Candy-coated lowriders bounced in sync with attendees as Tejano music echoed throughout Marine Park during Sonidos Del Summer in Fort Worth’s Historic Northside District.
The Saturday Bidi Bidi Back to the Park event was part of a concert series aimed at revitalizing the park, which has previously hosted artists like Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.
Vendors, lowriders and attendees fill Marine Park during a Sonidos Del Summer event on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Esmeralda Ochoa, 48, cheered as the Alianza Mexicana Ballet Folklorico dance group performed traditional Mexican folk dances for a crowd seated on the grass and in folding chairs.
“It just brings me back to when I was like 15. I came to watch Selena,” Ochoa said. “It just brings back so many memories of my childhood.”
Esmeralda Ochoa smiles and claps while watching a performance during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Members of the Alianza Mexicana Ballet Folklorico dance group perform during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Ochoa said events like Sonidos Del Summer are important in passing down Mexican cultural traditions to younger generations.
“Our kids, I want generations to know who these artists were, what our values are, and our traditions,” Ochoa said.
A coconut shell sun mask hangs at a vendor’s booth during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Lionicio Saenz sings during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Vendors lined the perimeter of the park, selling colorful clay sculptures, charcoal drawings and aguas frescas.
Rubi Minyard, owner of Aguas Chulas, said she takes pride in sharing her culture through the traditional drinks she sells.
“I want people to connect with our culture, the recipes that our grandparents taught us,” Minyard said.
Rubi Minyard, owner of Aguas Chulas, prepares a mango-flavored agua fresca for a customer during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Returning to the park where she used to watch different Tejano concerts, Minyard finds meaning in giving back to the same community that supported her when she was younger.
“The lowriders, all of this is part of my beginning. So I feel like I’ve come full circle,” Minyard said.
Attendees look at a vendor’s pen inventory during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Customers wait in line to give Ernesto Pingarron Rojas, owner of Noolroots, their order during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
As fireworks lit up the night sky above Marine Park, children sitting alongside their grandparents smiled, bringing an evening celebrating Mexican and Tejano culture to a close.
Fireworks light up the sky as attendees gather by a lowrider during a Sonidos Del Summer event at Marine Park on Oct. 10, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
Elvis Martinez-Cartagena is a multimedia fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at elvis@fortworthreport.org.
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