the big 5-0

Houston's biggest art festival returns to Memorial Park for its 50th bash

The Bayou City Art Festival is back for its 50th year.

In 1971, a fledgling arts group dubbed the Westheimer Colony Association launched a festival to showcase the talent in the Lower Westheimer/Montrose/Neartown neighborhoods. Now, 50 years later, that group — now the Art Colony Association — will bring a beloved arts tradition back to Memorial Park for its golden anniversary.

The Bayou City Art Festival returns for its 50th year to Memorial Park — along S. Picnic Loop — from 10 am–6 pm Friday through Sunday, March 25-27. Visitors are invited to stroll the park and check out some 300 artists from around the country and view original works, including world-class paintings, prints, jewelry, sculptures, and more at prices for every taste.

Tickets run $18 for adults, $5 for children 6-12; children under five are free. Importantly, tickets must be pre-purchased online and will not be sold at the gate. Find tickets here.

This year’s featured artist is Daryl Thetford, a mixed media artist from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As for the event, guests can catch the Stella Artois Main Stage, a KPRC 2 Hitch Stage, a food truck park, a craft beer garden, La Crema Experience Wine Tasting, and additional entertainers throughout the festival, per a release.

For some interactive fun, look for the Active Imagination Zone. Here, guests of all ages can play with oversized bubbles, visit with caricature artist Bonnie Blue, and create art. HCA Houston Healthcare will return with an interactive community art project that honors healthcare workers.

Young artists get the spotlight via an exhibition of student artwork crafted by the top 30 finalists from the 9th Annual Middle School Art Competition will also be featured. An award ceremony for the top-winning students, and their families, plus the winner of the 2022 "Dawn Clevenger Honorary People’s Choice Award" will take place at 1 pm on Sunday.

For the ultimate art lover, Bayou City Art Festival is offering a limited availability VIP Hospitality Lounge presented by Frost Bank, which will include complimentary light bites, beer, wine, and other refreshments. The relaxing setting will feature roaming musicians, artistic décor, a phone charging station, and more. VIPs receive access from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the VIP area, along with VIP parking. VIP tickets are available online for $65 and include a shuttle pass.

For an upscale experience, opt for the limited-availability VIP Hospitality Lounge presented by Frost Bank, boasting complimentary light bites, beer, wine, and other refreshments. The relaxed scene will feature roaming musicians, artsy décor, a phone charging station, and more. VIPs receive access from 11 am to 5 pm to the VIP area, along with VIP parking. These tickets can be purchased online for $65 and include a shuttle pass.

Speaking of shuttles: No on-site festival parking will be available. Ticket holders will receive free, secured parking at Northwest Mall (555 NW Mall). Guests can also purchase a parking shuttle pass for transportation to and from the festival site. A round-trip shuttle ride is $5 online and children 12 and under ride free. (Note: Masks are required while riding the shuttle bus.)

Always comprising a charitable element, the festival will donate a portion of the proceeds to its nonprofit partners including ArtReach, A Cause to Give Us Paws, Fresh Arts, Orange Show For Visionary Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency.

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The Bayou City Arts Festival’s 50th anniversary; Memorial Park at S. Picnic Loop; Tickets range from $18-$65. For more information, visit the festival site, or stay up-to-date on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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Mags Move In

Shuttered Houston magazine stand finds new home at Austin coffee shop

Tomo Mags bus outside of brick-and-mortar Austin store

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Tomo Mags is driving into a new era.

Austin's roaming newsstand Tomo Mags — which sells books out of a signature blue bus — is moving up in the world. Its new brick-and-mortar bookstore and partner coffee shop, Cielito Lindo, are celebrating their grand opening Thursday, January 22, at 411 Brazos Street, #101. A ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10-11 am with the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce will mark the occasion.

Tomo Mags started in 2015 in Houston, on a decommissioned school bus. Founder Vico Puentes hit the ground running — or driving — visiting shopping centers, galleries, universities, cafés, and more. It toted artsy independent magazines about fashion, photography, design, erotica, and even some comparatively normie selections like The Economist and New York Magazine.

The journey so far has included an earlier stationary space that later closed (and another one that reopened), a pause for several years, and a "bittersweet" move to Austin in 2025.

Tomo Mags Austin interior The collection has a lot more room to expand in this new space.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

The new shop offers more of the same: a wide selection of magazines and art books alongside studio tools like pens and notebooks, merch, and fashionable accessories. It's been in a soft-opening phase since mid-December. Cielito Lindo, which opened in a coffee pot-shaped trailer in Manor in spring 2025, also kicked off its soft opening in the space a few days. Both the Tomo bus and Cielito's trailer will continue operating.

Even though both businesses are relatively new to Austin, Puentes has deep personal connections with the city.

“Before opening TOMO mags, I worked in downtown Austin for the last six years, and I’ve seen such an incredible evolution in what it feels like for the people who work and live here, as well as the visitors passing through,” said Puentes in a press release.

Tomo Mags Austin interior Cafe tables are great for flipping through new finds with Cielito Lindo's signature horchata latte.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Driving around town to make sales may sound like a fast-paced existence, but Puentes hopes visitors to Tomo can slow down when they visit, enjoying the physical experience and maybe even creating a personal art archive over time. Part of that includes getting to know the artists filling the shelves.

"With TOMO mags, our goal is to create a place people can come back to regularly to slow down, find inspiration, and leave with something special, or a gift that actually feels thoughtful," he said. "We’re already meeting people from all over the world, and we’re proud to host them and share recommendations that help them experience Austin beyond just downtown, while also spotlighting the creative community and local businesses that make this city so special.”

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