Festivals
in Houston, TX (showing 1 - 12 out of 29)

Enter the widest experience of community and find out how energized Houston is about arts and the arts culture at the Bayou City Art Festival, considered one of top 200 Arts Festivals in the world. It has something for everyone including what they call a surprise, fun and learning for kids and a much better feeling about art all while supporting local nonprofits.

Come by Downtown Houston and meet the artists that come from all over the world and take in the joy of experiencing a great vibrant arts community together with a high caliber show, a culturally dynamic environment saddled with great food producing a memorable and spirited good time with family and friends.

Batten down the hatches and prepare yourself for the Buffalo Bayou Regatta, Texas' largest canoe and kayak race open to paddlers ages 12 and up where are all encouraged to take part in a most memorable race along the scenic Buffalo Bayou. People from all over come to compete in this longstanding Houston tradition that begins near San Felipe Street and concludes at Allen's Landing.

Free shuttle service is provided for all participants for the 15-mile exciting race that concludes with festivities, including live zydeco music, food and drinks, and trophies for the top three paddlers in Teams, Recreational Canoe, Recreational Kayak and Unlimited Divisions. The regatta is held annually, so check their website for specific registration details. 

Lace up your running shoes and prepare to join The Houston Marathon, an annual thrilling event held every January with thousands of runners and spectators, making it the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5K race and boasts of the first-ever satellite running of the event run simultaneously across the globe. 

The races bring crowds of nearly 500K to view the runners and is currently sponsored by the Chevron Corporation, Aramco and Houston ABB. Course maps, signage, clocks, water, Gatorade and aid stations, along with course entertainment are provided The event supports many charities, including CanCare, Texas Children's Hospital, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Rev up your engines and hurry on down to the Premier Corvette Chevy Expo, a world-class Chevrolet show held at the Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort. There you will drive your car aficionado side of life with amazing vehicles, major national vendors, pedal cars, mini cars and go-car displays.  

At their aftermarket showcase, you may opt to buy/sell your dream car, attend the outdoor show'n shine, marvel with the Sunday Vette Vues Magazine photo shoot and check out their craft show featuring local hand-made items. The Expo completes your fascinating visit with the Swimsuit USA International major modeling competition. Remember to take plenty of pictures!

Ciao and Benvenuto to Festa Italiana celebrating all things Italian where the wine flows, music plays and the aroma of garlic, oregano, and basil fills the air. Drive to the campus of St. Thomas University and journey into Italian air space where you will certainly be delighted by an array of pastries and homemade foods while sharing rich cultural benefits in the city.  

Festa Italiana has always been a “family” affair in more ways than one, operated by members of the Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Greater Houston, Inc. Festa includes premium wine tasting, a cooking school for kids, classic car show, a grape stomping event, pasta eating and sidewalk art contest, festive Italian dance and Tombola, and Italian Bingo! 

Listen to a great weekend lineup of your favorite bands at the Free Press Summer Festival each June. The outdoor music festival is always a bargain ticket, and you'll find plenty of food, activities and new friends during the show.

Get your motor runnin' at the Houston Art Car Parade every May, a showcase of real working cars artfully reinterpreted and decorated by avant-garde artists. Dan Aykroyd served as the Grand Marshall for the 2010 parade that featured more than 250 cars.

Feed your inner child and help thousands of children everywhere by strolling over to Downtown Houston and attending The McDonald’s Houston Children’s Festival, the largest children’s festival in the United States. There you will find two days of games, circus acts, rides, food, beverages, and entertainment for all ages. 

The Festival excitement includes fourteen big family adventure zones, six stages of music and entertainment, over 300 fun activities, as well as a chance to meet and take a photo with scheduled celebrities such as PAW Patrol, Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles, Curious George, a Power Ranger and McDonald’s friends Grimace, Hamburglar and Birdie.

Discover new films every November at the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, the only U.S. film festival that features films by and about artists. It's art, for art's sake. 

This is a vibrant multimedia arts event that breaks out of the confines of the movie theater through live music and film performances, outdoor projections, and more.

Explore an entirely different and fascinating type of boating fun known to many as Dragon Boat Racing, the world’s fastest growing water sport which combines tradition with teamwork and strategy. Held at Brooks Lake in Sugar Land, participants are provided the traditional Hong Kong-style BuK Dragon Boats carrying 20 paddlers, 1 drummer, and 1 steersperson. 

Teams race down course ranging from 250m – 1000m on the day of the regatta and are provided with practice sessions prior to race day. In addition to promoting physical fitness, Dragon Boating also builds corporate and leadership team strength and supports Buffalo Bayou renovations and other charitable activities. The experience is simply astounding. 

Unleash your artistic soul and experience The Houston Fringe Festival, a five-day event in which performers and companies from around the planet present original work in Houston’s East End. The festival features over 100 companies and individual artists each year, showcasing talent from Houston and beyond, supporting both emerging and established performing and visual arts.

The festival encourages everyone to participate and show their talent to the fluid and enthusiastically supportive audience making it a great platform to showcase a super abundance of talent on many levels. Make this the year you enter a new world of creativity and personal masterpiece ambience.

Make room in your kitchen cabinet and have cold water ready as you boldly go where many have dared to trod to the Texas Hot Sauce Festival held at the Bayou City Event Center. Hot sauces, salsas, peppers and spices, marinades and rubs, jams/jelly, soup and chili mixes, wing sauces, garlicky, sweet, fruity, peppery, smokey, all things hot and mild are waiting.   

There are hundreds of hot and spicy products to try out from around the country along with plenty of food and cold beverages, ongoing stage entertainment, a "chile-dren" area, retail vendors, arts & crafts, and pepper merchandise. You can enter the Pickle Eating Contest, take part in free give-a-ways from the stage and have free face painting fun. Plenty of cold water, too!