There were lots of tacos eaten, music performed and games of loteria played as University of Tulsa students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 18 at the annual Festival de Las Flores.
Starting at 6 p.m., a live mariachi band entertained guests waiting in the check-in line outside the Lorton Performance Center. The first 200 students received free meal tickets for Inkanto Peruvian Cuisine and street tacos courtesy of Taqueria La Raza — operated by the parents of a former president of the university’s Latin American Students Association, or LASA.
Within minutes, the colorfully decorated tables — both out front and inside the lobby — were filled with students playing loteria, a Mexican lottery game similar to bingo. Others painted small pottery cups while sipping on sweet mangonada, a Mexican mango slushie.
The evening’s festivities included performances by local groups, including a salsa dance by Ritmo 918, a folklorico dance by Tierra Mestiza and Danza Guadalupana Resurrección by the Church of the Resurrection.
Mariachi musicians perform at the annual Festival de Las Flores held at The University of Tulsa Sept. 18, 2026. Credit: Michael Seales for Tulsa Flyer 
A scene from the annual Festival de Las Flores held at The University of Tulsa Sept. 18, 2026. Credit: Michael Searles for Tulsa Flyer 
Dancers perform at the annual Festival de Las Flores held at The University of Tulsa Sept. 18, 2026. Credit: Michael Searles for Tulsa Flyer 
Students speak during the annual Festival de Las Flores held at The University of Tulsa Sept. 18, 2026. Credit: Michael Searles for Tulsa Flyer 
Students painted pots during the annual Festival de Las Flores held at The University of Tulsa on Sept. 18, 2026. Credit: Michael Searles for Tulsa Flyer 
Mariachi musicians perform during the annual Festival de Las Flores held at The University of Tulsa Sept. 18, 2026. Credit: Michael Searles for Tulsa Flyer
For LASA President Jazyn Sanchez, Festival de Las Flores is an opportunity to showcase the community that gave her belonging as a freshman.
“It’s really important to be able to find a group of people that you feel comfortable with,” said the TU senior. “The exec team has always felt like family to me.”
Sanchez’s work includes breaking the myth that the group’s events are only for students with Latino or Hispanic backgrounds.
“It’s open to everyone because that’s the point,” she said. “We want everyone to know our culture, our traditions … (we) want everyone to just feel welcomed.”
Friday’s festival showed that work is paying off. After the final performance, students and non-students from all cultural backgrounds amassed in the lobby for a group dance, celebrating together with energizing music underneath multicolored disco lights.
“I think it’s more important than ever to have pride and just love your culture right now,” said nursing student Pedro Magdaleno. “Having the festival like this, where people of all ethnicities are coming out, is just beautiful to see.”
The organization’s executive team met once a week starting in June to organize catering, performances and decorations for the event, supported by a partnership with TU’s Student Activities Board. When the semester began four weeks ago, all that was left was marketing and promotion.
“What’s the best way to get to someone? It’s through food,” said Josue Del Rio Salas, the group’s marketing director. He hopes the festival can help people feeling isolated due to language or cultural differences find a community among TU’s diverse Hispanic population.
Going forward, the organization plans to hold more cultural events and fundraise to support nonprofit organizations helping Hispanic communities in Tulsa affected by recent immigration crackdowns.
“That’s the biggest thing — to show who we really are from our perspective and from our voice,” said Sanchez. “We’re not all what everyone says we are.”
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.