Houston Events

This is one of the city's signature events. The city celebrates American Independence Day with live entertainment and the largest land-based fireworks display in the USA. A number of stages keep toes tapping during the day featuring bands playing country, zydeco, jazz, pop and Latin music. In addition there is a Freedom Market, beer garden and display of military vehicles. But the event that everybody has come for is when the sky over Houston explodes with fireworks.

Each summer the Houston Shakespeare Festival performs a season of Shakespeare plays in the Miller Outdoor Theatre bringing the bard to the residents of Houston, free of charge. Take a picnic, blanket and enjoy some high quality entertainment. There are now seats available under a canopy and tickets for this covered area are free but are given out at the box office in person on the day of the performance between 1030 and 1300.

The skies over Ellington Airport buzz with a spectacular air show featuring demonstrations of civilian, modern military and vintage aircraft. In addition there are spectacular displays from national and international acts such as the USAF Thunderbirds. There are static displays of dozens of modern and vintage aircraft and fun things for the whole family including flight simulators.

Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston is the biggest holiday parade in Texas, attracting crowds of 400,000 people. Highlights include fantastic floats, high-flying hot air balloons, marching bands, cheerleaders and celebrity guests which all wind their way through the streets of downtown, from 9am onwards, starting at Texas and ending at McKinney.

Uptown Holiday Lighting is an annual event held on Thanksgiving evening in Uptown Houston. Kicking off the holiday season, this fun and charming family event is lit up by more than half a million twinkling lights on Christmas trees along Post Oak Boulevard, and it comes with festive holiday music, an impressive fireworks show and a special appearance by Santa Claus who turns on the lights.

This is cowboy country and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year in Texas. The show features all the great rodeo classics such as bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling, bull riding, tie-down roping and chuck wagon racing. Other attractions and entertainment include live country music shows, a shopping and food arena, a carnival and the ever-popular hideout country dancing event.

One of the party highlights of the year for the city, the celebration takes place in the Montrose neighbourhood with live music, the Divas of Diversity comedy show, exhibitions, artists, performers, singing competitions and multiple stages. The week-long celebrations culminate in the parade which snakes along Westheimer in the evening.

Billed as the oldest independent film and video festival in the world, the annual Worldfest in Houston dates back to 1961 and has been entertaining film fans, students and industry experts for decades. Each year the festival showcases American and international independent feature films with a spotlight on an individual country and its films.

First held in 1988 with just a handful of vehicles and a few bemused onlookers, the annual Art Car Parade is now the biggest event of its kind in the world. Exhibits range from huge, high-spec hot rods to fighter jets manned by drivers in fancy dress. Costumed dancers and musicians join the parade on foot as do people on bikes, roller skates and just about every other means of transport you can think of.