Cowboys Red River Dance Hall and Saloon, which has locations in Dallas and San Antonio, will finally open its massive 37,000-square-foot dance hall in Southwest Houston at the Plazamericas shopping mall on Thursday. The dance hall, which advertises itself as “Houston’s newest honky tonk,” includes a 2,500-square-foot “race track” dance floor for two-stepping and line dancing. It’s a gigantic space, if Red River’s videos are anything to go by.
“We’re fired up to bring Cowboys Red River to Houston,” Red River vice president and COO Scott Murphy said in a statement. “For over 30 years, we’ve been the biggest, baddest honky-tonk in Texas—the kind of place where you can hold someone close on the dance floor or raise a little hell with your buddies and feel right at home either way.”
Red River’s opening will kick off Thursday with a ladies’ night (ladies get in for free, if you didn’t know, and women’s first drinks are free). The club’s house band, Runnin’ Behind, will provide the live music.
Besides dancing, Red River plans to have touring country bands and said previously that the bar wants to have 12 to 15 national acts this year. There are also pool tables and a mechanical bull. Red River will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Red River launched in Dallas in 1989. The company launched a San Antonio location in 2003.
Cowboys Red River joins a smattering of dance halls and honky tonks in the Houston area. West of Red River is Whiskey River West, and to its south is the FireHorse Saloon. To its north is Neon Boots, the only explicitly LGBTQ+ friendly dance hall in Houston. There’s also a Whiskey River North near Willowbrook. But are any of those as big as the Red River? We’re gonna guess not.
“Building the Cowboys Red River Dance Hall and Saloon legacy has been my passion for over six decades,” Red River founder and CEO Michael J. Murphy said in a statement. “This expansion is a testament to our team’s resilience and our commitment to the next generation of Texas country music fans.”