Super Bowl Musicfest

Free Midtown music festival stretches Super Bowl party corridor along light rail line

It looks like the area from Midtown to downtown along Houston's light rail line is going to be Music and Party Central during Super Bowl week.

The latest to join the action is Mid Main SuperFest, a free four-day music, art and food block party that will take place February 2 through 5 in the 3600 and 3700 blocks of Main Street near the Ensemble/HCC light rail stop. The celebration, sponsored by the soon-to-open Mid Main Lofts, in partnership with The Continental Club and Natachee’s Supper ‘n Punch, will feature pop-up shops, culinary demonstrations and nightly concerts on an outdoor stage on Winbern Street, which will be closed to traffic between Travis and Main Street.

The Dallas-based psychphonic ensemble The Polyphonic Spree will headline a concert on Saturday night, February 4. Other performances during the four-day event include Houston bands The TonTons, -.Us, Mikey & The Drags, A Fistful of Soul, The Grahamphone, DJ Tempty and Light Rock Express as well as Dallas-based Ishi and Louisiana-based The Stooges Brass Band and Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie.

Of course, organizers hope revelers will drop by the nearby Continental Club, Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge, Alley Kat Bar & Lounge and other clubs and bars in the area to hear other top performers. Other gathering spots in the area include Tacos A Go Go, the Breakfast Klub and several hip retail shops.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Urban Harvest will host a Gameday Brunch on Winbern Street featuring more than 15 chefs and restaurants serving an eclectic variety of gourmet fare for purchase.

Five percent of drink sales at the festival will benefit Bike Houston, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating safe bikeways to improve the quality of life for all Houstonians. Attendees are encouraged to bike, take METRORail, Uber, carpool, or park in one of the surrounding parking garages located near the property.

The area stretching from the Ensemble/HCC light rail stop to the Main Street light rail stop in downtown Houston is expected to be a hub of activity during Super Bowl week. A few blocks from the Mid Main SuperFest, in the (hopefully) soon-to-be-completed Midtown Park, ESPN will set up shop and broadcast its full line of NFL daily shows, including NFL Insiders, NFL Live, SportsCenter, the Super Bowl Sunday edition of NFL Countdown, and ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike show. (UPDATE: ESPN has decided to move its broadcast location to a parking lot adjacent to the Toyota Center in downtown Houston.)

And a few rail stops away, the free Super Bowl LIVE festitivies will take place from January 27 to Feb 5 in Discovery Green, with concerts featuring ZZ Top, Solange Knowles, and The Suffers, and a signature thrill ride.

For a comprehensive list of Super Bowl-related parties and activities, check out CultureMap's updated listing of events.

Here's the lineup for the Mid Main SuperFest:

Thursday, February 2
Mid Main SuperFest Stage
5 pm – DJ Tempty
6:30 pm – Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie
8:30 pm – The Stooges Brass Band

Friday, February 3
Mid Main SuperFest Stage
5 pm – The Grahamaphone
7 pm – Ishi
8:30 pm – The TonTons

Saturday, February 4
Winbern Street Art Market
Noon – Variety of local art and craft vendors on Winbern Street

Mid Main SuperFest Stage
3 pm – Mikey & The Drags
4 pm – A Fistful of Soul
7 pm - .Us
8:30 pm – The Polyphonic Spree

Sunday, February 5
Mid Main SuperFest Stage
10:30 am – Light Rock Express

Winbern Street
Urban Harvest Gameday Brunch features 15+ chefs, restaurants

The Continental Club on the light rail line is a fixture on Mid Main.

The Continental Club Houston black-and-white at night RUN FLAT

Photo by Jay Lee/The Continental Club/Facebook

The Continental Club on the light rail line is a fixture on Mid Main.

super-bowl

appropriate attire required

RodeoHouston announces new dress code for attendees

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo carnival

Courtesy of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

It's the third time HLSR has received the award.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has updated its dress code to emphasize the family-friendly nature of the event. Released Monday, March 16, the changes to the rodeo’s “guest code of conduct” read as follows:

HLSR reserves the right to deny admission to or remove any person wearing attire that is considered inappropriate or attire that could detract from the experience of other guests. Clothing that is not appropriate for the HLSR show grounds includes, but is not limited to, clothing with objectionable material (including obscene language or graphics), excessively torn cloth, visible undergarments, and/or clothing which, by nature, exposes excessive portions of the skin that may be viewed as inappropriate for a family environment.

In addition, a separate policy states: “No clothing or apparel that intentionally obscures the face is permitted unless worn for cultural or religious reasons or a medical condition.”

At this time, it is not clear how HLSR will enforce the policy. All visitors agree to observe the code of conduct when they purchase tickets online. It is also posted at various places through the rodeo grounds, including at ticket booths and other stations on the property.

Rodeo representatives have yet to respond to CultureMap’s request for comment on the reasons behind the new policy. However, it may be due to social media posts over the past few days showing people in the sort of attire that’s just been banned.

In a viral Instagram post that’s drawn more than 200,000 views and 22,000 likes, local photographer Desmun Dangerfield summarized the problem succinctly. “Excuse my language, but I should not see your whole ass out at the Houston rodeo.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Desmun Dangerfield (@dangerfieldmedia)

Community reaction has been largely in support of the new policy. Erica Harrison, who comments on current events on her Black Girls Who Brunch social media account, supported the rodeo’s decision. “Houstonians of all backgrounds, including Black people, were calling for a dress code,” she said in a post published after the changes were announced Monday night.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs through this Sunday, March 22. Texas-born country singer Cody Johnson will close out the event with a concert-only performance on Sunday.

houston livestock show and rodeo