on the nice list

Houston sparkles and shines as No. 3 most festive city in the U.S. for 2023

Houston really lights it up for the holidays.

Photo courtesy of Central Houston

Houston homes, businesses, and special events that go all out to deck their halls for the holidays have not gone unnoticed. Houston has been named No. 3 most festive city in the United States.

For the second year in a row, a study by home services provider Thumbtack puts Houston at the very top of the nice list. The report compiled data from millions of Christmas-related home projects across all 50 states between October 2022 to November 2023 to reveal their list of the most festive cities in the nation.

And while Thumbtack specifically focuses on home holiday projects, Houstonians certainly can glean inspiration from the city's many festive displays, including the Wortham Tree Lighting that weaves the magic from The Nutcracker with immersive Instagram-worthy moments.

Texas cities dominated the top 10, with Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth ranking just ahead of Houston as the No. 1 and No. 2 most festive American cities, respectively. Also on the rise is San Antonio (No. 5), which ranked No. 10 in the 2022 report.

The average cost to hire a holiday lighting specialist, Thumbtack says, is between $168-$300, with other requests like wrapping outdoor trees tacking on an additional cost. If Houstonians are looking to outsource their exterior home decorating to a specialist, they're already past the peak time to hire one, Thumbtack says. Americans most frequently hang their holiday lights and Christmas decorations during the Thanksgiving weekend, according to the report.

"Whether you’re looking to make your home a brightly lit winter wonderland or simply looking to add a few festive touches to your home’s exterior — sprucing up your home’s exterior with lights is an exciting part of getting into the holiday spirit," said Thumbtack design expert Morgan Olsen in the report. "Hiring a holiday lighting specialist can help you avoid stress (and unwanted injuries) so you can focus on enjoying the season."

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive cities in the U.S. for 2023 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
No. 3 – Houston, Texas
No. 4 – Seattle, Washington
No. 5 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 6 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 7 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 8 – Tampa, Florida
No. 9 – Denver, Colorado
No. 10 – Orlando, Florida

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Houston surpasses Austin as the 6th most fun city in America in 2025

Minute Maid Stadium, Daikin Park stadium in Houston

Photo by Ty Welch on Unsplash

Catching a baseball game at Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park) is one of the many fun things Houstonians and visitors alike can enjoy in the city.

Houston's fun entertainment and nightlife scenes have helped the city surpass Austin in WalletHub's just-released ranking of the most fun American cities in 2025. H-Town now stands tall as the sixth most fun U.S. city this year.

WalletHub's "Most Fun Cities in America (2025)" study compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics — spanning from the number of sports venues, music venues, and shopping centers per capita to the average cost for a restaurant meal — to determine how "fun" each city is. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

Las Vegas, Nevada continued its multi-year streak as the No. 1 most fun American city.

Across the three key dimensions, Houston scored the highest for its nightlife and parties rank (No. 10), but its costs (No. 20) and entertainment and recreation ranks (No. 21) still have room for improvement. But overall, Houston's level of "fun" is far higher than most U.S. cities.

Houston's hospitality industry particularly stood out as a cut above the rest after landing in a five-way tie for the highest number of restaurants per capita. The city also landed in a five-way tie for the No. 1 most dance clubs per capita nationwide.

Houston's current "fun" status is three spots higher than its 2024 rank as the 9th most fun American city, and it's a major hike from its No. 19 placement in 2023.

Austin, which ranked No. 6 last year, dropped two spots and now ranks as the 8th most fun city in America in 2025. Other Texas cities that appeared in the top 100 include: San Antonio (No. 23), Dallas (No. 26), Fort Worth (No. 60), El Paso (No. 62), Arlington (No. 71), Plano (No. 78), and Corpus Christi (No. 94).

"The decision of where to live could save or cost you a lot of money and fun, so it’s fair to wonder what makes a fun city," the report's author wrote. "In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, family, or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together."

WalletHub's top 10 most fun U.S. cities in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Austin, Texas
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Surprisingly, both Chicago and New York City dropped out of the top 10 most fun American cities. Chicago now ranks as No. 11, and New York City ranks 14th on the list.

wallethub rankings houston

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let loose htx

Houston surpasses Austin as the 6th most fun city in America in 2025