HOUSTON ANNUAL EVENTS:
No matter what time of year you’re visiting Houston, there are plenty of events to make your trip unforgettable. Discover community events such as art fairs, cultural festivals, and markets in unique venues.
With so many fantastic events throughout the year, there’s always something special happening in Houston, Texas!
January
Chevron Houston Marathon
This yearly marathon attracts thousands of runners and spectators and comprises distances of 26.2, 13.1, and 3.1 miles.
Martin Luther King Jr. Grande Parade
This yearly procession honoring the civil rights pioneer marches through Houston’s downtown area, attracting over 300,000 spectators from across the country.
February
Texas Lunar New Year Houston
At the annual Texas Lunar Festival, celebrate the outstanding traits of all cultures while commemorating the Asian Lunar New Year. A different animal or mythological beast represents each year in a twelve-year cycle in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, virtually enjoy dancing, theatre, and music as part of this cultural celebration!
March
Migration Celebration
Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges host a US Fish and Wildlife event called Migration Celebration. Instead of the traditional celebration, a take-out lunch will be held in MacLean Park Lake Jackson on April 16, 2022.
April
The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival
The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is one of the nation’s finest fine arts festivals, with 225 incredible artists from various styles and mediums and art classes for all ages, culinary demos, live music performances, craft beer tents, and more.
Cajun Heritage Fest
Cajun Fest is a music and cuisine festival that celebrates the different cultures of the Port Arthur area. Live bands will provide toe-tapping music as you two-step into the Cajun dance competition.
Art Car Parade
More than 250,000 people line the streets of downtown Houston to see this parade, which features some of Houston’s most unique folk art pieces on wheels. The trend began in 1986 with the Fruit Mobile, a 1967 Ford station wagon. The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art organizes the parade, which is spectacular.
Houston Barbecue Festival
The annual barbecue event brings together barbecue joint favorites and welcomes new additions to the Houston Barbecue scene for a full day of barbecue-focused enjoyment.
WorldFest: Houston International Film Festival
WorldFest offers a diverse selection of feature films, short films, screenplays, television commercials, music videos, and documentaries to audiences around the region. Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, George Lucas, and David Lynch are among the prior recipients of the award established in 1968.
Migration Celebration
Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges host a US Fish and Wildlife event called Migration Celebration. Instead of the traditional celebration, a take-out lunch will be held in MacLean Park Lake Jackson on April 16, 2022.
Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas North American Championship
The Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas North American Championship begins with a 2.4-mile swim in Lake Woodlands, a 112-mile cycle course through east Texas’ picturesque, rolling farmland, a 26.2-mile run, and a magnificent finish on Waterway Avenue.
May
Keels and Wheels Concours D’Elegance
This annual event attracts fans from all over the world and features 200 historic cars and 100 wooden boats.
Mediterranean Festival
The Mediterranean Festival, which takes place every year on the first Saturday in May, incorporates a more than a 100-year-old institution, the Syrian Dinner. Families can also enjoy camel rides, Greek and Arabic dance group performances, face painting, games, and other fun activities and food.
The Rails & Tails Mudbug Festival
At Tomball’s historic downtown Depot, two days of music, food, and fun will be dedicated to delectable crawfish.
Southeast Texas State Fair
Each spring, thousands of people flock to Beaumont for the YMBL South Texas State Fair & Rodeo to enjoy food, entertainment, and carnival attractions. At the YMBL Championship Rodeo, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) presents the country’s best cowboys and cowgirls, while locals display their works of art at the School Art, Quilt, and Photo Show.
Pasadena Strawberry Festival
The Pasadena Strawberry Festival features a barbeque cook-off, a beauty pageant, arts and crafts, live entertainment, a teen battle of the bands, and the world’s largest strawberry shortcake.
Comicpalooza
The largest pop culture convention in Texas is Comicpalooza. J-Fashion, cosplay, a film festival, literary conference, a coding fest, maker space, Mars Rover rides, video and tabletop gaming, professional wrestling, and roller derby bouts continue to make Comicpalooza the best multi-format pop culture event in the Southwest.
June
Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth commemorates the day Texas learned of President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all enslaved people in the United States. Blues, gospel, and jazz performers will play at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park and a variety of smaller events geared at boosting awareness of African-American heritage.
Garden Fest
The annual Garden Fest is held at Buu Mon Buddhist Temple, and it has gardens full of lotus blooms and tall bamboo. For your garden, authentic Vietnamese cuisine, arts and crafts, lotus, water lily, and bamboo plants are available from vendors.
Texas Outlaw Challenge
A vehicle display, time trials, and a charity poker run are all part of this annual event. The 2018 event will be held on Clear Lake and Galveston Bay and will include two days of offshore boat racing for fans to enjoy.
