Taking it to the streets

Houston's Art Car Festival & Parade rolls into downtown for its 38th year

One of the city’s favorite celebrations is readying its return for 2025. The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art’s 38th Annual Houston Art Car Parade Weekend rolls into town from Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 13, 2025, with creative cars, whimsical wheels, and more.

It’s the biggest celebration of art cars in the world, with more than 250 entries from across the U.S., Canada, and beyond. Of those entries, more than 120 first-timers are joining the returning favorites. In addition, more than 50 schools and youth groups from the Houston Independent School District will take part in this year's parade. The parade’s presenting sponsor, Team Gillman, donated 10 vehicles to Houston-area schools specifically for creating an art car.

Always a highlight of Houston’s spring calendar, Art Car Parade Weekend brings with it high levels of artistic expression, wild creativity, inventive creations, and a host of activities.

Here’s the lineup:

Thursday, April 10
Starting at 9 am, The Main Street Drag rolls through Houston, bringing the parade to the people, before ending at The Orange Show World HQ. More than 100 art cars and their artists will make stops at schools, hospitals, nursing homes, developmental facilities, and other locations. Be sure to wave when you catch an art car out in the wild.

From 6-9:30 pm, catch the Art Car Sneak Peek at Discovery Green. This free, family-friendly event features live music, art activities for the kids, food and drinks, and the opportunity to interact with more than 100 art cars and their artists, who will be parked throughout the park and along Avenida De Las Americas.

Friday, April 11
The Legendary Art Car Ball at The Orange Show World Headquarters is the wildest party of the year. Electrifying displays, interactive installations, wild costumes, and pulsating beats highlight the popular fundraiser. Seattle’s Brittany Davis makes their Houston debut on the main concert stage, joined by local favorite Kam Franklin Band and Free Rads 2nd Line (6-11 pm).

Saturday, April 12
It’s parade day! The Lineup Party kicks off at 11 am on Allen Parkway between Taft and Bagby, giving spectators an up-close view at the parade entries, along with live music, beverage booths, food trucks, games, prizes, and a surprise installation by Meow Wolf. At the same time, the Kids Creative Zone in Sam Houston Park is a chance to take part in hands-on creative experiences and live performances. Both events are free.

At noon, The VIPit Party and Benefit takes place on the grounds of City Hall. Known as the largest fundraiser for The Orange Show’s Houston Art Car Parade, the party offers unobstructed front row views of the parade, complimentary bites from a dozen Houston restaurants, cocktails, pre-parade entertainment, kids’ art activities, live parade commentary, and nearby reserved parking. Individual tickets start at $200 (after March 1, they’re $250) and are available here.

Rev your engines, because The 38th Annual Houston Art Car Parade rolls out at 2 pm. More than 400,000 spectators are expected to cheer on these mobile masterpieces. The parade begins on Allen Parkway at the I-45 overpass, heading into downtown before circling City Hall and heading outbound on Allen Parkway. The parade is free to everyone, and spectators are encouraged to arrive early to grab the best viewing spots. Those who want reserved seating at the Heritage Society can buy tickets for $50 here.

Beginning at 5 pm, the Art Car After Party will feature live music, artist meet-and-greets, and exciting giveaways in Market Square Park. Keep the evening going with specials at area establishments.

Sunday, April 13
The Art Car Awards Ceremony takes place at 11 am at The Orange Show World HQ, where more than $15,000 will be awarded to art car artists and groups in various categories. The judging process rates entries based on their creativity, artistic techniques, and inspiration.

This year’s honorees include artist Jesse Sifuentes, a celebrated muralist and educator whose public works in Houston’s East End tell the stories of the community through vivid paintings and mosaics; Waltrip high school art teacher Julon Pinkston, who has mentored young artists and led student groups to award-winning Art Car Parade entries; and longtime patron and advocate Will Robinson, who has played a pivotal role in preserving and expanding Houston’s art car movement.

"The Houston Art Car Parade represents the heart and soul of our city's creative spirit," said Jack Massing, executive director of The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. "As I step into my first parade as executive director, I'm struck by how this event has become more than just a celebration – it's a vital platform for artistic expression that brings together established artists, students, and dreamers of all ages."

Photo by Morris Malakoff

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art’s 38th Annual Houston Art Car Parade Weekend is April 10-13.

art car festival art cars parades

Movie Review

Sheriff Bob Odenkirk is back in over-the-top new action movie 'Normal'

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Bob Odenkirk in Normal.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first three John Wick movies, has essentially had a blank check to do what he wants in the movie landscape since 2014. In recent years that has meant writing the action series Nobody for Bob Odenkirk, who has turned from a comedian into an unlikely action star in his sixties. Kolstad and Odenkirk are teaming up again in Normal.

A film that tries to evoke Fargo in multiple ways, Normal finds Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) serving as a temporary sheriff for the small town of Normal, Minnesota after the previous sheriff died. Knowing he’s just a steward until a new sheriff is elected, Ulysses takes a live-and-let-live approach to the job, letting the deputies (Ryan Allen and Billy MacLellan) do the grunt work and trying to stay out of everyone’s way, including Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler).

A bank robbery attempt by two non-citizens upsets his best-laid plans in more ways than he can imagine. Not only is he forced to confront a crime not often seen in a town like Normal, but the robbery uncovers secrets that turn the film into an all-out bloodbath. Soon, almost everyone in town becomes involved in what comes to resemble a war, along with — you guessed it — Yakuza henchmen from Japan.

Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Kolstad, the film is a slight twist on the everyman-turned-hero character Odenkirk played in the two Nobody films. While Ulysses is in law enforcement, he prefers to use words instead of weapons, and it’s only when he’s pushed to the brink that he crosses that line. Naturally, his skills are beyond what anyone would expect of him, allowing him to match up well with people half his age.

The film is not a comedy in the traditional sense, but instead aims for laughs by catching the audience off-guard with its ultraviolence. Some characters are dispatched in shockingly unexpected ways, with one of the only natural reactions to the jarring nature of their deaths being laughter. That’s not necessarily the case for other killings, which range from blasé to sadistic, and the only reason they count as entertainment is because the filmmakers have primed the audience to accept them as such.

After a relatively solid setup, where Wheatley and Kolstad seem to take their time getting to know the main characters, the second half of the film is pure action that dispenses with good storytelling. Like many action movies, there are double crosses, surprise revelations, and more, but the filmmakers don’t seem to care about making sense of any character arcs. All they care about is delivering mayhem, and they succeed on that front.

Odenkirk has perfected the mild-yet-intimidating nature of his action characters, and it is satisfying to see him get the better of those who have done him wrong. He doesn’t run or jump like fellow 63-year-old Tom Cruise, but — with the help of fast-paced editing — he still makes for a credible action hero. The only other actors of any note in the film are Winkler, who’s a nice presence with his sardonic personality, and Lena Headey, whose small role doesn't match up with her experience.

You have to have a certain mindset to enjoy a film like Normal, but if you can abide its over-the-top bloodiness, it’s a serviceable action film. Few would have expected Odenkirk to take on these kinds of roles at this late stage of his career, but he’s making the most of his opportunities.

---

Normal opens in theaters on April 17.

movies film