Mark your calendars for 10 of the biggest events—including the Texans, Japan Festival, and Meow Wolf—on the way to Houston in the final months of 2024.
More than halfway through the year, there’s still plenty on the way as we get ready to make a final sprint through the end of 2024.
We’ve gathered ten major events taking place on Houston’s horizon, so you can mark your calendars, secure your seats and plan ahead for happenings you won’t want to miss.
Take a look at some of the biggest events to come to Houston in the second half of 2024.
Top 10 Events in Houston to End 2024
Fill up on special menus with Houston Restaurant Weeks
Thursday, August 1 through Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024
Back to celebrate its 21st year, Houston Restaurant Weeks offers 35 days of multi-course menus for brunch, lunch or dinner from an extensive list of participating restaurants from across the Greater Houston area—from The Woodlands and Spring to Katy, Sugar Land and everywhere in between.
As is tradition, a portion of proceeds from every meal helps raise funds for Houston Food Bank, making it the largest annual fundraiser for America’s largest food bank. To date, HRW has raised $21 million dollars, providing 60 million meals in its two decades of delicious offerings.
Prices are $25 for brunch and lunch menus, $39 or $55 for dinners; available for dine-in and take-out.
Catch a new-look Houston Texans this season
Returns Thursday, August 1, 2024
After a 2023 season that beat expectations—and then some—the Texans will return to the gridiron with a new look and new additions in Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon.
Led again by second-year Quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans have built up excitement in the Bayou City and are setting the bar perhaps higher than its ever been before for the franchise as it enters its 23rd season.
Preseason action kicks off on August 1, but the Texans will see their regular season home opener on Sunday, September 15 when the Bears come to town. Arguably the biggest game of the season will also be their final home appearance when they face the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC Divisional Round rematch on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25.
Season ticket allotments have already sold out for the year, and single game passes are expected to be one of the hottest tickets in town throughout the season.
F1 takes over Downtown streets
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Oracle Red Bull Racing heads to Discovery Green in Downtown for a free showcase in an action-packed afternoon. The award-winning F1 race car will pull off donuts and burnouts on a custom-built track, alongside performances by Red Bull athletes and DJ battles, featuring Houston’s own DJ Mr. Rogers and Chase B.
From time to time over the last couple decades, Indy Cars would hit the streets of Downtown as part of the Grand Prix of Houston, which was last held in 2014. This marks a return for the motorsport to Downtown, in a thrilling event for all Houstonians.
Gates open at 10am, and the Showrun is from noon to 2pm.
Hit up the fall return of Japan Festival Houston
Saturday, September 7 & Sunday, September 8, 2024
The beloved annual festival in Hermann Park is typically held during the spring, but will make a move to the fall this year to line up with Meiji Modern: Fifty Years of New Japan, the ongoing exhibition that you can check out now at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
For two days, Houston comes together to celebrate Japanese culture and its connections to the city through traditional and contemporary performances, dance and martial arts, a vendor market, Japanese and Japanese-inspired foods, plus displays of tea ceremonies, origami, bonsai and more.
Admission is free, but select activities may require a fee.
Food & culture take focus in festival season
When Houston can finally leave the summer behind, the cooler weather brings months of fall festival fun across town. Here are some of our favorites coming back this year:
- Chefs For Farmers at Autry Park | Saturday, September 28 & Sunday, September 29 – The all-inclusive tasting event in River Oaks has curated a lineup of top culinary talent to showcase family farms throughout Texas. Expect immersive activations and live entertainment, wines from the top vineyards, craft cocktails and excellent farm-fresh eats. $125 and up. 2pm to 5pm.
- The Original Greek Festival at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral | Thursday, October 3 to Saturday, October 5 – The annual Greek festival returns to the heart of Montrose for its 58th year, where you can expect bountiful Greek food, wine tastings, dancing, games and other family-friendly fun. $5; free for ages 12 and under. Thursday 5pm to 10:30pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 10:30pm.
