Fort Worth's ArtsGoggle festival to go on hiatus amid Magnolia Avenue construction

The popular arts festival will pause as a two-year pipe replacement project threatens to disrupt businesses along Magnolia Avenue.

Fort Worth's popular ArtsGoggle festival is preparing for one final celebration before a major construction project puts the annual event on hiatus and forces businesses along Magnolia Avenue to adapt.

The free arts festival, which draws about 80,000 people to the Near Southside neighborhood for a day of local art and music, will pause as crews begin a two-year project to replace cast-iron pipes beneath Magnolia Avenue.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring, with work taking over different sections of the street over the next two years.

For festival organizers, that means finding new ways to celebrate the neighborhood's arts community while construction continues.

"It's our signature event that celebrates the Near South Side Cultural District," said Mary Henderson, ArtsGoggle festival producer and president of Near Southside Inc.

The festival has brought artists, musicians and crowds to Magnolia Avenue for more than two decades.

"There are no tickets, wristbands, entry fees. It's a totally free festival," Henderson said.

Although the festival will take a break, Henderson said organizers are already exploring alternatives to keep people visiting the neighborhood.

"We're going to plan some other indoor programming, sidewalk festivals, and kind of pivot programming that continues to welcome the public to Magnolia Avenue," Henderson said.

Magnolia Avenue businesses prepare for construction

For Mary Perez, owner of Enchiladas Ole', the upcoming construction presents a challenge just as her restaurant approaches its first anniversary on Magnolia Avenue.

Perez was drawn to the neighborhood because of its vibrant atmosphere and diverse businesses.

"I came over to Magnolia, and I thought, this is a magnificent street. There's so much here and so much diversity," Perez said.

She's looking forward to participating in her first ArtsGoggle festival, even as she prepares for the possibility of fewer customers dining inside her restaurant during construction.

"It'll be fun. We're all excited about it," Perez said.

With parking expected to become more difficult as construction moves along the street, Perez said she's considering shifting much of her business toward takeout and delivery.

"We're just going to just shift and pivot like we did with during COVID. And it's going to be mainly to go, probably 90% to go because there will be no parking, or people won't want to come down the street," Perez said.

That could mean changing employees' responsibilities, with servers transitioning from waiting tables to making deliveries.

Perez is even considering investing in a new way to get food to customers without worrying about parking.

"We may just invest in mopeds, just a few mopeds. That we don't have to worry about parking," Perez said.

One final celebration before the changes

For now, festival organizers and local business owners are hoping the final ArtsGoggle before the hiatus will bring another large crowd to Magnolia Avenue.

While construction will temporarily change how people experience the neighborhood, Henderson hopes smaller events will continue drawing visitors to support local businesses.

Perez, meanwhile, is determined to keep her restaurant operating through the disruption.

"We're just shifting. We got to, either that or you gotta get out of the business. And we're not gonna get out of the business," Perez said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.