36th Annual Houston Art Car Festival & Parade

The Orange Show’s 36th Annual Houston Art Car Festival & Parade presented by Team Gillman, the oldest and largest celebration of art cars in the world, showcases a parade of creative, colorful art cars on Saturday, April 15. (Photo: Danitza Ladwig)

The Orange Show’s 36th Annual Houston Art Car Festival & Parade presented by Team Gillman, the oldest and largest celebration of art cars in the world, will take over Houston from April 6 – 16 – with the big parade being held on Saturday, April 15 - showcasing more than 250 mobile masterpieces from across the country, including nearly 100 new, never-been-seen creations, while engaging the public with over 10 days of opportunities to express their personal artistic vision.

The Orange Show’s Houston Art Car Parade is one of the city’s largest free public events, drawing hundreds of thousands of curious spectators who can’t resist the magic of Art Cars, lowriders, masterfully-wheeled contraptions, bejeweled roadsters, custom-crafted classics, and fur-covered, metal-modified, fire-breathing varieties as well as Houston’s finest, loudest, slowest and bangin’ masterpieces – SLABS. The highly anticipated Spring spectacle will also prominently feature a contingent of Art Bikes.

The Orange Show’s Houston Art Car Festival & Parade includes the opportunity for the public to engage with art cars and their owners at locations across Houston at free and ticketed events taking place over ten days. Marilyn Oshman, Founder of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, has been selected as this year’s grand marshal of the parade. 

Schedule for Saturday, April 15:  

Lineup Party – 11 am on Allen Parkway (@ Heiner Street)
Join Splice Records and Saint Arnold Brewing Company for The Lineup Party – your chance to peruse all 250+ art cars as they get ready for the parade. Enjoy live music on the Saint Arnold Brewing Company stage, beverage booths, food trucks, sponsor activations, games, prizes and more.

H-E-B Kids Creative Zone – 11 am at Sam Houston Park (1000 Bagby Street)
Ideally situated on the frontlines of the parade starting cars, the Kids Zone features an array of creative activities for both kids and adults alike. Guests to the FREE event will enjoy interactive and creative activations and performances from community partners including Aeolian Manor Foundation, Alley Theatre’s El Zocalo, Art League Houston, The ARTZ, CAMH Teen Council, Children’s Museum of Houston, Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Mariachi Festival, Houston Public Library, MECA, Ripley Cheer, and more. Reserved grandstand seating adjacent to the H-E-B Kids Creative Zone is available for purchase at $40 per person, at www.thehoustonartcarparade.com.

The VIPit Experience – 12 pm at City Hall/Hermann Square (901 Bagby Street) 
The ultimate viewing party and largest fundraiser for the Orange Show’s Houston Art Car Festival & Parade offers unobstructed front row views of the parade as it rolls through Downtown, all set within the beautiful Hermann Square at City Hall. The event features complimentary bites from over a dozen local chefs and restaurants, cocktails, pre-parade entertainment, kids’ art activities, swag bags, live parade commentating from notable Houston personalities, and nearby reserved parking. Individual
tickets start at $175, reserved tables start at $1,500, and reserved grandstand sections start at $2,000 are all available for purchase at www.thehoustonartcarparade.com.

The 36th Annual Houston Art Car Parade presented by Team Gillman – 2 pm (Downtown Houston and Allen Parkway)
For the 36th year, 250 rolling masterpieces will take over the city’s streets as nearly 300,000 fans cheer them on from the sidelines. The parade officially begins at the intersection of Dallas and Bagby Streets (on Allen Parkway) heading into Downtown before circling City Hall and heading outbound onto Allen Parkway out of Downtown until dispersing at Waugh Drive. As always, the parade is free to attend. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at the parade route early to secure their spot and take part in
beverage and merchandise stations dotting the route as well as food trucks, sponsor activations, entertainment and more. After the checkered flag is waved at 2pm, the parade will last approximately two hours with Allen Parkway and downtown streets opening back up at 5pm. Parking can be found in parking garages downtown or on side streets along Allen Parkway. The complete lineup of participating 2023 Art Cars will be available here.