New Year's Eve Canceled

No New Year's Eve for Houston! Mega party at Discovery Green dies due to funding issues

While this year's Thanksgiving Day Parade may have been spared, Houston's popular New Year's Eve Live event has been canceled due to funding issues.

Word of the cancelation first surfaced Friday morning with a note on the events calendar run by the Downtown District management group, which sponsored the last two New Year's gatherings along with the City of Houston, the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau and Houston First.

City of Houston spokesperson Janice Evans confirms for CultureMap via email that the $500,000 event was canceled "due to a lack of funding," but offers few other specifics.

"We just were unable to secure the necessary sponsorships for this year."

"We know it is an event that Houstonians have enjoyed the last two years," she writes. "We just were unable to secure the necessary sponsorships for this year. Several companies are discussing the possibility of providing the financial underwriting to bring it back in 2014.

"We remain hopeful those discussions will be successful."

Downtown District communications director Angie Bertinot tells CultureMap her organization posted the cancelation as soon as they were told it was getting called off by the City.

"This is a terrific event and I understand it's been a difficult decision," she says. "We're crossing our fingers that it can continue next year."

The annual New Year's event launched at Discovery Green on Dec. 31, 2010 as Gloworama — a family-friendly (and corporate-sponsored) bash including an art car parade, fireworks and live music performances. The event changed to its name to New Year's Eve Live for the last two celebrations, both of which were organized and funded under the auspices of City of Houston and its aforementioned trio of partners.

Those looking for some downtown fun still have the Thanksgiving Day Parade thanks to a last minute save primarily led by H-E-B with assistance from the Houston Arts Alliance and the nonprofit civic improvement group Central Houston.

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toy story

Houston Toy Museum will shutter in the Heights after 4 years

Luke Skywalker action figure Houston Toy Museum

Photos via Houston Toy Museum

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Childhood whimsy took a mortal blow this week as the Houston Toy Museum announced it would be closing its storefront on 19th Street at the end of August.

"The truth is, we fell in love with the idea of being in a space that already held so much history and nostalgia for so many," wrote founders Matt and Sara Broussard in an Instagram post on Wednesday, July 22. "So we dreamed big, took a leap, and in some ways bit off more than we could chew. Even so, we are deeply proud of what we have built and have no regrets!"

The couple cited rising rent prices as the primary reason for the closure. The Greater Houston Partnership reports that gross office rent prices in the second quarter of 2026 had jumped to $31/square foot, up from a $28/square foot a year ago. For a 4,932 square foot building like the Houston Toy Museum at 321 W. 19th, such increases can compound into an untenable amount.

The Broussards assured their fans and supporters that the Houston Toy Museum was not disappearing completely. They plan to continue hosting events around the city, including pop-ups and LEGO builds. Their Instagram post ended with a hopeful promise that they will find another storefront location sometime in the future.

When the Houston Toy Museum first opened in 2022, it quickly became a one-of-a-kind hub of pop culture in the city. Built from donated toys and the Broussards' large personal collection, it housed an impressive array of everything from century-old dolls to the immense G.I. Joe playset the U.S.S . Flagg (which is 7.5 feet long) to modern video game systems. The museum hosted film screenings, community talks, and more on the history and importance of play. It also sold a lot of toys in the gift shop.

All of those items are headed to storage, but the Broussards remained upbeat and thankful for the four years they were able to entertain and delight Houston.

"What started as a daydream became a space filled with joy, nostalgia, creativity, connection, and community," said the statement. "We watched families make memories here, saw people reconnect with pieces of their childhood, hosted incredible events, and felt an outpouring of support that we will never forget.We owe so much to you, our community. You showed up for us again and again, and we cannot thank you enough for believing in what we created. Heights residents, and beyond, you helped spread the word about our little museum. Many of you have been our biggest cheerleaders from day one and we are forever grateful for that."

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