Pix of the Day

Battle of the bands creates quite a ruckus on the University of Houston campus: Can you hear them now?

Anyone passing by the University of Houston's TDECU Stadium was met with thunderous sounds of belting brass and pounding rhythmic drums as hundreds of students gathered together for the first time.

What on earth was going on?

Musicians from the University of Houston Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band, Austin High School Sonic Boom and Milby High School Marching Thunder, set to perform Afoot! A Marching Band Extravaganza as a high-decibel intro to the East End Street Fest Saturday, worked alongside three band directors plus choreographers Allison Orr and Krissie Marty of Austin's Forklift Danceworks and a coterie of local movers and shakers courtesy of Dance Houston to rehearse as one cohesive power corps.

The hour-long program, which will be held at the Navigation Esplanade from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday is part of Houston Arts Alliance's Transported + Renewed venture, a three-month project that reintroduces the East End as a revitalized neighborhood that's rich with historical significance and cultural traditions.

The students will continue to rehearse to ensure the spectacle doesn't crash and burn. Because that would be tuba-d.

The performance promises to be two things: Fun and loud. What's not to love?

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The hour-long performance will kick off the East End Street Fest Saturday.

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a major award

'Oscars of the internet' recognizes Houston's Meow Wolf with 2 awards

Photo provided by Meow Wolf

Adultiverse at Meow Wolf Houston (2024)

The Houston location of Meow Wolf won two international Webby Awards for Radio Tave, its installation in Fifth Ward. The awards, in the categories Webby Award (Critics' Choice) and the People’s Voice Award for Best Installation or Experience in AI, Immersive & Games, were announced earlier this week.

“To win both a juried Webby and the People’s Voice speaks to the power of what we created in Houston,” said Meow Wolf Houston general manager Aaron Johnson. “Radio Tave is about surprise, immersion, and imagination. We’re proud that our community, our collaborators, and the global digital world have embraced this journey.”

Other winners included Google, Nike, Walter Goggins, Snoop Dogg, and Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett for her use of digital platforms for civic advocacy.

Radio Tave opened last year on Halloween. A highly-enjoyable but somewhat difficult to describe experience, it guides visitors through an East Texas radio station that's been transported to another dimension. Like the rest of Meow Wolf's installations across the country, it's an immersive exhibition that puts the visitor inside a story, from solving a jukebox-based puzzle to dance parties. With music by Houston rapper Fat Tony (among others) and and some adorably creepy animatronics, Radio Tave is an unsettling and surreal adventure designed by more than 50 Texas artists.

The Webby Awards honor excellence in internet culture. Founded in 1996 by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, it is essentially the Oscars of the internet. Meow Wolf's distinctive digital experiences and high internet visibility make them a natural for the "AI, Immersive & Games: Arts, Fashion & Culture" category. Though obviously a real-world attraction, Meow Wolf's robust social media presence brings its work to digital audiences.

Meow Wolf Houston is the fifth location overall and second Texas location. Located in Houston's Fifth Ward, it features dozens of rooms filled with art, sculptures, installation pieces, and more. It quickly established itself as a unique, must-visit part of Houston's art scene and nightlife.

Known for its immersive art and music installations, the company previously won a Webby for the Dallas-Fort Worth location, The Real Unreal, in 2023. New locations in New York City and Los Angeles are scheduled to open in 2026.

awards meow wolf