I have been to the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park twice. About a decade or so apart. Both…read moreexperiences have been awesome at this unique event. To start things off, I will say that I have a deep appreciation for the arts. I've been to many museums of fine arts and museums of modern art in one day. This is one way to show appreciation to local and less well known artists who are quite talented. On my most recent visit, I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m. with my former boss. He found out that parking is far enough from the festival that they have a shuttle to take you there. We opted to Uber instead. Tickets are $20 per person for adults if you pay cash (and a few dollars extra if you pay by card). From there, there are 100, if not more, artists who have booths set up. They are there selling their art, and you'll see a great variety of different styles and painting techniques. Beyond painting, you'll also see sculptures, photography, furniture, and various knick-knacks. The price range can be anywhere from thousands of dollars to quite affordable. Many of the artists are quite friendly and will tell their stories to you. Once you need a break from the art, there's a good variety of food trucks and food stands to choose from. BBQ, Mexican, Indian, pizza, popular food trucks like The Waffle Bus, and more. I had a brisket quesadilla from the BBQ spot. There are also many beverage options, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, to quench your thirst. I had a cherry limeade. We spent about 2.5 hours at the festival and I didn't go home empty-handed. I found an artists who does drawings of famous Houston landmarks, restaurants and bars. He was selling three drawings for $50 and I had my choice from 40-50 or so different options. I went with the Houston Rodeo, River Oaks Theatre, and Buc-ee's. I love the opportunity to support local. Bayou City Art Festival takes place over multiple days. Whether you're in the market to buy some art, or you'd just like to appreciate the talent of a collective group of artists, you'll have a great time either way.

Love the Bayou City Art Festival! So many artists and their beautiful art. The had a live band,…read moreplenty of food trucks, activities for the kids and so much more.

This was my first time coming to the Greek Festival. I was excited to try it when I saw all the…read morebanners attached to the gates promoting it as I drove along Montrose the past few weeks. I paid $10 at the entrance and got a wristband. Not everyone was given one. My friend came a few minutes after me and didn't have one. You can pay there in cash or card or do a $20 dinner plate, pastry box and ticket combo online. It was very crowded, but the lines for food like the dinner plate, souvlaki, and pastries moved quickly. The same for beverages like the Greek coffee, wine, water, tea and lemonade. Honestly, the food was just ok, and it was overpriced. For $15, you get one large skewer with meat and onions. It's $2 for one pita bread that was dry and had no flavor. It was another $2 for a small container of tzatziki sauce. I thought the beef wasn't marinated as well as other Mediterranean chains like Niko Nikos or restaurants. It was mostly tender but lacked flavor. The tiropita and spanakopita were $3 each. I thought the tiropita (puff cheese pastry) tasted bitter. I ate half of it. My favorite was the spanakopita. For desserts, it was also $3 each, and I got the baklava and kourambiedes. Both were good but not worth $3 for one tiny piece. The kourambiedes is similar to the snowball cookies or Italian wedding cookies. That was my favorite pastry. My friend had the $20 plate that included the pastitsio, a tiny keftedes (Greek meatball) cut in half, one dolmades that was more meat forward than rice, and kind of soggy tiropita and spanakopita because it was enclosed in a styrofoam container while hot. Bummer. There's a lot of tall standing tables, tables and chairs along the closed streets, and some covered table and chair areas. Some people chose to sit in the grass or steps, wherever they could find a space. We found a space at the end of one of the tables. People seemed happy and were with friends or family. We missed the shows but saw people dressed in traditional attire. The gift shop was fairly big with religious Greek Orthodox imagery, handmade rugs, handmade pottery, jewelry, olive oil, and other Greek herbs, figs and knickknacks from Agora. There were a ton of olive trees for $35, and I saw many people walking around with one. I wanted one and was on the fence, but my friend convinced me, so I took the time to look for a nice one. I like how they gave paper instructions on olive tree care. Now I'm in search for a rustic pot. I'm glad I finally got to check out the festival but wish the food was better and not overpriced. I would come back with friends but probably eat before and just order a few things like the spanakopita and kourambiedes and see a show.

They had all the classics but ran out of tzatziki sauce. The pita bread was terrible. Not sure…read morewhere they sourced that from but don't waste your money. Having all the shopping in one room was way too crowded and not enjoyable. I did not buy anything because you cannot really look at the items with time and receive help from the vendor if you have any questions. I won't be attending this function again.

