Houston

Houston's Insta-worthy FOMO Factory makes surprise limited-run return

The FOMO Factory has been through so much in such a short amount of time.

The wildly popular immersive, Instagrammable pop-up exhibit opened last June at the Galleria for six-month run. But then, a month later, Rachel Youens, FOMO’s native Texan owner and founder, passed away at the age of 35. An announcement was made on Instagram that the Factory would close its doors permanently.

However, the Youens Family, in conjunction with Up Pop, LLC, has decided to bring the Factory back to H-Town. It will reopen its Houston location on Friday, October 18, for a limited three-month run inside The Galleria. “We are thrilled to invite Houstonians to return to The FOMO Factory as a continuation of my daughter’s legacy and whimsical imagination,” said Robert Youens in a press release. “With new additions and reconfigurations, the team has once again created the opportunity for guests to embrace their inner child.”

FOMO, which previously launched a five-month run in Austin last year, will continue to entice visitors and have them shed their identity and cares at the door before entering a magical world featuring 16 rooms. New to the Factory is a redesigned, intergalactic Space Room, complete with spinning galaxy chairs. Basically a salute to its home in Space City, the Space Room will compliment the exhibit’s now-iconic Birthday Room, with its giant cake, and the Playground Room, outfitted with an adult-sized seesaw.

“The FOMO Factory offers an innovative experience and we are extremely excited that it is returning,” said Chris Lane, director of marketing and business development at The Galleria, in a press release. “We strive to redefine the conventional shopping center environment and The FOMO Factory adds a dynamic concept for new visitors and loyal fans to enjoy.”

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Hours of operations are 10 am-9 pm (Mondays) and 11 am-7 pm (Wednesday-Sunday). A limited number of early-bird discount tickets are now available. Guests can use the discount code EARLYFOMO. The Factory also offers adults-only nights, group and private events, and VIP packages. Tickets and other information are available here.

The FOMO Factory is supposed to represent childhood with larger-than-life installations.

Photo courtesy of FOMO Factory

The FOMO Factory is supposed to represent childhood with larger-than-life installations.

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Houston's interdimensional art exhibit books 4 local acts for summer concerts

The four members of Swimwear Department hugging

Photo provided by Meow Wolf

Swimwear Department is heading to Meow Wolf

Things are heating up this summer at Meow Wolf as they host their first ever summer concert series. Four hometown bands will take the stage at the immersive art complex for a series of shows in June and July.

“Houston’s music scene has always been bold, genre-defying, and deeply original, so it felt natural to bring that same energy into our Radio Tave world,” said Aaron Johnson, general manager of Meow Wolf Houston. “This concert series is about celebrating the artists who define Texas' sound and give guests a new reason to experience Meow Wolf in a whole new way.”

Ever since Meow Wolf first opened during Halloween last year in Fifth Ward, the collection of artistic spaces has wowed, delighted, and sometimes confused audiences. Cowboix Hevvven, the venue's "dive bar" with possible links to extraterrestrials, was designed by fifth generation Texan Cole Wilson and features a jukebox of 30 original songs Wilson created in collaboration with other Texas artists. Radio Tave, Meow Wolf's name for the exhibit as a whole, has been a huge critical and popular hit for Meow Wolf, winning two Webby Awards last month.

It's also the perfect place to show off some of the more esoteric bands that make up the Houston sound. The odd four-piece rock band Swimwear Department burst onto the scene in 2023, winning over audiences with their songs about pools and malls as well as a series of stellar music videos shot around the city. Their potent mix of quirk and early-alternative music has made them one of the best novelty acts in Houston.

Meanwhile, The Mighty Orq and Mango Punch have been mainstays for more than a decade. Orq is swamp blues royalty, and always adds a sense of the strange to his concerts thanks to his near-mystical aura. Mango Punch is almost custom built for Meow Wolf thanks to a hectic swirl of Top 40, disco and cumbia.

The schedule for the concerts is below with links to tickets.

Though Houston has never hurt for places weird bands can play, wedding the popular immersive art space at Meow Wolf with concerts is an opportunity to reframe music as performance art rather than just something to listen to while having a drink (though you can still do that at Meow Wolf). Should the summer concert series prove a success, it could quickly become one of the prime venues in the city, at least for groups looking to be a little out there.

meow wolf concerts