Photos from the Vault

1968 La Fiesta Parade

May 17, 1968

One of the lost traditions of San Luis Obispo is La Fiesta de las Flores. Established in 1925 as a fund-raiser for the fire damaged downtown Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa , the festival was held almost continually until 1995.

The city festival then fell victim to organizer burnout and a lack of money. Since then there have been sporadic attempts to bring it back but the La Fiesta parade has the same fate as the Mardi Gras parade for the opposite reasons. Mardi Gras was too popular.

In these photos by Barry Minett, the shopping epicenter for the county is on display with the hot department stores of the day, Sears, J.C Penny and Riley’s in the background. Indian Guides program no longer exists most places. Pseudo history is a harder sell in today’s world.