Golondrinas Fiesta to Be Held Feb. 19

The Fiesta de los Golondrinas reception, the kickoff event in the monthlong celebration of the return of the swallows, will be Feb. 19.

The reception is the annual forum at which fiesta organizers let the community know about events leading up to the swallows’ return in March.

“There’s a huge amount of activities,” said Mechelle Lawrence, city economic development administrator. At the reception, the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Assn. “tells everybody what’s happening this year.”

Fiesta de los Golondrinas events range from Hoosegow Day, where anyone in San Juan Capistrano not wearing Western gear can be tossed into a makeshift jail, to the annual parade.

Held jointly with the reception will be the Taste of San Juan, which last year featured about 30 restaurants and was attended by more than 5,000 people.

Because of the Taste of San Juan’s popularity, a group of local restaurant owners is considering expanding the event and rescheduling it to sometime in the summer next year, Lawrence said.