I've been to 2017, 2018, 2019, no events during Covid and now 2023. Great annual competition raises…read moremoney to support BPSOS' efforts. Congrats to Boat People SOS-Houston for the 7th Annual Banh Mi Cookoff Fundraiser. Great banh mi sandwich samples provided by Blood Bros BBQ, AtCha on Bellaire Blvd, Kau Ba in Montrose area, Saigon Hustle in the Garden Oaks community, The Pho Fix, Vina Deli in Spring, Kim Son Restaurant, Wokker HTX and Xin Chao Restaurant (a modern Vietnamese restaurant by Christine Ha & Tony J Nguyen). I remember it used to elbow to elbow during the 2nd hour of Banh Mi Cookoff event at Chapman & Kirby previously. This year is a lot more room to roam around. Much better and comfortable. Me and my foodie friend went around to sample every banh mi one time. Then, went back to try those we want to vote on. After some sweet teas, we were stuffed. Another great improvement was the ticketing process. Signed up on CauseVox and paying $40 with no upfront fees. I received the eTicket via email. I bought 2 tickets, my friend got her email, too. Traffic from Chinatown was usual busy around this area and I parked at an empty lot across the street for $20 plus tax. Overall, it was a great event. We vowed to come back next year.

An amazing way to taste the best bánh mis !!! Every year there's something different and delicious…read more Lots of fun with a group of friends and foodies.

Everything!!!!!! Food was cold and service was very slow!!! Not worth the hype at all. The bathroom…read morewas very dirty!!!

Day For Night was Houston's first immersive light and sound festival, and the organizers did a…read morefantastic job planning and executing its inaugural year in 2015. Yes, daily and weekend passes were far more pricy than FSP and other summer and fall music fests, but as opposed to FPSF, which I've gone almost every year since its inception in 2009, Day For Night wasn't in the thick of 100-degree weather; there weren't droves of people shuffling from stage to stage like cattle; and the demographic wasn't your typical mobs of wasted 20-something-year olds. With clear skies and the beautiful Downtown Houston skyline as its backdrop, Day For Night took place on John Deal Co's Spring and Silver Street properties. The main stage area was carpeted - yes, instead of standing on cement or grass, there was carpet. Many took it upon themselves to sit, lay and enjoy the show as if they were watching it from their own living room. Food vendors were top notch, I mean, my group and I were able to get burgers from Underbelly. There were many food trucks on hand as well, complimentary water stations ... but of course, we were all there for the music and light installations. Favorite performance of the 2-day festival was without a doubt NEW ORDER. I took my oldest sis to the show because I have the fondest memories dancing to New Order's hits in her bright pink bedroom. I think I was in kindergarten... They did an outstanding performance and I will never forget that moment. :) Other performers included Sunday night's headliner Kendrick Lamar (bomb ass), Dillon Francis and Dan Deacon. I didn't get a chance to see Philip Glass Ensemble on Saturday, but I saw plenty of clips from my fanboy friends. Now I don't know much about light instillation artists, other than some local and international works of James Turrell, but the art brought in was though provoking ... if not visually stimulating. There were a TON of people using the pieces as the perfect Instagram photo opp, so if you didn't attend, you probably saw posts all over your feed. Looking forward to its return in 2016.

January 17,2026. On this past…read moreSaturday...me and my friend attended the Puerto Rican festival at the Pearland Town Center in Pearland Tx. We had an such amazing time at the festival. It might been cold, but a great time was had dancing ,and listening to live band with a DJ and dancing entertainment too. This event is always such a cultural vibe!!!

This is one of my favorite block parties in Downtown Houston. Puerto Rican & Cuban Festival happens…read moreduring the 3rd weekend in September. It has plenty of salsa music, live performances, Puerto Rican & Cuban food, vendors and community booths. Lucky me. I'm surrounded by many awesome cultural festivals in Houston. I haven't found one like this scale. Although there is an admission fee. But this event is very well-organized and the volunteers kept the place clean. Most people come for 2 days of festival. When I bought my ticket at Fiesta Mart, the cashier was surprised as I was the first person asked for a single day ticket. The best part of festival is that you can bring your own lawn chairs and umbrellas. I've seen people sat in a group in front of the stage to enjoy the front-row seats live concert. There are few things to remember: All bags are subject to search. No outside food or drinks. No in/out privilege. Watch my in-app videos for some hot actions. Remember, this is a 2-day event. Different artists different day. #PRCFestival.

