Selena Quintanilla Day 2024: Where to celebrate the singer’s birthday in Dallas-Fort Worth
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez’s birthday, or Selena Day in Texas, is next month, but events are starting this week to celebrate the Queen of Tejano music.
The “Como la Flor” singer’s April 16 birthday was declared Selena Day by Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 1995, just a few weeks after the 23-year-old was killed. Selena’s impact on the Latin music scene was astronomical and led to the genre’s popularity across the country.
In 1984, a 13-year-old Selena and her family band Los Dinos released their self-titled debut album. The group would release five more albums in the next few years, their last being “Dulce Amor” in 1988.
Just a year later in 1989, Selena released her self-titled solo debut album. The “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” singer released three more albums in the early ‘90s, culminating in her final album “Dreaming of You,” which was posthumously released by her family in 1995.
Selena was shot and killed in Corpus Christi by her former fan club president who had gotten caught embezzling from the singer’s business. Since her death, Selena has continued to be a pop-culture icon and is celebrated every year as fans mourn her passing.
April 16 would have been Selena’s 53rd birthday. Here’s a few ways to celebrate the singer over the next few weeks:
Five-day festival honoring Selena in Dallas starts this week
The Oak Cliff Cultural Center is producing a variety of events for 214 Selena this week and weekend:
- Wednesday: Instagram live chat with Maria Garcia of the “Anything for Selena” podcast at noon.
- Thursday: Olmo Market in Dallas is hosting a lotería night at 7 p.m.
- Friday: Art show at the cultural center at 5 p.m., The Texas Theatre is screening the 1997 Selena movie at 7 p.m. and Top Ten Records will host a party from 10 p.m. to midnight.
- Saturday: Latino Cultural Center will host a Selena market from 1 to 6 p.m., later RBC Deep Ellum will host a dance party from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Sunday: Top Ten Records will host a DJ and photo booth from 1 to 5 p.m.
ROOFTOP CINEMA CLUB SCREENING OF ‘SELENA’
Downtown Fort Worth’s Rooftop Cinema Club is screening the “Selena” movie next month.
The rooftop open-air cinema experience has food and drink vendors on-site, along with lawn games and plenty of seating. Along with showing the movie, the venue is bringing in a live DJ to play Selena’s biggest hits.
- When: 7 p.m. April 16
- Where: Mezzanine terrace at 235 Throckmorton St., Fort Worth
- Cost: Starts at $29, buy here
Alamo Drafthouse hosting Selena-themed brunch screenings
Austin-founded movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse is hosting several brunch screenings of “Selena” in April:
- Las Colinas — 11 a.m. April 13 screening at 320 W Las Colinas Blvd., Irving.
- Lake Highlands — 11 a.m. April 13 screening at 6770 Abrams Road, Dallas.
- Denton — 11 a.m. April 13 screening at 3220 Town Center Trail, Denton.
- Cedars — 11 a.m. April 14 screening at 1005 Botham Jean Blvd., Dallas.
Tickets are $10 at each of the four screenings and can be purchased here.
Allen entertainment venue hosting free Selena movie screenings
The Hub in Allen is screening the 1997 “Selena” movie for free next week.
Patrons can stop by the multi-faceted entertainment venue’s walk-in movie theater on March 27 to catch the flick. The Hub not only hosts the movie theater, but includes a food hall and bar.
- When: Noon and 6 p.m. March 27
- Where: 1289 Johnson Road, Allen
- Cost: Free
STREAMING SELENA CONTENT
For those looking to stay at home to celebrate, there’s still plenty of ways to enjoy with Selena-related content.
The 1997 movie “Selena” is streaming on The Roku Channel and available to rent on Amazon and Apple TV for $3.99. The 2020 “Selena: The Series” show that chronicles the Tejano singer’s life is streaming on Netflix.
Selena’s music is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
