People walk along Allen Parkway at various art cars line up before the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Colorful, quirky creations will roll through downtown this April as more than 250 decorated vehicles take part in the 39th annual Houston Art Car Parade.
The free event returns April 11, part of a four-day celebration running April 9-12, and draws more than 300,000 spectators each year. Here’s what to know about the parade’s history, this year’s grand marshals and more.
What is the Art Car Parade?
Art cars from schools make their way to the parade route at the 36th Annual Houston Art Car Parade on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Houston.
Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer
The Houston Art Car Parade is part of an annual, multi-day celebration organized by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. The weekend includes events such as a preview showcase and the Art Car Ball, leading up to the parade, the largest event of the weekend.
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More than 250 creatively decorated cars and other wheeled vehicles will travel through downtown, transformed by artists from Houston and beyond using paint, upholstery, beads and other materials.
Since its early years, the parade has grown from a small event with a few dozen entries into one of Houston’s largest public art gatherings.
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How did the Art Car Parade get its start?
1994 Houston Art Car parade in downtown, April 30, 1994.
Paul S. Howell/Houston Chronicle
It traces back to the Fruitmobile. Houston businessman and developer Carl Detering and his wife, Kit, donated a 1967 Ford station wagon to auction at The Orange Show Foundation’s annual gala in 1984. With a budget of $800, local artist Jackie Harris decorated the car with plastic fruits. After the auction, the vehicle was donated back to the foundation.
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The car’s popularity led to a “Road Show” in 1986 featuring other decorated vehicles. Two years later, the now-defunct Houston International Festival invited the Orange Show to organize an art car parade. The first parade in 1988 featured about 40 entries and drew roughly 2,000 spectators.
THROWBACK: Old photos show what Houston’s first-ever Art Car Parade looked like in 1988
What is the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art?
The Orange Show, photographed Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Houston.
Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle
The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is a Houston nonprofit that produces the Art Car Parade and other public art events, and oversees sites including the Orange Show Monument, Smither Park and The Beer Can House. It also hosts exhibitions, concerts, films, classes and workshops at its sites and other locations across the city.
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The organization grew out of the Orange Show Monument, built by Jefferson Davis McKissack, a Houston postal worker who spent more than two decades constructing it in the East End between 1956 and 1979. Built from found materials, the site is known for its handmade structures and design.
Who is the grand marshal and featured artist of the 2026 Houston Art Car Parade?
Kam Franklin and Brian Ching, grand marshals of the 2026 Houston Art Car Parade.
Alex Montoya
Former Houston Dynamo player Brian Ching and singer Kam Franklin will serve as grand marshals.
Ching, the Dynamo’s all-time leading scorer, also played for the U.S. Men’s National Team and later served as managing director of the Houston Dash. Franklin leads The Suffers and won a Grammy Award earlier this year for her work on ‘A Tribute to the King of Zydeco.’ They join past grand marshals including Bun B, Carl Lewis and J. J. Watt.
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Phillip Pyle II is the featured artist for 2026. He is a visual artist, graphic designer and photographer whose work focuses on race and popular culture.
What time is the Art Car Parade in Houston?
People walk along Allen Parkway at various art cars line up before the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
The parade rolls out at 2 p.m. on April 11, but spectators can enjoy free events from 11 a.m., including the Lineup Party on Allen Parkway and the Kids Creative Zone at Sam Houston Park.
Art Car Parade route
Houston Art Car Parade route.
Houston Chronicle
The parade starts at Dallas and Bagby streets on Allen Parkway, heading into downtown. It then circles City Hall and heads outbound onto Allen Parkway before dispersing at Waugh. The parade lasts about two hours.
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Where to watch the Houston Art Car Parade
Spectators watch a car covered in purple shag drive by during 36th Annual Houston Art Car Parade on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Houston.
Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer
Spectators can watch along Allen Parkway between Waugh Drive and Taft Street. Public transit is available, with a nearby bus stop at Montrose Boulevard and Allen Parkway.
Before the parade, visitors can attend the free Lineup Party between Taft and Bagby from 11 a.m., where the cars are staged and artists are on site.
For reserved seating, the VIPit Party and Benefit takes place from noon to 4 p.m. at Hermann Square at City Hall, 901 Bagby St. Tickets start at $250 for adults and $100 for children, with private suites available starting at $25,000. Ticket holders receive shaded seating, food and drinks, live commentary, family activities and reserved parking. Proceeds support year-round programming by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art.
The parade itself remains free and open to the public.
ABC13 will livestream the parade from 2 to 4 p.m.