Once In A Lifetime Event as Victoria TX Celebrates 200th Year

Once-In-A-Lifetime Event as Victoria TX Celebrates its 200th Year!

The City of Victoria will turn 200 next year, and the City is inviting residents to celebrate the bicentennial by taking part in festivities ALL YEAR LONG!

“This will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and our City staff and local partners are working diligently to make it an exciting and memorable year,” said Victoria Mayor, Jeff Bauknight. “We’re excited for our residents to join us in the celebration.”

A special year for many residents.

The City of Victoria has compiled a yearlong itinerary for residents looking for ways to celebrate. The bicentennial calendar includes events hosted by the City and other organizations celebrating anniversaries, as well as other historically or culturally significant events.

Groups that will celebrate milestone anniversaries in 2024 include:

• St. Mary’s Catholic Church (parish) - 200 years
• Webster Chapel congregation - 160 years
• Victoria Independent School District - 125 years
• Victoria Municipal Court - 125 years
• St. Mary’s Catholic Church (building) - 120 years
• DeTar Hospital - 100 years
• Victoria Country Club - 100 years
• Victoria Symphony - 50 years
• Victoria Ballet Theatre - 40 years
• Mid-Coast Family Services - 40 years
• Billy T. Cattan Recovery Outreach - 25 years
• Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts - 20 years

To view the bicentennial events calendar, visit www.victoriatx200.com.

April 13 2024 is the BIG DAY! So mark your calendars NOW!

Victoria will celebrate its official bicentennial date on April 13, 2024, the 200^th anniversary of the day Martín de León received permission to found the colony of Nuestra Señora Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria.

The observance will begin with the Victoria Day of Caring, a communitywide service project hosted by Keep Victoria Beautiful.

In the afternoon, the City will host a dedication ceremony for the new statue of Martín de León and his wife, Patricia de la Garza, at De Leon Plaza. The ceremony will include a ribbon cutting for the newly expanded plaza.

Finally, the City will host the Bicentennial Ball at the Victoria Community Center. This ticketed event will include food and drinks, live entertainment and so much more. Tickets will be available in early 2024.

But wait, there is more! Fall Festivals return to De Leon Plaza, too!

Fall festivals return to De Leon Plaza

The City will also host a free community festival Oct. 4-5 at De Leon Plaza. The event will be similar to Bootfest, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and later put on hold to allow City staff to focus on the bicentennial.

When the bicentennial year ends, the City will begin hosting a yearly signature festival once again.

Share your memories of Victoria!

As a reminder, the City will host historic memorabilia displays at City Hall throughout Victoria’s bicentennial year. The City is also seeking residents to interview for Victoria Stories, a video series about experiences and memories of life in Victoria.

To submit an application to be interviewed or share memorabilia, and to stay updated with plans for Victoria’s bicentennial year, visit www.victoriatx200.com. 

This is a great time to celebrate the growth of Victoria over the last 200 years and to honor our heritage as proud Victorians.