Party With the Swallows

The swallows aren’t the only ones to return to the mission every year.

About 30,000 people are expected to attend San Juan Capistrano’s Swallows Day festivities today, including a downtown parade.

The celebration, which goes back more than 50 years, marks the little birds’ annual return to Mission San Juan Capistrano.

The daylong festival features a pancake breakfast, a parade and a mercado street fair.

“It’s a tradition. It’s a humongous part of San Juan’s history that the swallows return,” said Sheree Ito, chairwoman of the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Assn. “[It’s] something that gives San Juan an identity beyond the mission.”

The breakfast, hosted by the Rotary Club and the Women’s Club of San Juan Capistrano, will be at 31442 El Horno St. from 6 to 10:30 a.m. The $5 meal price will help raise money for children’s organizations.

The parade, described as the largest annual non-motorized parade in the country, starts at 11 a.m. Streets along the parade route--including the block defined by Camino Capistrano, Del Obispo Street and Ortega Highway, where the festival is centered--will be closed about 5 a.m. today.

The mercado will be at the Historic Town Center Park off El Camino Real from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local merchants will sell items such as Western wear, handicrafts and food.

Admission is free to the mercado and parade.

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Parade Route

Today is Swallows Day in San Juan Capistrano, and the parade starts at 11 a.m. The route: