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Chron •

Houston rodeo announces dates for 2025

Mark your calendars, rodeo fans. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will be returning for 2025, and has just announced the dates for the nearly century-old event. The 93rd Houston rodeo will take place Tuesday, March 4 through Sunday, March 23.

That means the opening date of the rodeo will coincide with Mardi Gras 2025—the perfect opportunity for the festival to book a zydeco band for the event's ever-popular concert series. The Rodeo Run and Parade will take place on Saturday, March 1, with
Chron •

Houston Pokémon fans battling local toy store 'scalping' rare cards

MadRat Toys owner David Doehring confirmed to the site that he purchased "about 100" of the Pokémon bundles. He told the publication that the shop had to turn to Costco because the packs were sold out elsewhere and unavailable from distributors that sell directly to hobby and toy stores. LoneStarLive confirmed that, unlike distributors, Costco did not have purchasing limits on the packs. Each box includes about 50 cards, and the set of two boxes retailed for about $37 at Costco. The sets are now
Chron •

Houston rodeo broke lots of records this year, including attendance

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo had its best year since before the COVID-19 pandemic, breaking attendance records, selling out concerts, and even tying a record for the most expensive steer sold during the cattle auction.

It's the best year for the annual festival since 2017, according to rodeo officials, showing that the nearly century-old event is back on track after two years of cancellations due to the pandemic.

The official attendance for the 2024 rodeo was 2,553,185 people across 23
Chron •

Legendary Houston rodeo clown is retiring after this weekend

On the first day of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, volunteers waited by the entrance gates, ready to hand out that day's giveaway: a bobblehead statue of celebrated rodeo clown Leon Coffee.

Now, as the rodeo wraps up its third and final weekend, Coffee has announced that he'll be hanging up his suspenders. After half a century, he's retiring as a rodeo clown. He'll instead return next year to the rodeo's fan zone, as well as entertaining rodeo goers in the stands.

"I wouldn't take a mil
Chron •

Pornhub blocked Texas users. Now, they're looking for VPNs.

Less than 24 hours after adult video site Pornhub blocked users in Texas from accessing its content, Google searches for VPNs have soared in the state.

VPNs, or virtual private networks, are software that spoof an internet user's physical location. They are often used to access streaming content only available in other countries, blacked-out sports games, and other geographically limited internet content.

New data on Google search trends, compiled by tech site SlashGear, show searches for VPNs
Chron •

Pornhub blocked in Texas, thanks to Ken Paxton

"As you may know, your elected officials in Texas are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website," the statement reads in part. "Not only does this impinge on the rights of adults to access protected speech, it fails strict scrutiny by employing the least effective and yet also most restrictive means of accomplishing Texas’ stated purpose of allegedly protecting minors."

That law, previously known as House Bill 1811, was passed in the 2023 legislative session and
Chron •

Oddities Expo returns to Houston with more creepy curiosities

Lovers of the weird, macabre, creepy crawlies and more need not wait until Halloween to get their morbid fix. The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is headed back to Houston, this time with an expanded schedule featuring more than 150 vendors plus taxidermy workshops, tarot readings, sideshow performers and more.

The Expo last visited Houston in 2023 for a single day. This year, the event will take place March 16 and 17 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Attendees can expect preserved animal
Chron •

What to do (and what to skip) at the Houston rodeo this year

Rodeo season is in full swing, and with three weeks worth of concerts, competitions and other events, it's easy to get overwhelmed with everything that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo offers.

The last time Chron wrote a Rodeo dos and don'ts guide was in 2020. That year's festivities were unfortunately cut short just a week in due to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Plenty has changed at the rodeo in the past four years, so here's some advice on what to hit and what to miss, whether this is y
Chron •

Black queer Houstonians getting a needed community space

A permanent community space for Black queer Houstonians is set to open next month in the Third Ward thanks to the Normal Anomaly Initiative, a nonprofit working to uplift queer Black folks through business mentorships, medical assistance, community services and more. The space, called the BQ+ Center for Liberation, will open in a former home at 2310 Arbor St. on March 15, kicking off Normal Anomaly's three-year anniversary and the organization's Black Queer Advancement music festival, which will
Chron •

Houston to host city-wide art crawl celebrating Black History Month

Houston's creative community will host a city-wide art crawl during President's Day weekend to honor Black History Month and showcase several exhibits focused on African American culture and art.

Black Art Houston, which takes place Feb. 17–19, is a collaboration between the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and several other institutions, including the Holocaust Museum Houston, Sanman Studios, the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston, The Reading Room HTX, Project Row Houses and more. The weekend wil
Chron •

Where to celebrate Lunar New Year in Houston

Feb. 10 marks the turnover of the lunar calendar when the Year of the Rabbit gives way to the Year of the Dragon. The celebration begins with the new moon and continues for 15 days, ending with what's known as the Lantern Festival, which falls on Feb. 24 this year.

In the Chinese zodiac, dragons represent charisma, confidence, and talent; but it's actually considered bad luck when one's Chinese zodiac birth year, or ben ming nian, rolls back around. For dragons born in previous years (2012, 200
Chron •

Biggest PlantCon yet promised for Houston plant lovers

PlantCon, the festival for budding green thumbs and houseplant experts alike, has announced that it will return to Houston for a second year. The convention will take place April 13-14 at NRG Center.