Pride Houston
During the Houston Pride Parade, the largest Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transsexual event in the Southwest takes place, with 1,000 participants entertaining 150,000 spectators with an empowering blend of light, color, and sound with gorgeous floats, costumes, and performances.
July
Freedom Over Texas Festival
Eleanor Tinsley Park in Buffalo Bayou hosts Houston’s official July 4 celebration, including live music, food stalls, and a world-famous fireworks display.
Star-Spangled Salute
At Hermann Park’s Miller Outdoor Theatre, the Houston Symphony continues its annual celebration. Fireworks and a stunning 16-cannon salute are part of the festivities.
Great Texas Mosquito Festival
Willie-Man-Chew welcomes people from near and far to the Great Texas Mosquito Festival for three days of entertainment, a carnival, cuisine, contests, and family fun.
August
Houston Shakespeare Festival
The festival, which is a tribute to the famed writer, draws around 475,000 people to free performances at the University of Houston during the month.
Houston Restaurant Weeks
Houston Restaurant Weeks delivers a month-long passport to the city’s most excellent restaurants and award-winning chefs for thousands of Houstonians and visitors.
AIA Sandcastle Competition
The American Institute of Architects Houston sponsors its annual free Sandcastle Competition on Galveston’s East Beach each June. The competition has attracted some of the best architects and designers for years and an average of 20,000 spectators.
September
Fiestas Patrias
Mexico’s independence from Spain is commemorated in one of the largest and most colorful community-sponsored parades in the Southwest. Ballet Folklorico troupes from around the area whirl around the streets, playing joyful Mexican music. Miss Fiestas Patrias is crowned at the end of the festivities.
October
Buffalo Bayou Regatta
The largest canoe and kayak race in Texas is the Buffalo Bayou Regatta. Over 200 boats are anticipated to take to the water in west Houston to race and celebrate the day, culminating in Sesquicentennial Park in downtown Houston.
Bayou City Art Festival
The Bayou City Art Festival at Memorial Park, Houston’s biggest outdoor fine arts event, kicks off the spring season. This event will include over 300 national artists working in 19 different artistic mediums who will be juried and invited to present and sell their original artwork.
Texas Contemporary Art Fair
Houston’s foremost contemporary and modern art fair, Texas Contemporary, brings top galleries to the area’s discerning collector base.
Oktoberfest Houston
Join us for Houston’s first German-inspired Beer Fest, featuring the best German and Texas culture in one spectacular day! Put on your Lederhosen and Dirndls and enjoy a wide range of German and craft beers and some of Texas’ best polka music.
Texas Renaissance Festival
The Texas Renaissance Festival, which begins in October and runs for nine themed weekends in Plantersville, recreates a 16th-century English village. Magicians, jugglers, minstrels, troubadours, and comedians perform on six stages.
November
Día de los Muertos at Discovery Green
The Day of the Dead, also known as Da de Los Muertos, is a Mexican celebration where families and friends come together to remember, celebrate, and make unique dishes to honor those who have passed away. This FREE event honors and commemorates individuals who have passed away. A giant Calavera, hands-on art activities, art automobiles, stage performances, and more will be included.
Annual Puerto Rican & Cuban Festival
The Puerto Rican and Cuban Festival is a must-attend Houston event, with over 20,000 attendees each year! There will be excellent local food, live music, artisans, and a vehicle display at this event.
Lone Star Rally
Thousands of motorcycles rumble up The Strand in a loud parade displaying the latest custom paint and aftermarket accessories.
Dia de Los Muertos
Dia de Los Muertos is a Mexican celebration that respects and commemorates the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Traditional ceremonies and Dia de Los Muertos arts and crafts are part of the festival. The celebrations will take place in the National Museum of Funeral History.
Houston Open
The Houston Open, held at the Golf Club of Houston, attracts 156 of the world’s greatest players to compete for a $5 million prize pool. The Houston Golf Association has hosted PGA Tour events since 1946, making it the tenth-oldest in the world.
Annual Turkish Festival
The Annual Turkish Festival takes place in downtown Jones Plaza. Taste authentic Turkish cuisine, wine, coffee, dancing, and family fun.
Texas Championship Native American Pow Wow
In two days of traditional singing and dancing, over 100 Native Americans compete across the United States. This festival includes Indian food, a teepee village, demonstrations, story-telling, and educational exhibits. Authentic Native American arts and crafts can be found in over 125 booths.
City of Houston’s Annual Veterans Day Celebration
Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City of Houston demonstrate their support for our armed forces by hosting the annual “Houston Salutes American Heroes” Veterans Day Parade and celebration.
