{"id":246086,"date":"2026-04-12T07:47:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/246086\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T07:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:47:13","slug":"thousands-attend-houston-art-car-parade-despite-rainy-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/246086\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands attend Houston Art Car Parade despite rainy weather"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"People<\/p>\n

People take in art cars lining Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Clay<\/p>\n

Clay Williams wipes down an art car after light rain during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Detail<\/p>\n

Detail of an art car during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"People<\/p>\n

People take in art cars along Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Kids<\/p>\n

Kids dressed as Dalmatians for an art car pet a small dog during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Art<\/p>\n

Art cars ride down Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Detail<\/p>\n

Detail of an art car during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"People<\/p>\n

People dressed up as characters from the book \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d walk down Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Art<\/p>\n

Art cars ride down Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"A<\/p>\n

A vehicle decorated line a Dalmatian rides down Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Peeps<\/p>\n

Peeps decorate the outside of an art car during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Sullivan<\/p>\n

Sullivan Davies picks a color to draw on an art car along Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"People<\/p>\n

People seek shelter from heavy rain along Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"A<\/p>\n

A participant in the annual Art Car Parade laughs while wearing a rain poncho in Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"People<\/p>\n

People take in art cars lining Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"A<\/p>\n

A vehicle decorated line a Dalmatian rides down Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Abby<\/p>\n

Abby Flores has her face painted before taking part in the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Poncili<\/p>\n

Poncili Creation helps decorate an art car during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Art<\/p>\n

Art cars ride down Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"An<\/p>\n

An art car is seen during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"Bellamy<\/p>\n

Bellamy Houser decorates an art car with paint during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"An<\/p>\n

An art car is seen during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle\"People<\/p>\n

People take in art cars lining Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday, April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n

Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly in Houston \u2014 I can tell you that for a fact,\u201d is how Rose Nolen, 65, summed up Saturday\u2019s Art Car Parade<\/a>, an annual event she said she has attended for the past two decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nolen was one of thousands of Houstonians who lined Allen Parkway\u00a0to watch this year\u2019s quirky caravan of artwork<\/a> on wheels. Occasional rain showers did little to dampen the enthusiasm as a sea of umbrellas only added to the explosion of colors and patterns that was the 39th annual parade.<\/p>\n

Among the art spotted on vehicles this year: an oversize Cheshire cat, a volcano with light-up lava, giant scoops of pastel-hued ice cream, a cotton-candy pink shark, and a rhino with gold tusks and pipe-cleaner eyelashes. The works were done in mosaic, spray-paint, even artificial turf, while others were canvases for advocacy slogans, like one that read \u201cProud Immigrant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0Houston\u2019s Art Car Parade takes on new meaning for HISD schools during turbulent year<\/a><\/p>\n

Rene Deleon, 61, said his favorite was a car fashioned to look like a chameleon, complete with shifting eyes. But he was hard-pressed to choose just one favorite.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just fun watching all of the creativity,\u201d he said, watching cars roll by from under a tent canopy.<\/p>\n

It was his third or fourth time at the parade, Deleon said. What keeps him coming back?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\u201cJust all the different people, great people-watching,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a reflection of the city, how it\u2019s open and everybody\u2019s having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nolen said she has been coming to the parade so long that she has seen children of art car owners grow up and create their own art cars for the parade. She pointed out a father-son duo driving by, the father in a gold-painted vintage car and the son in a deep-blue lowrider.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was quite an inspiration, but at the same time very heartfelt, that they are following the tradition,\u201d Nolen said. She added: \u201cFamilies, unity\u00a0\u2014 I love it. Just love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nolen, who has ridden in the parade before on art bicycles of her own creation (one, \u201cthe Black Swan,\u201d took her nine months to build, she said), is now working on her first art car to display next year, she said. She wouldn’t reveal the theme. \u00a0<\/p>\n

ALSO READ:\u00a0Meet Houston\u2019s art car community, where junk cars become masterpieces<\/a><\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Parade participants Richard and Winnie Simcik, of Waco, brought\u00a0up the rear in their \u201cCrapper Car,\u201d a red and blue port-a-potty on\u00a0wheels that Richard designed in 2007 and has brought to the Art Car Parade for many years. His perch, the\u00a0toilet seat, doubled as the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n

The tongue-in-cheek vehicle is always a fan favorite, Richard Simcik said. \u201cWe\u2019re No. 1 in the No. 2 business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For the Still family, who drove in from the Kingwood area, this year\u2019s parade was a team effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their art car, \u201cHamilton the Octo-bus,\u201d put an aquatic spin on a 1971 Volkswagon bus, which Justin and his wife, Claudia, restored as part of their business, NVT Rod and Custom. After three months of restoration work, the bus now has a modern engine and an AC system, Justin said.<\/p>\n

The two-toned white and teal bus was laden with blue tinsel and inflatable\u00a0clown fish, and topped with an oversize red octopus \u2014 sewed together using fabric and a yoga ball.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were like, ‘We need a giant octopus,’ so we quickly put it together,\u201d said Claudia Still, 39. She wore a Kraken costume, including a green wig and mermaid\u2019s tail, for the occasion.<\/p>\n

DAY IN THE LIFE: What it\u2019s like to drive an art car every day in Houston<\/a><\/p>\n

The homespun mollusk was only a slight liability. \u201cThere\u2019s a tentacle right in my line of sight,\u201d Justin said, laughing, as he moved the plush arm off the windshield.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lincoln Still, 10, put together the design as part of his burgeoning art and 3D-printing company, called Lincoln\u2019s Beautiful Oops, Claudia said. The\u00a0young entrepreneur looked relaxed on Saturday afternoon, as he and his two siblings lounged\u00a0in the back of the bus.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the reasons we do it, is for the kids to have fun,\u201d Justin said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People take in art cars lining Dallas Street during the annual Art Car Parade in downtown Houston, Saturday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246087,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":{"0":"post-246086","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-houston-headlines","10":"tag-houston-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246086","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=246086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}