In 1991, the Orange Show brought acclaimed art car artist David Best to Houston to collaborate on an art car with a University of Houston sculpture class. He and Houston artist Paul Kittelson staged an impromptu procession of art cars the day before the official parade around the city's 610 Loop. The pre-parade art car convoy was such a success that in 1992, the Orange Show formalized the pre-parade event as the Main Street Drag, a caravan from the Astrodome at the South end of Main St. to the North Main barrio.

The event has grown into eight separate caravans, making organized stops at 32 schools, hospitals and community centers, seeing more than 30,000 people.

The 2013 Main Street Drag will travel along two routes. Exact routes and stops will be available at a later time. Check the website for details.