The Nutcracker Market
The Nutcracker Market, hosted by the Houston Ballet Guild, has become an annual tradition to kick off the holiday season. This Reliant Center retail frenzy includes holiday decorations, food, apparel, jewelry, and furniture.
Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
This ceremony at the Rothko Chapel, which began nearly 20 years ago, is free and accessible to the general public, with representatives from ten different religions.
Ice at Discovery Green
Ice skating is back, and this time it’s bigger than ever! Skate among the city skyline at the new 7,716-square-foot outdoor rink at Discovery Green in the heart of Texas. Throughout the holidays, park visitors can enjoy a variety of family-friendly programs, including concerts, movies, and more.
A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas
With re-imagined scenic designs, spectacular costumes, and original music, The Alley Theatre’s amusing and musical rendition of A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas revisits the meaning of Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge, and classic characters like Tiny Tim as Scrooge embarks on a wild nighttime journey.
Packages and More!
The holidays are taken to a new level of cool with Moody Gardens! A talented crew of elite ice carvers has mapped the perfect Caribbean Christmas! Embark on a two-million-pound-of-ice-filled undersea adventure!
Zoo Lights
TXU Energy Presents Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo will change the Zoo by illuminating more than 50 animal-themed light shows, 15 miles of tree lighting, and seasonal melodies and stories with more than 300,000 LED lights. While strolling through the Zoo, sip hot chocolate and take in the sights, including 15-foot-tall colorful projections, life-size lighting animal sculptures, and “Holly Berry,” a 1958 Cadillac with vivid lights synced to happy music.
Festival of Lights
The Annual Moody Gardens Festival of Lights glistens with holiday splendor with over a million lights and dozens of festive sceneries. It’s a winter wonderland with seasonal shopping, Santa photos, a gingerbread house, and the only outdoor ice rink in the area.
Houston Via Colori® Street Painting Festival
Over its ten-year history, Via Colori® has evolved into one of the city’s most recognizable art festivals. More than 250 local and national artists create mind-blowing murals right before your eyes as the streets of downtown turn into a giant outdoor art gallery.
City of Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Thanksgiving Day parade is a holiday tradition that showcases the Houston community while entertaining over 200,000 parade spectators on Thanksgiving morning. The train is a spectacular display of floats, balloons, marching bands, creative entries, and live entertainment.
Uptown Holiday Lighting
The free, family-friendly celebration, an iconic and time-honored Houston institution, will be redefined with the lighting of over 300 brand-new, twenty-foot-tall holiday trees that will line Post Oak Boulevard from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue. The unique artisan-fabricated holiday trees will have a unique fusion of lighting technology that all ages will enjoy, with four times the quantity of traditional tree decorations that existed in years past.
The Nutcracker
Clara marvels at the Christmas tree, flying cooks, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince dancing, and her magical adventure in the Kingdom of Sweets — a place children will dream about for years – in Houston Ballet’s timeless and dreamy performance of the classic holiday tale The Nutcracker.
The Mayor’s Official Downtown Houston Holiday Celebration
The Mayor celebrates the start of the Christmas season with fireworks, entertainment, and choirs. The celebration concludes with the Christmas tree lighting in front of City Hall.
December
Dickens on the Strand
The annual winter street celebration, which is themed in Victorian London in the nineteenth century, includes parades, nonstop entertainment on six stages, walking carolers, wandering musicians, bagpipers, jugglers, and various other performers.
Tomball German Christmas Market & Festival
Weihnachtsmarkt Texas Style (German Christmas Market & Festival) – Free Admission, Parking, and Shuttle Thank you for visiting! On the ancient downtown streets of Tomball, Texas, there’s a Texas German celebration. This festival is open to everyone, and you don’t have to be German to enjoy it!
Annual Christmas Boat Lane Parade presented by the Cities of Kemah, League City, Nassau Bay, and Clear Lake Shores
In front of the Kemah Boardwalk, over 100 festively painted boats of all sizes parade around Clear Lake and into the Clear Lake Channel every year.
Tamale Festival Houston
Come out for a day of good times, fantastic music, and delicious food! Enjoy a wide range of tamales from various Latino cultures and excellent Texas BBQ, food trucks, fairground delicacies, and much more!
Annual Candlelight Tour in the Park
For the Heritage Society’s Annual Holiday Candlelight Tour in the Park, historic residences in downtown Sam Houston Park open their doors. Seasonal decorations date back centuries, and costumed carolers transport guests back in time to celebrate the season.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl: Big 12 vs. SEC
Don’t miss the annual AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl, which pits the Big 12 against the SEC. Tailgating parties and live music are part of the game’s festivities.