PlantCon's roots began with an early pandemic-era Facebook group in which Houston-area houseplant enthusiasts and new plant parents would trade tips and care information. As the Facebook group swelled to more than 8,000 people, organizers decided to host a meetup, which took place in the IKEA parki
Chron •

'Trains Over Texas' exhibit celebrates Houston's graffiti artists

The Houston Museum of Natural Science's annual holiday display, Trains Over Texas, now includes model train cars graffiti'd by local street artists and muralists. The project is the brainchild of museum employee Manny Arciniega, whose role includes building and maintaining exhibits at HMNS. Arciniega said he's been toying with the idea of adding painted-up cars to the train exhibit for a few years. When he randomly approached HMNS director Joel A. Bartsch with the idea earlier this year, Bartsch
Chron •

Eight events Houston can look forward to in the new year

Whether you had a great 2023 or you can't wait to leave the year behind, there's plenty for the people of Houston to look forward to in 2024. For starters, it's a leap year—which many people consider to be good luck. There's also big events like the college football national champion at NRG in January, and our favorite annual events, from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to Astros' Opening Day. Below, we've rounded up eight more reasons to welcome in the new year, from celestial events to ce
Chron •

Why is all of Houston getting engaged at this park?

Like many people in the early days of the pandemic, Houstonian Jay Gonzales had a lot of free time on his hands. Though he previously ran a moving business, few people needed his services, so he started looking for something new to do. Scouring social media, he came up with an idea.

He saw lots of outdoor gatherings like gender reveals and birthdays, where people were celebrating with elaborate decorations and giant lit-up letters. That led to the creation of his current business, Superstar Mar
Chron •

Two Houston Pride groups come to agreement in trademark dispute

Pride Houston 365 originally sued New Faces of Pride on Oct. 23, accusing the newly formed non-profit of intentionally creating confusion among advertisers, vendors, sponsors and attendees by using a similar name and logo to Pride Houston 365 to promote its events. The lawsuit asked for an injunction preventing New Faces from marketing their events until the lawsuit was heard. New Faces of Pride Houston is also planning a pride parade for 2024.

During a hearing in district court on Nov. 3, Judg
Chron •

How to celebrate the holidays in Houston

In Houston, we rarely have the weather's help to get us into the holiday spirit. Instead, we have to depend on other things—grandiose light displays, festive parties, seasonal markets and more. Luckily, there's no shortage of holiday events in the Bayou City. Chron has rounded up some of the best below. Check back often; we'll update this post regularly as more events are announced.

The 39th annual Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market returns to NRG Center this weekend. One of Houston's most famous
Chron •

Giant dream-like sculptures return to MFAH with fall festival

For the second year in a row, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston will present a family-friendly fall festival featuring alebrijes, the large-scale, colorful papier-mâché sculptures inspired by Mexican folk art.

The free event will take place at the museum's outdoor sculpture garden and plaza from 1–5 p.m. on Nov. 5. Six Houston-based Latinx artists have been commissioned to create sculptures for the festival, called Dream with Alebrijes. The event will also include music and dance performances, ar
Chron •

Katy is hosting its first Pride celebration

The event, dubbed Katy Pride, will take place Oct. 12 and 14, midway through LGBT History Month and a day after National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11). The celebration is in part a response to a series of events in Katy that have been viewed as attacks on the city's queer community.

The main sponsor of the event is First Christian Church Katy, a queer-friendly congregation. The church was in the news over the summer after thieves were caught on camera stealing several Pride flags from the property,
Chron •

Where to celebrate Halloween in Houston

This October has everything: Friday the 13th, an annular solar eclipse, and of course, Halloween. Houston has several scary, spooky events, with everything from family-friendly outdoor activities to film screenings to parades. Chron has rounded up some of the most interesting options below; stay tuned throughout the month as we continue to add more.

In space, no one can hear you scream. Thankfully, Space Center Houston isn't toooo spooky. Visitors can learn all about the use of liquid nitrogen
Chron •

Barbie Dreamhouse merch truck heads to Houston in October

Move over Mojo Dojo Casa House. The Barbie merch truck is headed to Houston with two stops in October, bringing all kinds of pink accessories perfect for decorating your very own Dreamhouse.

The Instagram-worthy truck (hashtags #BarbieTruckTour #LivingtheDream) will make an appearance at Baybrook Mall on Saturday, Oct. 21, and then again at the Woodlands Mall on Oct. 27. Both events will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will feature exclusive Dreamhouse Living merchandise only available th
Chron •

RodeoHouston announces new hours for 2024 concerts, competitions

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has announced new, slightly earlier hours for next year's event, which runs Feb. 27 through March 17, 2024 at NRG Park.

Per the new schedule, rodeo competitions such as calf roping, bull riding, and other events that take place on the main stage at NRG Stadium will begin at 2:45 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, with doors to the stadium opening at 2 p.m. Concert entertainers will take the stage at 5 p.m. Previously, rodeo events at NRG Stadium began at 3:45 p.
Chron •

Galleria ice rink unveils first major renovations in a half-century

The ice skating facility at the Houston Galleria is finally set to reopen July 10 after undergoing its first major renovations in the rink's 53-year history.

Ice at the Galleria has been closed since May to overhaul many elements of the rink, including creating a smoother, more energy-efficient ice surface, and updating the bathrooms, flooring, and changing areas. The total cost for the renovations totaled about $1 million.

When the Galleria opened in 1970, it debuted as the first ever mall to
Chron •

Tokyo X Festival brings Japanese pop culture, history to Houston

In 2021, as the COVID-19 Omicron variant was raging, chef Naoki Yoshida and his business partner Yusuke Motozawa wanted to do something to help Asian, and especially Japanese, businesses across Houston. The chef, who owned the now-closed Shun Japanese Kitchen on Shepherd, wanted to host a small festival in his restaurant's parking lot, initially planning on just six vendors. After teaming up with Tam Lo, an event planner who has experience with festivals including Anime Matsuri, the first Tokyo
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