Houston Art Car Parade

About this happenin

The Houston Art Car Parade takes anything with wheels, lawnmowers and unicycles included, down Allen Parkway and through downtown Houston on a Saturday in April. Everyday Houstonians drive beside nationally known artists. The first parade, in April 1988, had 40 vehicles and a crowd of about 2,000. Now there are more than 250 entries, some from as far as Canada and Mexico, and the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the nonprofit that produces it, counts more than 315,000 spectators. It is free, and it rolls rain or shine. The route opens to walkers hours before the start, so you can see the cars parked and talk to the people who built them. Allen Parkway is closed all day. The organiser suggests a rideshare drop-off or a bike ride in from Montrose or the Heights, and BikeHouston runs free valet bike parking near Eleanor Tinsley Park. Reserved seats come with VIPit, a ticketed party that raises money for the Orange Show, and the Legendary Art Car Ball belongs to the same four-day weekend.

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Where

Allen Parkway and downtown Houston · Allen Parkway, Houston, TX 77019