SPECIAL EVENTS

May 22nd is the 24th Annual Houston Art Car Parade! The 2011 Houston Art Car Parade is in its 24th year and bigger than ever! Presented by The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, it is Houston's largest FREE public event, and considered the biggest Art Car parade in the world, gathering over 250 unique and amazing vehicular works of art.

The parade is the anchor event for the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art’s Art Car Weekend. Each spring, people create works of art using the car. For three days every May, these art cars and their artists are featured in special events that draw audiences of more than 300,000 from all over the world.

This year, for the first year, the Houston Art Car Parade will be held on a Sunday! This means that there will be a full weekend of events leading up to the big day, including:

**Art Car Ball - Friday, May 20, 2011 - 7-11pm
@ The Fabulous Orange Show - 2402 Munger - Tickets: $30

**Sneak Peek at Discovery Green - Saturday, May 21, 2011 - 6-10pm
@ Discovery Green - 1500 McKinney - FREE

**Art Car Parade - Sunday, May 22- 1pm
@ Allen Parkway, between Waugh & Bagby - FREE

**Art Car Awards Ceremony & Brunch - Sunday May 22, 2011 - 3-6pm
@ Sokol Houston, 1314 W Patton Street

Also this year, the Orange Show is thrilled to announce the first ever STREET FOOD SMACKDOWN - a unique event presenting the top gourmet food trucks in Houston in a battle of taste. It will last the entirety of the weekend and give Houston a chance to vote for it's favorite street food truck!