An event highlighting local artists will draw more than 80,000 people to the Near Southside of Fort Worth Saturday. The ArtsGoggle was first launched in 2003.

“We shut down the street. It’s really a full mile stretch from 8th Avenue on the west side to South Main on the East side,” says Mike Brennan, president of Near Southside Inc. “It is really the day to showcase Fort Worth and the region’s creative sector and showcase the Near Southside.”

About 1,000 artists will set up in booths along Magnolia. Bands will play at stages set up along Magnolia and at Magnolia Green. Brennan says food trucks will also set up at a dozen locations.

The U.S. Census says Fort Worth’s population topped one million in 2024, estimating the population at 1,008,106, an increase of about 23,000 people. In 2000, Fort Worth’s population was just 545,759.

“There are so many people who are introduced to the district at [ArtsGoggle],” Brennan says. “These are folks who have newly arrived in Dallas/Fort Worth. They hear about ArtsGoggle, they show up and don’t know much about the Near Southside or local musicians. This can be their introduction to it all.”

While Fort Worth has grown to become the 12th biggest city in the United States, Brennan says the Near Southside has worked to maintain at atmosphere where neighbors can get to know each other and artists can collaborate.

“Community’s the word. It’s about the people who have created this special place,” he says. “By ‘people,’ I mean going back 100 years to the folks who originally designed and built the buildings that still deliver the character of this place. Now, those buildings are filled with local businesses where the owners are in it together. They know each other; they support each other. We sort of provide a venue for that community collaboration.”

“I tell people from out of town all the time, I didn’t realize growing up most people can’t just go on a school field trip and see a Picasso or walk up the stairs of their local art museum and see a Warhol,” says Jason Pollard, managing partner at The Usual on Magnolia. “We’re very fortunate in Fort Worth we have such a great art scene and ArtsGoggle specifically promotes local art so we can continue to build and thrive.”

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth has work by Picasso in its permanent collection. The Kimbell Art Museum has the only Michelangelo in North or South America.

Pollard says he sees many of those new transplants to Texas during ArtsGoggle.

“We get lots of people coming in who haven’t been in before,” he says. “We also get to see a lot of people who, maybe because of life and circumstances, haven’t been around as much. Fort Worth is really big on community, and there’s a chance to reconnect with some of that community because there’s so much going on up and down the street.”

“The Goggle’s a fantastic opportunity for us,” says Dave Garner, owner of Maggie’s R&R on Magnolia. “There are all kinds of people who come to celebrate their friends and community. It’s a great community for people who want to be part of the fabric of Fort Worth.”

Since ArtsGoggle focuses on local artists, many say this is their biggest show of the year.

“ArtsGoggle has served as a huge idea manufacturer for me,” says Cliff Baise, owner of Piczzl.com. “Just the different art and styles really helped me hone in on what I wanted to present.”

Baise says ArtsGoggle gives artists a chance to ask each other questions and get feedback. He says he started in photography but then turned to oil painting and is now expirementing with stained glass.

“I’m the guy who started really wanting to follow his dreams and took a detour,” he says. “No matter where you are in life, keep that dream alive and point your arrow toward that.”

ArtsGoggle runs from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Trinity Metro is running a free shuttle among parking lots and venues in the Near Southside. A map for the shuttle, parking lots and information about the event are available at https://artsgoggle.org/.