let's roll

Soccer star and Grammy-winning singer will lead Houston Art Car Parade

Art Car weekend returns April 9-12.

Courtesy of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art

If you see a lot of unusual-looking automobiles on the streets and freeways next month, it’ll be for one simple reason: the Art Car Parade is back.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art announced the return of the Houston Art Car Parade Weekend presented by Team Gillman, taking place Thursday, April 9 through Sunday, April 12. This will culminate in the Houston Art Car Parade – its 39th – on Saturday, April 11, featuring more than 250 one-of-a-kind, rolling works of art.

The four-day celebration transforms the city into a canvas of color, creativity, and community, with the parade serving as the weekend’s crowning spectacle, drawing more than 315,000 spectators annually and making it the largest free cultural event in Houston. Serving as the 2026 Featured Artist is Phillip Pyle II, a visual artist, graphic designer, and photographer whose work engages with issues of race and popular culture through the lens of graphic design.

This year’s grand marshals, former Houston Dynamo player Brian Ching and singer/The Suffers frontwoman Kam Franklin, represent two powerful pillars of Houston’s cultural identity: sports and music. Ching and Franklin join a distinguished list of past marshals, including Bun B, Carl Lewis, Marilyn Oshman, J.J. Watt, Dan Aykroyd and George Clinton.

“This year’s Orange Show Art Car Parade honors Kam Franklin and Brian Ching as Grand Marshals,” said Orange Show executive director Jack Massing. “Selected for their positive contributions as Houstonians, both are dedicated community leaders committed to fostering creativity through music and sports, helping build a happier, healthier city.”

Attendance remains free and open to the public, reinforcing the Orange Show’s mission to make art accessible to all. For those looking to immerse themselves in the parade’s energy while supporting its mission, the VIPit offers a festival-style atmosphere with limited tables and reserved grandstand seating starting at $250. Admission includes complimentary food and beverages from Houston favorites, private restrooms, and premium parade views. Proceeds directly fund year-round Art Car programming at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, including Art Cars in Schools, a curriculum aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards that brings hands-on creative learning into classrooms across the region.

For more information, visit the Orange Show website.

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oh captain my captain

Houston artist celebrates World Cup 2026 with mural at Tex-Mex eatery

A soccer mural by José “Meenr” Arredondo on the wall of Ninfa's

Photo by José “Meenr” Arredondo

A new mural on the the wall of Ninfa's welcomes visitors to the FIFA World Cup 2026

One of Houston's most iconic restaurants is doing its part to get read for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The warehouse next to the Original Ninfa's on Navigation (2727 Canal St.) now displays a mural by local artist José “Meenr” Arredondo.

Ninfa's has long been an iconic institution in a city famous the world over for its food. Founded in 1973, it almost single-handedly launched the fajita craze in Houston and around the world. Since the city is expected to receive 500,000 visitors when the sports event begins in June, more than a few of them will likely head to Ninfa's for dinner.

Those diners will be greeted by the massive new soccer-themed mural by Arredondo. Currently in progress, it will feature four famous soccer captains from sports history: Kylian Mbappé of France, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, Lionel Messi of Argentina, and Edson Álvarez of Arredondo's native Mexico. Though Arredondo moved to Houston at the age of three, he still maintains a deep love of his birth country and wanted to celebrate its contribution to international soccer.

“All four players are captains and I chose them because of everything they have to do to prepare for the World Cup,” he said in a statement. “They train themselves while also leading and caring for their teammates.”

The 160-foot, spray-painted mural is being produced with institutional and financial support from Ninfa's, its owner Legacy Restaurants, and the World Cup, who gifted Arredondo official permission to use its logo.

Arredondo is the perfect artist for the project. He is a lifelong soccer fan, the founder of the Buffalo Bayou Mural Festival, and a frequent contributor of work to the streets of Houston. Adding a mural to Ninfa's re-sparked his artistic fire, which had been lapsed in recent years as other duties demanded his time.

"I haven't painted in two years, because I've put 100 percent of my time into building the festival,” he said. “Thanks to East End community supporter, Telemundo, the generous financial support of The Original Ninfa’s, and collaboration with the East End District this project came to life.”

The mural is slated to be finished later this month and will have an official unveiling. More details will be released in the coming weeks. Across many venues and streets, Houston's transformation into the home of the World Cup is coming together.

Courtesy of José “Meenr” Arredondo

A new mural near Ninfa's welcomes visitors to the FIFA World Cup 2026

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