The crawfish festival was fun. There was a ton of people and quite a few dogs…read more They had music and school kids performing. Also a lot of vendors giving away marketing stuff. Everyone like free stress balls, pens, bags and more. I did not eat the crawfish. I know you are probably saying "why did you go then," well anything not to stay home and do chores that's why. Also because I knew my husband would like it. And he did. You got about 3 pounds for $20. (1 ticket =$5) The ticket lines were slow and they should have had more of them. Also spread them out some so the crowd of people are not all in one area. A lot of people were asking where do you buy the drinks. Me as well. They were across the "street" from the crawfish and other foods. Next year maybe they will have other desserts besides Dippin dots and Rita's custard. Cookies, cakes etc... would be great. I love a great cookie. Over all we had a nice time and will probably go again next year.

This was my first time being in a crawfish festival. It's really a well organized festival. It…read morebegins at 10am. We arrived about 11am. It took us a little bit time to find a spot to park. But it's ok because you can park on the street for free. The ticket booth is close to the entrance, including 4 lines. All the food are payed by the tickets. One plate of crawfish is 4 tickets(1 ticket =$5). We bought 4 tickets and got our crawfish plate with two delicious potatoes and one sweet corn. They set up enough tents and the signs were big and clear. The eating areas were big enough so it's very easy to find an empty table and chairs. The crawfishes were awesome! They were very fresh and tasty, and most of them were big ones! The huge plate was good for two people. But I thought they might be a little bit salty. I had to balance the salty with potatoes and corn. They were very delicious anyway. The live shows and vender shows were interesting. People here were very friendly and warm. After crawfish, we went to vender tents, played some games and won lots of gifts, including sport back bags, cups, coozies, stress balls and a national guard cap! I really liked this event. It's great for family and friends to enjoy the weekend. Oh, they also have a kids' zone.

Who doesn't love tacos?! Tacos can be made in a variety of ways and is great any time of day. I had…read morethe pleasure of attending the first Texas Monthly Taco Fest for the South region. Proceeds benefitted the Zavala Family Foundation which supports people in the restaurant industry and their families who are battling cancer. It was held at Discovery Green. I lined up a little early even for general admission (GA) because I had a feeling the line getting in would be long, and it was, but it moved quickly. You get either a general admission wristband or VIP. It was a hot, June day, so be prepared with sunblock, wear a hat and sunglasses, and hydrate. I was thankful for the fans they made and gave out. You could bring your own tray to use as a plate for holding all the tacos, but honestly, by the time you line up at another vendor, you could finish eating. Waiting in line for each taco vendor took about 20-30 minutes each, especially for the most popular ones like Ana Liz Taqueria from Mission, TX. The vendors served either one or two tacos. With GA, within the 3 hours, I got to try maybe 7 or 8 different taquerias which varied from local Houston favorites to Austin, San Antonio and Mission, TX. Aside from tacos, some vendors served corn and tortilla chips & salsa, but it might be because they ran out of their tacos. One vendor from San Antonio, Los Weyes de la Asada, ran out an hour before the event ended. Waited in line for a while only for the people in front of me who were holding spots to take the last few tacos. They really should've brought more and have been prepared for the crowd. Learning lesson for next year. There are a few spots with tables and chairs in shaded areas to eat. They had a live entertainment stage and traditional dances and music which made it so fun and lively. A few drink vendors were offering free drinks such as San Pellegrino, Barrilitos, and Corona. Water was free, and they had a water station and cups. My top 3 favorites were Ana Liz Taqueria for their chile relleno taco (Texas Monthly top 10; recently did a pop up event at Jūn), ¡Tacos! Mi Gente for their chicharron taco, and El Pastor Es Mi Señor for their taco al pastor. I recommend getting there early and purchasing VIP tickets which gets you entrance an hour before GA started at 5:30 pm. I went solo, but I found that families with kids or a group of friends who could line up at several booths was the way to go! If you have the time and patience, you can get back in line for your favorites as long as they don't run out and the event is still open. First come first serve. Definitely a cool event to go to. I would come back because of the variety of taquerias from other cities I probably would've never traveled to and for the great cause.

Atmosphere of the festival was truly an enjoyable event from the music by the Mambo Jazz Kings to…read morethe multiple food choices offered from the food trucks and other food vendors.