unpacking the fun

Houston's coolest lagoon festival unloads new experience for summer

The extremely popular Lagoonfest

is unloading a new party experience for visitors this summer.

Sixteen shipping containers have been customized specifically for Lagoonfest Texas — opening May 28 — and will be used as bars, a restaurant, an entertainment stage, rooftop party decks, ticket booth, and restrooms to frame a diamond-shaped courtyard. Gone will be the party and event tents.

Container exteriors feature white shiplap and the interiors sport a white and natural wood color theme with black railings, white awnings, and furniture, per a press release.

Visitors can lounge in the plaza amenities during the day and after the sun sets and the lagoon closes, hang out in the courtyard to relax, eat and drink, and enjoy live music.

These containers and new courtyard are part of $2.2 million in enhancements to Lagoonfest Texas, formerly known as the Summer Lagoonfest.

Other improvements include deeper white-sand beaches that triple the amount of available beach; a greater selection of luxury cabanas and seating; more kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and sailboats; and a 185-foot, five-story waterslide.

Also cruising in is a new electric ferry that will transport people to a VIP luxury beach experience, where patrons can enjoy bottle service.

For kids and active types, Lagoonfest Texas also boasts the largest floating obstacle course on a lagoon in the U.S.

Admission for Lagoonfest Texas (which is nestled in the Lago Mar community at 3240 Lago Mar Blvd. in Texas City), starts at $15 for children under age 13 and $20 for those age 13 and older. Children aged two and under are admitted for free. Advance tickets are available online.

Lagoonfest opens on May 28.

Photo courtesy of Crystal Lagoons

Lagoonfest opens on May 28.

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CONCERT NEWS

King of Country George Strait surprises Texas fans with 2 new shows

Courtesy Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

George Strait is heading back to Central Texas.

King of Country George Strait has surprised fans, out of the clear blue sky, with news of a two-night engagement at Austin’s Moody Center on April 9 and 11.

The Moody Center series is Strait's first public performance since 2024, when his College Station show set a new record for the largest ticketed concert in U.S. history. Since then, he has only appeared at an intimate benefit in Boerne’s Estancia at Thunder Valley following July 2025’s devastating Fourth of July.

Strait is best known for country standards like “Amarillo by Morning” and “You Look So Good in Love,” making him one of the best-selling musical artists of all time regardless of genre. He’ll be promoting his latest album, Cowboys and Dreamers, but will no doubt pepper the show with a few of his greatest hits. ("All My Ex's Live in Texas")

Strait is no stranger to the Austin arena. He was Moody’s very first headliner when it debuted in April 2022, accompanied by Willie Nelson & Family and Randy Rogers Band. This time, he’s bringing along country up-and-comer (and fellow South Texan) William Beckmann.

Beckmann follows in Strait’s neotraditional footsteps, fusing country with red dirt, 1950’s pop, and the mariachi and Norteño of his Del Rio youth. The baritone debuted his first major label album, Whiskey Lies & Alibis, in June 2025.

Presale tickets for both Moody Center shows are open as of Monday, January 26, using code TAKEMETOTEXAS. The general sale begins Friday, January 30, at 10 am via Ticketmaster.

Austin's a shorter road trip from Houston, but if you miss out on those shows, hope is not lost. King George will also be performing two nights at Lubbock's Jones AT&T Stadium on April 24 and 25, supported by Miranda Lambert and Zach Top.

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