The 2008 50th Annual Swallows Day Parade and the Mercado street fair were held on March 29, 2008 in San Juan Capistrano and were supported by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Community Services Division.
The Swallows Day Parade is held each year celebrating the 6000-mile return of the square-tailed cliff swallows (migration from Goya, Argentina) to the San Juan Mission. It is the nation’s largest equestrian non-motorized parade attracting visitors from both local and faraway. The parade started 50 years ago as a school carnival and has evolved into an annual spring event drawing more than 45,000 people to the streets of San Juan Capistrano; the Fiesta de las Golondrinas, or, as we have come to know, the Swallows Day Parade.
This year the parade has nearly 200 entries, featuring almost 500 horses and 3600 people. The parade features cowboys and cowgirls on horse back, gunslingers, dancers, schools clubs and groups. The street fair includes over 100 booths, of food, merchandise and entertainment. Interspersed throughout the crowds and overhead are OCSD Reserve Deputy Sheriffs, tirelessly volunteering their time to ensure that the festivities remain safe, civil, and family-friendly.