giddy up

Welcome the Year of the Horse at these 10 Houston Lunar New Year events

A performance of The Big Swim by Houston Grand Opera

Houston Grand Opera and Asia Society Texas team up to present The Big Swim.

Photo by Lynn Lane

February 17 marks the Lunar New Year. Mostly observed in Asian countries and places with large diasporas like Houston, it's a time of feasts, performances, and cultural exchange. Houston always pulls out all the stops with a wide variety of attractions and gatherings. Here are 10 places in Houston hosting events during the Lunar New Year worth checking out.

Saturday, February 7

Otaku Food Festival
What would an Asian celebration be without a little anime? The Otaku Food Festival combines Asian pop culture with street food from all across the continent to ring in the year of the fire horse. Sumo bouts, cosplay contests, and photo ops with anime voice actors will all be part of the celebration at the Karbach Brewing Co. Free admission. 11 am.

Lunar New Year Storytime with author Monique Truong
Houston author Monique Truong reads from her new children's book Mai’s Áo Dài, which explores the way her Vietnamese family has celebrated the Lunar New Year over the course of her life, including once they came to the United States as refugees after the Fall of Saigon. The bestselling essayist and author will also take questions on her creative process, storytelling style, and her upcoming works. Experience this intimate look at the Lunar New Year from one of the city's finest writers. 3 pm.

Saturday, February 14

Discovery Green Performers and Market
One of Houston's best free Lunar New Year events is always the celebration at Discovery Green. The Anheuser-Busch Stage will host Lee’s Golden Dragons as they maneuver their glow-in-the-dark dragon through acrobatic leaps. Traditional drum and dance shows by Han Narea and Dance of Asian America are also scheduled. Food, toy, and craft vendors of traditional Asian goods will fill the park grounds. 7 am.

Downtown Houston Lunar New Year Festival
Market Square hosts an elaborate Lunar New Year festival from noon to dusk perfect for families. Lion dancers, food, and vendors will all on on site, as well as a live DJ, and cultural workshops by Young Audiences of Houston. Like Discovery Green, this is a free event, and an intrepid group might be able to hit both on the same day! 12 pm.

Lunar New Year at the Children's Museum Houston
When it comes to education and crafts for kids, the Children's Museum Houston always has great programing. Lion dancers, diabolo yo-yo performers, an interactive storybook produced by Houston Grand Opera, and puppet crafts are just some of the activities included with general admission for one weekend. Be sure to check out the Asian pagodas in the nearby McGovern Gardens while visiting. 9 am (Also open Sunday, February 15).

Katy Asian Town (KAT) LunarFest
Among the city's most underrated celebrations, the theme of this year's LunarFest is "Fortune Rides With You," a fitting sentiment for the year of the horse. In addition to the usual lion and dragon dancers, food stalls, and musical shows, the fair contains a five element (wu xing) game zone filled with crafts and competitions as well as an adult fashion show. Free admission. 11 am (also open Sunday, February 15).

Friday, February 20

The Big Swim at Asia Society Texas
Asia Society Texas and the Houston Grand Opera will once again present the operatic fairy tale The Big Swim, a retelling of The Jade Emperor and the Great Race. Written by composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien, the show uses a contemporary setting to explain the establishment of the Chinese Zodiac. Masks and an inventive settings complete the magical exploration of mythology. 7 pm (2 pm on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22).

Saturday, February 21

Lunar New Year at Space Center Houston
If you really want to put the lunar in Lunar New Year, head down to Space Center Houston where the focus is all on the moon. General admission for the weekend includes crafts and demonstrations related to lunar science, a talk with astronaut Colonel Carl Walz, lion dancers, and a wishing tree so visitors can hang up their hopes for 2026. 10 am (also open Sunday, February 22).

2026 Pearland Lunar New Year Festival
The Pearland Chinese Association is once again hosting its Lunar New Year festival. This event has one of the wider selections of attractions, including mask changing magic shows, calligraphy demonstrations, fortune-telling and Chinese astrology, Tai Chi, and more. This is in addition to the standard lion dances and other traditional musical acts. 11 am.

Live at Live Oak: Celebrating Lunar New Year
Memorial Park Conservatory is hosting a demonstration of traditional Chinese performance art, including the Unity Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe, as well as Rice University student Mika Chang demonstrating her skill with the diabolo yo-yo. While the show is upbeat and energetic, it won't have the crowds and bustle of the other festivals, which makes it a good choice for the overstimulated who want a more low-key celebration. 4 pm.

festivals performing-arts lunar new year

high income households

Houston suburb has top-20 highest rate of new wealthy residents in U.S.

Photo courtesy of Visit Houston

Conroe is a really desirable place to live for renters.

A new income study has revealed Houston's wealthiest aren't settling down in Pearland anymore — they've set their sights on Conroe, instead.

Conroe had one of the highest growth rates of new wealthy residents nationwide in SmartAsset's new analysis, "Cities Adding the Most High-Income Households – 2026 Study."

Based on U.S. Census income data, SmartAsset's experts ranked 357 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 residents based on the growth in high-income households as a percentage of total households between 2023 and 2024. The report defines high-income households as those earning an income of at least $200,000.

Conroe had the fifth-highest growth in wealthy households in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 20 nationwide.

The report's findings show Conroe had 3,034 high-income households in 2023. By the following year, the suburb had a near 60-percent growth rate in wealthy earners, bringing the total number of high-income households to 5,220.

A total 11.5 percent of all Conroe households made at least $200,000 in income in 2024. For added context, the median household income for a Conroe household during that same year was $80,411.

The rise in wealthy newcomers might not be as much of a surprise to locals: Conroe was among the most desirable suburbs to move to in 2025, and it was ranked in a top-25 best city for renters in America.

According to the report, an influx of affluent households can have a significant impact on a city's local economy, most commonly through contributing "more dollars to the local and state tax bases, and to surrounding businesses."

"At the same time, this relative economic strength may sway entities to cater more to the preferences of these households to earn their patronage," the report said. "Quick growth in high income households may accelerate tax collection and business prosperity, just as their departure may cause some concern for local politicians, business owners, and neighbors."

In SmartAsset's 2025 report, Pearland was the Houston-area city that added the most wealthy new residents, but that figure has since plummeted. Pearland ranked No. 236 in this year's rankings with a mere 4.2 percent growth rate in high-income households from 2023-2024.

Texas cities with the biggest growth in high-income households
The East Texas city of Beaumont, located about 90 miles from Houston, had the biggest growth rate of high-earners in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 6 nationally.

Two more Houston-area cities ranked in the top 100: Atascocita (No. 66) and League City (No. 77). Atascocita had a 30.4 percent growth rate in high earners from 2023-2024, adding up to 6,512 wealthy households. League City had 11,404 high-income households in 2024, an increase of 27.2 percent from the year before.

Other Texas cities that ranked among the national top 100 include:

No. 8 – Odessa
No. 14 – Laredo
No. 18 – College Station
No. 28 – Waco
No. 31 – Mesquite
No. 56 – Arlington
No. 59 – Amarillo
No. 69 – McKinney
No. 72 – McAllen
No. 90 – Irving
No. 94 – Brownsville

houston suburbs conroe smartasset wealthy suburbs affluent households