Anthony, Texas, welcomes Leap Year 2024 with grand festival

Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times

Did you know 2024 is a Leap Year? And a Texas city is well-known for having a big fest to celebrate the occasion?

Anthony, Texas, is getting ready to become the Leap Year Capital of the world with its upcoming birthday celebration. The mayor is among the first to get excited and invite everyone for the fun.

The Inaugural 2024 Leap Year Festival will start on Leap Day, Feb. 29, with main events on March 1-2 at the Anthony Municipal Park (also known as Henry Miramontes Park), 101 Richard White.

Here is more information about the festival, some special Leap Year deals and answers to common questions about Leap Year.

What does Leap Year mean?

Once every four years, the 365-day rotation of the sun becomes 366. 2024 is a Leap Year, which adds one day to the end of February, typically the shortest month. The last leap years were in 2020 and 2016. The next Leap Year will be in 2028.

How often does Leap Year happen?

A Leap Year is every four years.

Was 2020 a Leap Year?

The last Leap Year was 2020 and the one before that was 2016.

When is the next Leap Year?

The next Leap Year will be in 2028.

Leap Year 2024 Festival

The headliners of the Leap Year Festival will be Sonora Skandalo on Friday, March 1. and Sonora Dinamita on Saturday, March 2, Sonora Dinamita is known for many hits including "No Te Metas Con Mi Cucu," and "A Mover La Colita.

"This festival is a testament to Anthony's rich cultural tapestry deserving of celebration," said Mayor Anthony Turner in a news release. "We invite the world to leap into our tradition and experience the Borderland's heart and soul."

The Leap Day Baby Birthday Bash will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 29 at Rollin' Smoke BBQ, 200 Main St. Leap Day babies can register in advance at the Leap Year Festival website.

The Leap Year Festival will be from 6 to 10 p.m. March 1 and 2 to 10 p.m. March 2 and feature a variety of Borderland talent, including Frontera Bugalu (cumbia music), Saving Bandit (punk rock), Pie Sisters (Indie rock), and Tribes (Indie Folklorico).

A special spotlight will shine on the woman-owned Lucha League, bringing the drama and excitement of Lucha Libre wrestling with a mystery guest attending, especially for the Leap Year event.

There will also be carnival-style games for the kids, authentic local food and various craft vendors.

Tickets are $15, plus fees, for Friday and $20, plus fees, on Saturday, available at www.leapyearfestival.com.

The reason we celebrate Leap Year is based on math, science and history. Here's a look at the length of the year based on different calendars. At left is the Tropical Year, at center is Common Year, and at right is the Leap Year.
The reason we celebrate Leap Year is based on math, science and history. Here's a look at the length of the year based on different calendars. At left is the Tropical Year, at center is Common Year, and at right is the Leap Year.

More: El Paso invited to Polar Plunge for 2024 Special Olympics Texas

María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com, @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Leap Year 2024: Anthony, Texas gears up for festival

Advertisement