The 11th annual El Día de San Juan Fiesta celebrating the start of the monsoon will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday on the south side of West Congress Street, west of the Santa Cruz River.

June 24 is the birthday of St. John the Baptist, which is celebrated in the Catholic world as St. John’s feast day.

The free event features the traditional procession and “Blessing of the Altar.” El Día also includes charros and escaramuzas, mariachis and folkloricos, and games and activities for children and families.

Organizers tie St. John’s birthday to the start of monsoon because they say St. John is the patron saint of water. Water does not have a patron saint, said Fred Allison, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, but St. John is the patron saint for people seeking protection from a hailstorm.

The fiesta is sponsored by a partnership of public, private and neighborhood organizations.

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