Not content to rest on its laurels after its iconic Art Car Parade, the Orange Show for Visionary Art is putting a spin on the artsy-automotive event with a new festival and parade. The Orange Show and Houston Parks Board are teaming up for Houston’s first Art Bike Festival on Saturday, May 21.
The vibrant and free fest celebrates the Bayou City’s parks and trails, and of course, art and bikes. Locals are encouraged to register online by May 15 to take part in the parade.
Things kick off at 9 am at MacGregor Park (5225 Calhoun Rd.), with the parade rolling out at 10 am, with new participants joining more than 100 HISD students on their decked-out rides.
At around noon, the parade route will cycle through Brays Bayou Greenway from MacGregor Park to Smither Park (2441 Munger St. ). A post-parade event at Smither Park including awards, activities, and plenty of art, will take place around 2 pm.
This new bike festival comes on the heels of a wildly popular, recent Art Car Parade, which saw its first in-person event since 2019 due to the pandemic. The 35th anniversary parade saw tens of thousands of locals lining up downtown streets and Allen Parkway to get a glimpse of the 250 Art Cars, theme cars, and the charismatic grand marshal, Houston’s hip-hop icon Bun B.
For more information on the first Art Bike Festival, visit the festival site.
Look for decked-out wheels.
