HOUSTON \u2013 At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo\u2019s World\u2019s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, thousands of people pack into tents for smoked meat, music and a good time. But for nearly 20 years, one tent has doubled as something more: a deliberate space for Black and Creole culture at one of the world\u2019s biggest barbecue stages.<\/p>\n
That space is \u201cBoots and Blues,\u201d a cookoff team and tent owned by Houston businessman Victor Washington.<\/p>\n
Washington, originally from Louisiana and a longtime member of the Rodeo\u2019s Black Heritage Committee, said he launched the tent after noticing how few places at the cookoff reflected the Black community that has helped shape Houston and barbecue for generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the need for more Black representation during the cook off time, and I felt that it was very important for us to have a place for people in the community to come,\u201d Washington said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very expensive process, but it didn\u2019t matter. It was something that I felt was very important for people in the community to get a piece of the pie and to enjoy the world class barbecue cook off.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been officially on the Black Heritage Committee for about 27 years, and Boots and Blues is approaching its 20th year at the cookoff.<\/p>\n
A \u201cGUMBO\u201d OF MUSIC AND CULTURE<\/p>\n
From the outside, Boots and Blues may look like another popular tent with a line snaking around the front. Inside, Washington is intentional about every detail especially the sound.<\/p>\n
With deep Creole roots, he built the tent\u2019s identity around the music and culture he grew up with in Louisiana: Zydeco, Mardi Gras flair and what he calls a \u201cgumbo\u201d of sounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make sure that we promote the Creole culture, the Black culture,\u201d he said. \u201cWe call it gumbo ethnic people background and I wanted to make sure that we preserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCreole music is something that I grew up with,\u201d Washington added. \u201cOne thing about Boots and Blues is that we have a genre of music. We play zydeco, we play R&B, we play jazz, we play blues just a whole gumbo of music, of flavor. People love the music to get them energized. You depressed, you come there, you hear the beats, you de\u2011stress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Washington, who runs his own business, said the tent has become his personal release valve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe type of business that I own, it\u2019s very stressful,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when I get out there, all that stress goes away, when I\u2019m able to enjoy that variety of music.\u201d<\/p>\n
A DRAW FOR COMMUNITY AND LEADERS<\/p>\n
Over the years, Boots and Blues has become a stop not just for everyday Houstonians, but for some of the city\u2019s most well\u2011known political leaders.<\/p>\n
Washington recalls the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Congressman Al Green all making his tent a regular Rodeo tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cSheila Jackson Lee used to fly in from D.C. just to come to my event,\u201d he said. \u201cThey enjoy the food we had that Texas and Louisiana flavor. Sylvester Turner would make it a point to stop in sometimes two or three times, basically every night.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said they repeatedly praised what he was building.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that they would give me, you know, props on: \u2018Hey Victor, we really enjoy what you\u2019re doing. You\u2019re doing it out of your pocket for the people in the community to have a place to go to,\u2019\u201d Washington said. \u201cI want my people to feel that they are part of this world class barbecue cook off, which is one of the world\u2019s largest.\u201d<\/p>\n
FAMILY-RUN AND OVERFLOWING<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes, Boots and Blues is a full family operation.<\/p>\n
Washington\u2019s son handles photography. His daughter works in the background. His sisters and nieces travel in from Louisiana to prep food, including what he proudly calls \u201cthat Louisiana potato salad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to say thanks to my family members that come up from Louisiana to help make this a success,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a full operation. And I try to run it like a business. I\u2019ve been in business 33 years. You must run things like a business, and I think we have done a very good job of doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The demand reflects that. Washington estimates 200 to 300 people often crowd outside his 40-by-40 space, with a waiting list of sponsors and guests hoping to get in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have grown out of the space,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have two to three hundred people standing in front of our tent. Of course there\u2019s a waiting list. We just need more real estate. Based on the years we\u2019ve put in, I feel now that we\u2019ve paid our dues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
MORE THAN A PARTY<\/p>\n
For Washington, Boots and Blues is as much about visibility and belonging as it is about brisket and beats.<\/p>\n
He talks about \u201ca place for people in the community to come\u201d especially Black Rodeo fans who may not always see themselves reflected across every tent or playlist.<\/p>\n
He calls the cookoff \u201cworld class,\u201d but makes clear that world also needs to include Black and Creole stories, food and sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople in the community love to be part of this,\u201d he said. \u201cI want my people to feel that they are part of this world class barbecue cook off.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the tent pushes toward its 20th year with crowds continuing to grow Washington said he\u2019s focused on improving, expanding and keeping the culture at the center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start back up planning as soon as it ends,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat can we improve on? How can we reach more people?\u201d<\/p>\n
When he gets more space, Washington said, the goal is simple: more room for gumbo music, Creole flavors and a community that sees itself reflected at one of Houston\u2019s biggest traditions.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo\u2019s World\u2019s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, thousands of people pack into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":188057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,56,58,57,30496,6795,24257],"class_list":["post-188056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-food","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-houston-rodeo","tag-rodeo","tag-rodeo-houston"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}