On March 19, the Mermaid Society of Texas, a non-profit organization that hosts the annual Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, announced its ninth festival planned for May 2, would be postponed.
According to Mermaid Society’s website, the decision aims to bring the festival back to its original creative vision. July Holbrook, founder and executive director of Mermaid Society, said the festival and parade took a hit since the COVID-19 lockdown.
“There’s been a lot of changes with the city and their requirements,” Holbrook said. “We’ve kind of just gotten through with the festival … I really want it to come back to being the type of event that I know that it can be. We just need a little bit more time to do it well … and not just do it to get it done.”
The festival originated in 2016 as a ten-day event where local businesses could host events and activities through the festival calendar and the community could gather to support the mermaid culture in San Marcos. After the COVID-19 lockdown, Mermaid Society limited the festival to the weekend parade as the festival struggled to get back on its feet due to lack of resources and member scheduling conflicts.
In 2024, Holbrook wanted to revive her original vision of a ten-day glittering event for the 8th annual festival. Originally scheduled for September 28, 2024, it was postponed to May 17, 2025. The Mermaid Society’s announcement on its Facebook page on Aug. 6, 2024 hinted that its most popular event, a ball hosted at the Meadow Center celebrating San Marcos’ art community called the Mermaid Art Ball, would return in 2025.
However, Holbrook chose to divert resources to the Siren Duty stewardship initiative that year instead to promote the society’s ecological values. Siren Duty is a summer volunteer program that teaches river etiquette to visitors of the San Marcos River.
“I want Mermaid Society to always be a platform, and we’re going to be doing much more of that now,” Holbrook said.
Michelle Kraft, owner of Dive Shop San Marcos and member of the Mermaid Society, said it was difficult for the Mermaid Society to meet this year because it was a busy time for many of the members. Noticing that the executive board needed help, Kraft attempted to organize a revival of the Art Ball for 2026. With the postponement, she is now making plans to spearhead it for next year’s festival.
“Not the whole ball that we used to have, but it could still [have been] like an event,” Kraft said. “I didn’t want to have a year where we didn’t have anything, but I think it ultimately came to the time crunch with the city and deadlines … it’s just best if we postpone.”
In 2017, the Mermaid Society requested a $25,000 grant from the city to host the festival. According to Holbrook, the Mermaid Fest cost over $35,000 in 2025. Miranda Wait, deputy director of Spring Lake Operations at the Meadows Center, who wrote the grant for the Mermaid Society nine years ago, addressed this 40% increase.
“Events are expensive,” Wait said. “When you bring in what Mermaid does, which is also including a parade, you have to close off streets. You can’t just have a parade through major intersections; you have to [pay] cops.”
Mermaid Fest faced criticism for rescheduling two years in a row, but Holbrook said it’s important for the fest to be seen as more than “just a party.” The main reason she moved the festival to May was to kick off the summer and teach the people of Texas about the preservation of the San Marcos River.
“People need to bond with something to care about it,” Holbrook said. “Having the mermaid as a symbol makes people care.”
Plans for next year include forming a committee so the festival can continue to flourish over many years and to release pressure on executive Mermaid Society members.
“What can this festival look like ten years from now?” Holbrook said. “It’s also a great economic generator for our city … the opportunities are endless and I think it will serve well to really be thinking bigger and long term.”
Debbie De La Cruz, co-owner of The Sweet Spot, a shop along the parade route on LBJ Drive that opened Oct. 13, 2023, said even with her mermaid-themed specialty drinks last year, there wasn’t a significant impact.
“It wasn’t to the caliber that everybody was saying it used to be,” De La Cruz said. “For us, it was like a typical Saturday. ”
The Mermaid Society will turn its focus for the summer on its youth eco-education program and Siren Duty. Wait said volunteering is a great way to keep in touch with the Mermaid Society even without the event.
“As a former Mermaid Society volunteer, it takes a team,” Wait said. “I encourage all of those that feel passionate about the event not happening to be a participant, volunteer. It’s definitely something that requires a lot of hands.”
To get involved with Siren Duty and volunteer for the Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest in 2027, email [email protected].
