later that year was elected to the [[Texas House of Representatives]] for Webb County to succeed Vidal M. Treviño, long-term superintendent of the [[Laredo Independent School District]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Tom Sanchez |date=February 16, 1986 |title=Illness Claims Laredo Leader |url=http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/8627488/person/-914090195/photo/bfd96a92-a5e2-404f-89e0-cd04bc1df812?src=search |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 3, 2015 |newspaper=[[Laredo Morning Times]] |pages=1, 6 |via=[[Ancestry.com]]}}</ref>
The 2016 celebration began on January 21 with the Commander's Reception at the [[Laredo Energy Arena]]. The 28-event festival will extend for thirty-three days through February 22, Washington's traditional birthday. Festival president Dr. Joe Castellano compared the celebration to "the [[Super Bowl]], [[Miss America]], and the [[Academy Awards]] all rolled up into one. We truly feel that our border town becomes the center of the universe; all thanks to the teamwork from our enthusiastic members, loyal sponsors, countless volunteers and the community of Laredo."<ref>{{cite news |date=January 22, 2016 |title=Washington's Birthday Celebration Officially Begins with Commander's Reception |url=http://www.lmtonline.com/front-news/article_c5205d32-c169-11e5-a264-876933191c06.html |access-date=January 29, 2016 |newspaper=[[Laredo Morning Times]]}}</ref>
For the first time in its 124-year history, the celebration was cancelled in 2021 due to health concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, [[GeorgeFest]] in [[Eustis, Florida]], now holds the title of longest running celebration of George Washington's Birthday in the United States of America.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 18, 2020 |title=WBCA Makes Decision to Cancel 2021 Celebration |url=https://www.kgns.tv/2020/12/18/wbca-canceled-for-2021/ |access-date=January 10, 2022 |location=[[Laredo, Texas]] |website=KGNS.tv}}</ref>
==Jalapeño Festival== Established in 1978 as part of Washington's Birthday Celebration and sponsored by [[La Costeña (food company)|La Costeña]] the Jalapeño festival includes concerts, the Miss Jalapeño contest, and the La Costeña Jalapeño Eating Contest which determines who can eat the most jalapeños in 15 minutes with the record being 266 according to the official count.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Jalape-o-eating-contest-winner-falls-just-short-12625533.php|title=Jalapeño eating contest winner falls just short of beating the record|date=19 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://wbcalaredo.org/home118/events/2015-events/3280-wbca-jalapeno-festival.html |title=Washington's Birthday Celebration Association™ :: WBCA™ Jalapeño Festival Sponsored by La Costeña |website=wbcalaredo.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428001119/http://wbcalaredo.org/home118/events/2015-events/3280-wbca-jalapeno-festival.html |archive-date=2015-04-28}}</ref> The contest is separate from the [[Major League Eating]] La Costeña Jalapeño Challenges that have been held. 2018 marked the 40th year and had 21,000 people attend, which is above the averages of 13,000 to 14,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kgns.tv/content/news/WBCA-revenue-474498273.html|title = Jalapeño Festival sees a record breaking amount of attendees| date=19 February 2018 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Laredo, Texas}} {{George Washington}} {{coord|27|32|40|N|99|28|17|W|region:US-TX_type:event|display=title}}
[[Category:Culture of Laredo, Texas]] [[Category:History of Laredo, Texas]] [[Category:Festivals in Texas]] [[Category:Improved Order of Red Men]] [[Category:1898 establishments in Texas]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Webb County, Texas]] [[Category:Monuments and memorials to George Washington in the United States]] [[Category:Presidential birthdays in the United States]]