This Weekend! Houston Art Car Parade, Virtual Edition

The world-famous annual Houston Art Car Parade, an event 33 years in the running, was forced to cancel its show of “mobile masterpieces” this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But thankfully, beginning on Saturday, April 18, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, HTV and ABC-13, will join forces to present the Houston Art Car Parade “Virtual Edition.”

On Saturday and Sunday, the Orange Show will bring you live video tours of the its three Houston landmarks: The Orange Show, The Beer Can House, and Smither Park. Also on the calendar for this weekend is a rebroadcast of the 2019 Houston Art Car Parade and Art Car: The Movie, a feature-length film by Houston filmmakers Ford Gunter and Carlton Ahrens that documents artist Rebecca Bass’ 2010 parade entry, created with her students.

Local public access channel HTV and the Orange Show’s YouTube channel will air video messages, artist-led art car tours, and testimonials from Houstonians about their Art Car experiences. “The Houston Art Car Parade has been a cornerstone event for the city for the past 33 years, celebrating the whimsical and outrageous, and providing a forum for artists, students, non-profits, and anyone with a spark of imagination to showcase their unique personal creativity,” said Orange Show Center for Visionary Art founder and chairman Marilyn Oshman. “We thank Mayor Turner and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs for the opportunity to present Houston Art Car Parade Weekend in a virtual capacity, and hope that in these uncertain times, our supporters and fans can tune in this weekend to revel in one of the many things that makes our city great.”