Our My Top 5 series showcases Houstonians who are creating the city’s culture and community and asks them to share their own local favorites. This week we’re delighted to feature KiKi Maroon, burlesque performer, standup comedian, and producer of The Burly Q Lounge, KiKi Maroon’s Comic Strip, and The BCBC Festival (Bayou City Burlesque & Circus Festival). An award-winning showgirl, you can catch KiKi when she brings her praised mix of comedy and striptease to Warehouse Live for the Burlesque and Circus Festival on Saturday, January 19th, 2019.
My Top 5 Things to Do in Houston
by KiKi Maroon
- High Fashion Fabrics – I make almost all of my costumes as most burlesque performers do. Giant headpieces, gowns with quick releases, and jewel-encrusted corsets aren’t things you usually find off the rack. Most performers have to order beaded fabric online and just cross their fingers that it looks good in person. We Houstonians are so lucky to have High Fashion Fabrics. It’s an entire warehouse of beaded, sequined, feathered, drool-worthy fabric ready to make your dream costume a reality. It’s the closest you can get to Los Angeles’ fashion district shops.
- El Pueblito – I host touring musicians, comedians, and showgirls almost every weekend. Houston has patio weather 10 months out of the year, so this is my go-to. The patio is huge, with vacation style cabanas and margarita’s in pineapples. They get busy so I recommend ordering two at a time. Though it can busy, I promise it’s well worth the wait.
- Pho Saigon – There are so many delicious pho places in Houston so I feel like I’m going to get a lot of guff for picking one, but here we go. If El Pueblito is where I take guests, Pho Saigon is where I take myself, haha. It’s quick, cheap, and delicious. They will have your food at the table just a mere couple of minutes after ordering. I’m here at least four times a week. I say “here” because I am literally writing this at Pho Saigon, haha.
- Houston Improv – There is no better way to learn how to be a comedian than to watch it live. The Improv has live shows more than four nights a week and getting to watch world famous comics, in such an intimate setting, is an indescribable experience. I. Love. It. If you really get into standup, you can even try it yourself at one of their open mic nights.
- The Legendary Art Car Ball – It’s only one night a year, but it perfectly summarizes why I love Houston. The Legendary Art Car Ball is run by artists, for the public, and it feels like a mini-Burning Man. And what’s more? Of all places, it’s at City Hall. I don’t know how we got so lucky. We live in a city that supports the arts and this beautiful, fun event that features moving sculptures, bands, light installations, costumed circus artists (like yours truly) and more. It’s my favorite night of the year.
About KiKi Maroon
KiKi Maroon is a standup comic, podcaster, producer, and international award-winning burlesque showgirl. When she’s not captivating people onstage, she’s calling the shots backstage, as the producer of The Burly Q Lounge, KiKi Maroon’s Comic Strip, and The BCBC Festival (Bayou City Burlesque & Circus Festival). Recently named one of Houston’s “Most Colorful Celebrities” by The Houston Chronicle and included in “The 100 Most Creative People” by The Houston Press, you can catch KiKi when she brings her award-winning burlesque to Warehouse Live for the Burlesque and Circus Festival on Saturday, January 19th, 2019.
