Quirky Wheels

The pick of the parade: 10 Art Cars that you can't miss

The 299 unique cars on display in this afternoon's Art Car Parade are quite an eyeful. Here are one CultureMapper's picks for 10 vehicles to keep your eyes peeled for — before they peel away.

#8 Dan Aykroyd and Annise Parker: Ms. Mayor touted the Art Car Parade on National Public Radio as one of the coolest aspects of life in Houston. And it looks like Annise likes riding in art cars with boys: joining her is Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician winemaker and vodka savant Dan Aykroyd.

#14 Seahorse: Entered by Mark "Scrapdaddy" Bradford, this electric three-wheel contraption is built from recycled scrap metal. Green and fierce — just like we like it.

#19 The Jackson Pollackar: Midcentury abstraction meets 21st-century mobilization — minus the traumatic car crash.

#49 Shattered Vanity: One of the handful of art cars that is used daily, this blingmobile carries over 250 pounds of hand cut mirrors, lit on top and underneath by LEDs.

#75 Oojah: Model magic mixed with friendly monster, Oojah dazzles with an LED light show and propane flamethrower.

#93 Brunnhilda's Encore: Also staking out a seat for Annise, this entry is the concept of Opera to Go and previously won the first place Art Car award.

#192 Illuminaughty: This is a 28-foot long tricked-out 1988 Lincoln Continental Town Car Stretch Limousine originally from the state of California. Rumor has it that it has served as a crash pad to a lucky few.

#227 Percy Peacock: Inspired by the avian drawings of James Audubon, this item features kinetic tail feather mechanics. Be jealous.

#240 Fiesta Plata: Haloise Redding's entry will make its debut on her 25th birthday, hence the piñata inspired antics. At last night's Art Car Ball, the trunk was left open, revealing bushels of candy for all to enjoy.

#299 Atomic Dog: The brain child of students of Waltrip High School, this rococo gizmo is worth the wait.

Looking for more inside scoop? Refer to CultureMap's Art Car Parade mobile guide to put the parade in the palm of your hand. You can get details on every art car and locate the best viewing spots for one of Houston's most unique events.

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The Holidays Are Brutal

Free holiday rage room lets Houstonians smash the stress of the season

Photo courtesy of Pluto TV

Get ready to drop-kick that pile of presents.

Be honest: Are the holidays getting to you yet? Does the stress of shopping, wrapping, traveling, visiting, cooking, baking, decorating, and moving that darn Elf around have you ready to break something?

Instead of attacking your lawn decorations like Clark Griswold, channel that festive frustration into a safe and controlled catharsis. For one day only, Pluto TV, the free streaming service from Paramount, is bringing a free pop-up rage room experience to Houston. Yes, free (though you do have to RSVP).

On Thursday, December 11, from 4-10 pm, visitors can step into a holiday-themed rage room and unleash their inner action star by smashing ornaments, drop-kicking wrapping-paper disasters, and “decking” the halls.

The tie-in is Pluto TV’s new “Holidays Are Brutal” collection, an assembly of 70-plus action films including Charlie’s Angels, Bad Boys, Rush Hour, The Expendables, Gladiator, and others that are featured all December long.

It's all going down at Break Life, a year-round rage room located at 5805 Centralcrest St., Houston.

Four rage rooms are available for the holiday experience on December 11. Each session is 30 minutes and accommodates up to four people, who must all be 18 and over. Reserve your slot here.

Rage rooms were invented in Japan in 2008, first as art installations before opening as commercial endeavors worldwide in the mid-2010s.

They really had a moment pre-pandemic, with The Real Housewives of Dallas even visiting one in 2018 (season 3, episode 6, in case you're interested) and The Bachelorette's Becca and Blake smashing it up in season 14 with some help from rapper Lil Jon.

The Houston holiday rage room is one of several that Pluto TV is hosting around the country this season; they're also popping up in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Fort Worth, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Raleigh-Durham. Find out more on their website.

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