Families looking for something to do before summer officially gives way to fall have a free option just south of Houston.
The JDS Give Back Festival returns to Clute Municipal Park Sept. 11 and 12, bringing two nights of live music, carnival rides, food vendors and barbecue to Brazoria County. Now in its fourth year, the festival runs from 5 p.m. to midnight both nights, and admission and carnival rides are free.
For Houston-area families, that last part may be the biggest draw. A night at a festival can get expensive quickly once admission, rides, food and entertainment are added together. Here, families can get through the gate, catch the concerts and ride the rides without buying a ticket.
The music starts at 6 p.m. Friday with Secretto, Grupo Manada, Tatuaje and La Reaccion.
Saturday’s lineup features Los Herederos de Nuevo Leon, Los Bravados, Magali Delarosa and Mariachi Orgullo, also beginning at 6 p.m.
The weekend will also include the Sizzle in the Park BBQ Cook-Off, where competitors will put their chicken, ribs, pork and brisket to the test. The competition, presented through the Champions Barbecue Alliance, also includes Chef’s Choice, beans, a Sizzling Breakfast category and a Kids’ Que competition.
There’s a little more on the line for the brisket cooks this year: first place comes with a $1,000 prize.
The festival is organized by J.D. Silva & Associates and the Brazoria County Hispanic Lions Club. For founder Johnathan D. Silva, bringing the event to Clute is personal.
Silva was born in Clute, grew up in Brazoria County and later served in the U.S. Navy before founding his personal injury law firm in 2018. The annual festival grew out of an effort to bring a large community event back to the place where he grew up.
“The Give Back Festival has always been about bringing people together and saying thank you,” Silva said. “I grew up here, and this community will always be an important part of who I am and the firm we have built.”
The festival is one of several community programs associated with the firm throughout the year, including initiatives supporting students, teachers and families.
But for people coming out Sept. 11 and 12, the proposition is considerably less complicated: bring the family, listen to some music, let the kids ride and spend a late-summer night in the park.
And you don’t need to buy a ticket to do it.
What to Know
JDS Give Back Festival
Friday, Sept. 11 and Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026
5 p.m.–midnight
Clute Municipal Park
100 Parkview Drive, Clute, Texas 77531
Admission and carnival rides are free. Guests 18 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Outside food and drinks are not permitted.
The festival is roughly an hour south of Houston, depending on where you’re coming from and traffic.
Filed under