Celebrar!

The Plaza at Avenida Houston comes alive with Latin and Mexican regional music this month

The first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15, so of course Party on the Plaza is ready to celebrate in a big way.

Latin and Mexican regional music will play throughout The Plaza at Avenida Houston on Saturday, September 16, from 6-9 pm — and it's free for everyone to enjoy.

$\u200bGrupo Vadenagi$

Grupo Vadenagi/Facebook

Grupo Vadenagi is a female-led Norteño group in a male-dominated genre.

In addition to live music, the Avenida de las Americas street will be closed to traffic as Houston First Corporation partners with Discovery Green to present Flea by Night, an open-air market featuring local artisans and small businesses selling a variety of new handmade, recycled, repurposed, and local goods.

This year’s featured artist is Shekere Band, directed by singer and musician Agustin Nava, who combines his Venezuelan roots with American influence.

Nava trained as a young child on the Cuatro Venezolano (a traditional Venezuelan guitar), playing his version of Spanish pop-rock.

For more than a decade, Shekere Band has been playing all types of music, from high-energy dance to American classics, and of course latin pop, merengue, salsa, cumbia, bachata, cha-cha, reggaeton, and rock en Español.

Grupo Vadenagi will kick off the evening with performances of Mexican Norteño music, a traditional music genre of the Northern Mexico region.

The popular family group was founded in 2013 by Carlos Zambrano, who serves as musical director. Carlos is husband and father to the very talented women who complete the group: wife and mother Mayra Zambrano and four daughters: Daisy, Nallely, Giselle, and Camila. Also performing with the group is family friend Martin Lucatero.

Grupo Vadenagi is one of very few female-dominated Norteño groups in what is still a male-dominated regional music genre.

Showcasing local, live, and diverse entertainment like this is part of HFC’s commitment programming that reflects the rich tapestry of cultures and people who make up Houston’s vibrant community.

For information on parking and places to dine and stay when visiting The Plaza at Avenida Houston, head here.

music concerts festivals promoted

bigger and stronger

Winner of Ren Fest lawsuit plans to keep the event mostly unchanged

Photo courtesy of Texas Renaissance Festival

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The Texas Renaissance Festival will soon be under new ownership, but will remain much the same as it has been for the last half century, attorney Anthony Laporte of Houston law firm Hanszen Laporte tells CultureMap.

"All of the vendor contracts are in place for 2025," says Laporte. "Everyone who was already there will be there this year. Maybe one Dippin' Dots guy here and there will be swapped out with another, but we're sticking with what works. Even when the litigation was ongoing, they're having entertainment auditions. Both the old owners and the new ones are planning to give visitors a great time."

Founder George Coulam has owned the Texas Renaissance Festivals since 1974. Now in his late 80s, Coulam has teased selling the festival multiple times, a process chronicled in a recent HBO docuseries. After pulling out of the latest sales agreement, the prospective buyer sued Coulam for breach of contract. Grimes County Judge Gary W. Chaney ruled against Coulam on May 7, paving the way for the sale to finally go through.

The identity of the new owner was a mystery for some time. Court documents listed only the corporate entities RW Lands, Texas Stargate, and Royal Campgrounds. The prospective new owner is Meril Rivard, a real estate investor with no prior festival experience who sought to purchase the fair for $60 million. However, Rivard's son is married to the daughter of Geoff Wilson, owner of several Greek food establishments in the festival. Wilson's clan, referred to as "The Greeks" in the HBO documentary, were one of the groups featured in the show trying to buy the fair.

"This is a family business now," says Laporte. "He has family that lives it, works it, and is part of it."

According to Laporte, an appeal by Coulam and his counsel seems unlikely. He reports that all parties mostly feel relief that the case is over, though until the judgment is finalized in the next couple of months there is still the possibility that Coulam will try one last time to remain king of the festival.

The rough final sales price of the Texas Renaissance Festivals is $60 million, Laporte says. This includes the intellectual property rights, some physical property owned by the festival but not strictly part of its grounds, and other assets. The festival is also partially owned by some of the larger business owners. The recently-settled lawsuit does not change those arrangements.

"It's hard to say what will happen [to the partial owners]," Laporte says. "This judgment does not affect them, per se, but there will be ripple effects. However, no one wants the festival to fail."

Coulam will no longer have an official role in the running of Texas Renaissance Festival, though he may advise in an unofficial capacity. Laporte did say there will be no more parades in his honor. Coulam has repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment by former employees.

Until the judgement is finalized, no official date for the transfer of ownership will be set. In addition to the money changing hands for the sale, Coulam owes Rovard and the other plaintiffs $22 million in damages and another $1 million in attorney fees, the judge ruled. None of this is projected to impact the October opening of the festival in any way.

"Everyone is ready to make Ren Fest bigger and stronger," says Laporte.