- Southern Smoke Festival at Discovery Green | Saturday, October 5 – Hit up the Downtown park for Saturday’s Throwdown event, where dozens of talented chefs from Houston and around the country will be serving samples of everything from delicious smoked meats to flaky pastry goodies along with wine, beer and spirits, plus live entertainment. $225 and up. 4pm to 8pm.
- Bayou City Art Festival at Memorial Park | Friday, October 11 & Sunday, October 13 – The Bayou City Art Festival returns to Memorial Park for two days of art shopping and showcases by more than 220 national and international artists. Plus, you can stroll the craft beer and boutique wine gardens, participate in a community art project and take in live performances. Tickets on sale soon. 10am to 6pm.
- Houston Filipino Street Festival at Constellation Field | Saturday, October 19 – Celebrate the Philippines and local Filipino culture at this family-friendly festival in Sugar Land that presents traditions, live performances and street food in an embrace of cultural diversity. $17 and up; free for ages 7 and under. Noon to 7pm.
- Night Market 2024 at Asia Society Texas | Friday, November 1 | FREE – After a record-setting attendance in 2023, the popular event returns to Museum District, offering a host of family-friendly activities including a curated marketplace, games and cultural installations, an Otaku Alley highlighting all things manga, anime and cosplay, a Japanese-style carnival, and more. Free to attend, some activities require a fee. 6pm to 10pm.
Plus, there’s plenty of Oktoberfest celebrations, music and cocktail fests, cultural bashes and much more on the way. Stay tuned for our Fall Festival guide that drops just after the summer.
Sort out a voting plan before election deadlines
In case you hadn’t heard, it’s an election year. And while the top of the ballot is the presidency, there’s plenty more races on the state and local level that will have an impact on you and where you live.
Make a plan to vote, but be sure everything is in order by the following deadlines:
- Monday, October 7 – Last day to register to vote
- Monday, October 21 to Friday, November 1 – Early voting period; Monday to Saturday 7am to 7pm, Sunday noon to 7pm
- Friday, October 25 – Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot
- Tuesday, November 5 – Election Day; 7am to 7pm
Harris County voters can find their sample ballots, registration information and more at HarrisVotes.com.
Meow Wolf opens a new dimension in Fifth Ward
Opens in 2024
At long last, the permanent immersive art installation will open in Houston’s Fifth Ward, rumored to be happening this fall.
The initial opening will bring together the work of more than 40 local and international artists in a patchwork of featured exhibitions that weave together an “alternate reality.”
This will mark Meow Wolf’s fifth facility, after other award-winning, large-scale experiences in Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Denver and Grapevine, Texas.
Stay tuned to their newsletter for the latest announcements on the coming opening, as well special giveaways and more.
Simone Biles brings a gymnast spectacle to Houston
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Fresh off the Paris Olympic Games, Simone Biles and many of the country’s most talented gymnasts won’t be letting up as they hit the road for the return of the Gold Over America Tour.
The Houston native and most-decorated gymnast of all time will arrive at Toyota Center in October for a night of jaw-dropping athletic brilliance and high-energy choreography, celebrating the summer achievements of Biles and her crew of exhilarating gymnasts.
Tickets are $35 and up.
75th Thanksgiving Day Parade rolls through Downtown
Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 28, 2024
Take in a stunning showcase of sensational floats, high-flying balloons, marching bands, artistic entries, and live entertainment, this Thanksgiving at the 75th holiday event, showcasing the Houston community.
Beginning in 1949 when Santa arrived at Union Station and rode his sleigh to the Downtown Foley’s, the Thanksgiving Day parade has gone through a few changes but to this day remains an annual mainstay, entertaining thousands upon thousands of parade-goers that line the streets each year on Thanksgiving morning.
Whitmire takes over 105th Mayor’s Holiday Spectacular
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Mayor John Whitmire will lead his first Holiday Spectacular in Downtown, a Christmas tradition that dates back 105 years.
The night is free and open to all, delivering live performances by Houston’s performing arts institutions, music from a major to-be-announced headliner, plus a visit from Santa Claus, the lighting of the 55-foot Christmas tree, and a fireworks show to cap it off.
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