Plus Timeless Advice

Near failure: Houston barely squeezes onto drunkest cities in America list

Just in time for New Year's Eve, The Daily Beast released its list of drunkest cities in America — with Texas scoring three solid spots in the Top 25.

Houston just made it into the rankings at No. 25, with Austin taking seventh and San Antonio placing fifth. Here's the top 10:

Boston
Springfield, Mass.
Milwaukee
Reno
San Antonio
Chicago
Austin
St. Louis
San Diego
Tucson

Not too many surprises, really. Milwaukee and St. Louis have their breweries. San Antonio has its Riverwalk. The rest have hearty student populations. (Springfield, by the way, is the major hub of New England's Knowledge Corridor, a region that boasts more than 30 universities and colleges.)

As with last year's inaugural list, Daily Beast statisticians looked to drinking information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and consumption data from market-research firm Experian Simmons.

The average monthly number of drinks per person ranged from about 13 to 16, with Milwaukee leading the pack at 15.7 and Cleveland maintaining the most self-restraint at 13.3. The Texas cities ranked right in the middle with San Antonio at 14.2, Houston at 14.3 and Austin at 15.5.

Two types of carousers were established — heavy drinker and binge drinkers — to present a more accurate portrayal each city's average number of drinks. Lincoln, Neb. had the highest number of bingers with 22.7 percent of its over-age population, while San Francisco claimed only 14 percent. Houston fell near the national average of 15 percent, as Austin and San Antonio scored about 18 percent and 19 percent respectively.

CultureMap contacted the Houston Department of Health and Human Services to secure some words of wisdom for the city's binge drinkers this New Year's Eve.

"Basically, just eat a full meal before you go out," said department spokesperson Kathy Barton. "Then you're less likely to over drink. Other than that, have a designated driver or avoid driving all together.

"Any 12-year-old could give you that advice," she laughed. "Seriously, this is not a complicated new theory."

unspecified

don't get burned

Talented performers fire up new store and training facility in Houston

Supplies for fire performances to open in Houston in 2025.

Photo by Matt Hellman

Kira Bailey performs with fire fingers.

Have you ever wanted to juggle, swallow, or dance with fire? Houston will soon be home for a place that sells the gear and offers lessons in that art.

Chris and Kira Bailey of the Solar Rain Performance Troupe have been firebending for audiences for more than a decade, as well as running their own online store for tools of the trade, TheOddPropShop. In 2025, they plan to open a combination storefront and workshop for Houstonians to enter and practice the fiery arts.

"Having a physical location allows us to connect with our customers on a more personal level that can’t be replicated online — which is especially important for building props that performers must trust with their lives," the Baileys wrote in an email. "Because of that, we’re building this workshop to become a space to create and test products, and invite our customers in when they want custom-made props. We go through a long trial-and-error with each of our new ideas, often using affordable items from Temu to build our prototypes, and then improve our designs until they’re ready to sell."

The space will be located in Kemah and is scheduled to open in the second half of the year. It will be a combination storefront, living space, and workshop area that will serve aspiring fire performers in a variety of ways. The Baileys will sell their signature fire bubblers, fire jump ropes, and sun wheels that are perfect for both professionals and hobbyists.

The brick-and-mortar OddPropShop will serve as a hub for greater Houston's performance community. Interested first timers will be able to take classes, while established performers can try out new routines and equipment. According to the couple, Houston is home to a significant community of fire artists.

"We wanted to be in a city that not only has a great arts scene and supportive creative community, but is also in a location where we could quickly and easily get the materials we needed to build our props," the Baileys wrote. "Houston was the only place that checked all those boxes. We were also personally drawn to Houston because many of our friends and fellow performers live in the city. In many ways, Houston already felt like home."

In addition to the tools of the fire trade, TheOddPropShop will sell costumes and accessories such as leather and stone jewelry. These small pieces of flair help add to the pagan ambience of the overall fire package.

performing-arts shopping fire performers