Here come da cars

Forget Dan Aykroyd: Lynn Wyatt signs on as Grand Marshal of the Art Car Parade

Lynn Wyatt takes the lead as Grand Marshall of the Orange Show Art Car Parade.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
2010 Grand Marshall Dan Aykroyd was joined by Mayor Annise Parker on the streetsof downtown.
Photo by Allen Roberson
The art car street scene is a serious switch from the charity benefits that LynnWyatt frequents.
Photo by Paul Sedillo
Lynn Wyatt takes the lead as Grand Marshall of the Orange Show Art Car Parade.
Photo by Priscilla Dickson

Lynn Wyatt is already practicing her "royal wave" and contemplating the perfect costuming for her zaniest role of the social season — Grand Marshal of the Orange Show Art Car Parade.

"How much fun is that! I've never been a Grand Marshal," she said, laughing at the thought.

La Wyatt, Houston's leading lady of international flair and fashion, will take the lead in the annual parade on May 22, only four days after chairing the 40th anniversary of Rothko Chapel at tony Houston Country Club. In this social 180, she'll take to the streets — in one of the parade's splashier mobile artworks — with thousands of folks who have an appreciation for the fun that is the Art Car Parade.

"I think these people are so creative. I'm so amazed at the designs that they come up with every year from these inspiring artists," she said.

Wyatt will be following in the footsteps of Dan Aykroyd, who filled the role last year while in town promoting his Crystal Head Vodka. Others who've held the Grand Marshal post include funk meister George Clinton and Kinky Friedman.

When first approached with the idea, Wyatt graciously declined. "I said no, no, no." But Orange Show founder and good friend of Wyatt, Marilyn Oshman was just too persuasive and persistent. "Well, I agreed," Wyatt conceded.

Today, she's actually looking forward to her first foray in the spotlight on a parade route. The Art Car Parade — which routinely reports crowds approaching 300,000 — will be spotlighted even more this year because it's the opening event for the American Association of Museum Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo, a high-profile conference that will bring more than 5,000 museum professionals from 55 countries to Houston.

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Music Festival News

Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan to co-headline Outlaw Music Fest in Houston

Photo by Pamela Springsteen

Willie Nelson headlines the 10th annual Outlaw Music Festival on the road this summer.

The annual Outlaw Music Festival tour will celebrate its 10th anniversary in a big way, with two iconic co-headlining acts. The tour, which will spend summer 2025 crossing the U.S., will be headlined at every stop by music legends Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, who will be joined by a variety of other Americana artists.

The tour will make a stop at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on July 6. Playing in Houston will be Willie Nelson & Family, Dylan, The Avett Brothers, The Mavericks, and Tami Neilson.

The 34-city tour, the biggest one to date, will start on May 13 in Phoenix and end in Troy, Wisconsin on September 19. The only other Texas stop so far is Dallas, when it stops at Dos Equis Pavilion on July 5.

Throughout its 10 years, the Outlaw Music Festival has featured performances from Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Luke Combs, Neil Young, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Sheryl Crow, and more.

Performers in other cities this year include Crow, Billy Strings, Lake Street Dive, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Wilco, Turnpike Troubadours, and more.

Tickets for the tour go on sale on Friday, February 7, at 10 AM via OutlawMusicFestival.com and ticketmaster.com.

Citi card members will have access to presale tickets beginning on Tuesday, February 4 at 10 am until Thursday, February 6 at 10 pm through the Citi Entertainment program.

2025 OUTLAW MUSIC FESTIVAL TOUR DATES

May 13, 2025 - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, Phoenix, AZ
May 15, 2025 - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
May 16, 2025 - Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
May 18, 2025 - Toyota Amphitheatre, Wheatland, CA
May 20, 2025 - Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Nampa, ID
May 22, 2025 - ONE Spokane Stadium, Spokane, WA
May 24, 2025 - Cascades Amphitheater, Ridgefield, WA
May 25, 2025 - The Gorge Amphitheatre, Quincy, WA
June 20, 2025 - Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
June 21, 2025 - Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
June 22, 2025 - Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
June 25, 2025 - FirstBank Amphitheater, Franklin, TN
June 27, 2025 - Radians Amphitheater, Memphis, TN
June 28, 2025 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, MO
June 29, 2025 - Thunder Ridge Nature's Arena Ridgedale, MO
July 5, 2025- Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, TX
July 6, 2025 - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented By Huntsman, The Woodlands, TX
July 25, 2025 - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
July 26, 2025 - PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC
July 27, 2025 - Coastal Credit Union Music Park, Raleigh, NC
July 29, 2025 - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
August 1, 2025 - Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
August 2, 2025 - Broadview Stage at SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY
August 3, 2025 - BankNH Pavilion, Gilford, NH
August 8, 2025 - Darien Lake Amphitheater, Buffalo, NY
August 9, 2025 - Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA
August 10, 2025 - Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse, NY
September 5, 2025 - Maine Savings Amphitheater, Bangor, ME
September 6, 2025 - Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, CT
September 7, 2025 - Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
September 12, 2025 - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ
September 13, 2025 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
September 14, 2025 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
September 19, 2025 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI

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