Join the fourth annual Fiesta de la Flor on April 13-14, 2018, and pay tribute to Selena with two days of live music, food and fun. Courtesy photo
Keep Calm and Bidi Bidi Bom Bom: Fiesta de la Flor is coming back to Corpus Christi for its fourth year. The Selena-focused festival is bringing old favorites — the silent disco, Selena wax figure and fireworks — while also introducing new features this year.
Corpus Christi celebrates Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Perez on April 13-14. Centered in North Bayfront Park off the end of Shoreline Boulevard, the festival grounds overlook Corpus Christi Bay and spread from the Watergardens to the American Bank Center.
An incredible lineup of talent is featured on both days. See headliners Becky G, Los Palominos, The Mavericks and more play their hearts out in tribute to Selena.
Take a seat in the Selena Auditorium on Friday, April 13, to watch as YouTube sensation Desi Perkins performs a live Selena Quintanilla Makeup Transformation complete with the iconic red lips, bold eyebrows and black liner. Video from Desiree Perkins Makeup
New this year is beauty guru and tastemaker Desi Perkins, a YouTube personality with an incredible following. Perkins will be on stage performing a step-by-step tutorial on how to achieve Selena’s signature makeup. The Selena Makeup Transformation happens at the Selena Auditorium inside the American Bank Center at 7 p.m. Friday.
Snap a selfie with Selena, too! The Madame Tussauds Hollywood wax figure will be located inside the American Bank Center’s ABC Arena, where fans can wait their turn (in air conditioning this year!) while a live feed plays music from the main stage outside.
[image id="25490"] See ‘Live: The Last Concert’ projected outside the Watergardens after sunset on Saturday, April 14, and watch as Selena twists and sings her way across the stage in her iconic purple jumpsuit.
Festivalgoers can gather in the Watergardens to watch “Live: The Last Concert” projected on the outside wall of the American Bank Center. The live recording shows Selena’s final performance at the Astrodome on Feb. 26, 1995, starting with her incredible disco medley before breaking into her setlist of hits. Watch as Selena sings and twists her washing-machine hips for a record-breaking crowd of fans. The film will begin after sunset at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Join the conversation at the “One Person Unites Us All” open discussion with people who hold Selena close to their hearts: Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister; Becky G, popstar and headliner of this year’s Fiesta de la Flor; and Desi Perkins, a YouTube beauty guru. The panel will be all about Selena and how her legacy has carried on through the years. The panel will be held in the Selena Auditorium at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Silent Disco will be held both days as well from 8 p.m. to midnight. Put on a pair of neon light-up headphones and dance all night to music only you can hear. DJ El Dusty, a critically acclaimed Corpus Christi artist who was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2016, will keep the audience jumping to a multitude of tracks.
El Mercado will be back with artisans from Mexico and Latin America as well as La Plaza, a food truck park, and El Parque, a children’s activity area. On Saturday, April 14, the night sky will light up with a grand fireworks finale presented by H-E-B.
Selena Quintanilla-Perez was killed in 1995 at the age of 24. By the time of her death, Selena had won more than 50 awards and was the top-selling Latin artist of the 1990s. Selena would have been celebrating her 46th birthday on April 16, so the annual event lines up with the singer’s birthday this year.
“I think this is a beautiful opportunity to celebrate the life of this wonderful Latino artist,” Teresa Rodriguez Bartlett, chief public affairs and business development officer for the festival at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, told Corpus Christi Business News. “She’s a great example to little girls that they can grow up and achieve their goals. It’s an example of hard work and dedication. She broke barriers and opened up doors.”
Fiesta de la Flor opens its gates at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 13. Activities begin again at noon Saturday, April 15. Both nights end at midnight. Events are centered at North Bayfront Park, 1590 N. Shoreline Blvd., with other events at the American Bank Center and the Watergardens.
Free transportation to the event, courtesy of the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority, will have pickup locations at Corpus Christi City Hall and Nueces County Courthouse. The park-and-ride shuttle service starts at 5 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday and will operate throughout the duration of the festival.
Visit fiestadelaflor.com to purchase tickets in advance and plan your visit.
