Where thou? Art cars.
Stomp on the roller blades. Grab the umbrella (Good for extreme sun or downpours.)
Get it in gear. (Is my neon hair clashing enough?)
Where’s the glue gun? Touch-ups may be required.
This weekend is an event for those with spark. Plugs. And a few good fan belts.
2008 Art Car Parade
(Image: Eric Kayne/www.chron.com)
The art cars got it in drive for Houston’s 25th Anniversary Art Car Parade.
“Fusion Contradiction Calling”
(Image: Nick De La Torre/www.chron.com)
A moving experience as many who are spinning their wheels discover.
Houston Grand Opera Art Car
(Image: Nick De La Torre/www.chron.com)
For those who are driven, it’s a wacky world: the largest Art Car Parade in the country.
Red Stiletto (Image: http://www.chron.com)
Let columnist, Lisa Gray, steer you along:
“New Orleans has Mardi Gras. San Antonio has Fiesta. And we have an annual parade of transmogrified vehicles, most of them motorized, many of them jaw-dropping. There’s a car that looks like a genie’s bottle, one that looks like a sunflower and one that looks like a giant metal chicken. There are cars painted with intricate murals and cars that shoot fire (though not during the parade, not anymore). There are cars covered in mirrors, cars covered in beads and cars simply covered in crud. There are lowriders that do hydraulic dances and American cars painted with the American flag. There are metallic monsters with glowing eyes, improbable bicycles with wheels where no wheels should be and at least one giant motorized prom skirt
It’s a sprawling mess of a parade, a mixed-up, whacked-out event that for years I’ve tried to understand. It changes every time I think I’ve grasped it. But it definitely fits this city.”
Read the rest of her article which muses over the wacky origins and wild growth of Houston’s Art Car Parade : “The Art Car Parade, all grown up”
Not going to drive any other message home.
A picture is worth?
Art Car Parade Line-up
(Images: Brendan Marks/KHOU.com)
2009 Bunny Cars
(Image: Michael Paulsen/www.chron.com)
The Crapper Art Car (Image: Roberta Macinnis/www.chron.com)
Elvis Rocks Art Car
(Image: Nick De La Torre/www.chron.com)
Not going to grill you on your weekend plans.
While the parade won’t be as exciting without the flame throwing dragon’s breath, it’s a hoot.
2011 Art Car Parade Route
(Image: Nick De La Torre/www.chron.com)
Consider the roller blades (Parking is difficult). Take lots of liquids, and don’t wimp out on the parasol!
(And be sure to get up close and personal with the car covered with fish…they detect motion and sing.)
Oh, FYI, when you pass the art cars driving around town, it’s OK to stare and honk as long as you wave!
Life in the sass lane,
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
More about the Art Car Parade:
The Houston Art Car Parade: Official website. Schedule of events.
Live Streaming of Parade.
Great Photos. History
Past winners showcase.
Art Car Museum. Photos, info
VIDEO of Art cars/parade/artists’ interviews NewsFix (Channel 39 TV)
“Houston Art Car Parade to celebrate 25th anniversary” - KHOU TV. Article and photos.
“Mayan apocalypse car makes a debut at this year’s Art Car Parade” - NYC artist Dennis McNett designs a car for the parade.
“Art car mixes metal. magic, and moxy” Article. Davis High School students prepare a car. Heights residents set to compete
Fun Fun Fun!
It is really crazy. They had to start limiting entries because the parade was taking for hours and hours. Thanks for honking and waving!
Love the Elvis Rocks Car and Houton Grand Opera car! Amazing. Thanks for sharing.
There are just so many -it was hard to pick which ones to feature. Glad you swerved this way.
This looks like so much fun!
And kudos on that title.
A new component is appearing: art cars for a cause. Finally found something on one:a Toyota focusing on ovarian cancer awareness. It’s a great platform to get people’s attention.
http://www.chron.com/life/article/Art-cars-with-women-s-causes-3550044.php
Thanks for the drive by!
O, Sister! Wear art, now! (And don’t I wish I’d had one of those bunny cars to take to the rabbit festival!)
If we start now maybe we could finish one by next year’s festival? You’d be quite a hit. Thanks for rumbling over
Almost makes me wish I lived in Houston…almost. Looks like a blast!
It all started out as performance art as part of the annual International Arts Festival – but the parade just got so wildly popular and more and more people entered cars, the parade stands on it’s own now. Much better actually. Thanks for gearing up for the show.
There are some creative cars there. It looks like lots of fun! (That porta pottie one is wrong – funny, but wrong
)
Thanks for sharing pictures of the event for those of us who otherwise wouldn’t have known it existed
Houston has a wildly creative art community – boosted by some mechanical gear heads. I should have put in the kids in the zebra decorated Barbie car (which has become an accessory to the much larger zebra themed vehicle of her parents). Something for everyone. Thanks for zooming in to chat
My hubby would LOVE this!
He probably would – one of the nice things about the weekend is that the cars’ owners want people to get up close and figure out how the cars are made -there’s quite a bit of robotics – and of course sound effects and music. Many of the high schools have teams that build cars for the competition. Great project for all ages. I’ll try to post video next week.Thanks for parking to chat
Please do! I just showed him this, and he says now we have another reason to visit Texas – the first for him being able to find & taste real moonshine! What can I say, he’s Irish.
Real moonshine may mean backwoods East TX – although it’s been a long time since I heard of a still there. Now homemade/craft beers are a different thing entirely. Hopefully it won’t rain tomorrow for the parade. Thanks for shifting gears and stopping by
Wow….how cool are they!!!!!
Xx
And how cool to drive them around the city – even during the year you can turn around in traffic and there’s an art car on the way to work. It’s fun. Thanks for shifting gears to chat for a bit
wow, I can imagine!
Xx
It’s amazing. Thanks for stopping by
Great post… given my love for street art, the Art Jeep is my favourite. We love go to car shows, you know show n’ shine, hot rod type events but I’ve never seen any thing like this: it’s like a Mardi Gras for cars
There are art cars across the nation, but Houston is ground zero for art car events. The jeep is one of my favorites(being practical) – you could actually drive it without stuff falling off. Glad you rolled this way to chat.
This is awesome!!! I wish I could make it down to Houston this weekend for the parade. A friend of mine had an art car; it was covered in googly eyes. For her birthday that year, we bought her tons of googly eyes to help contribute to the project. Now after looking at these photos, those googly eyes on her car seem so conservative and tame. She clearly needs to go BIG!
Googly eyes! I love googly eyes! Keeping eyes on the road is so important! (She might consider adding eye stalks on the roof like an insect? Somewhere there’s a picture of a buggy car in those links..). Glad you are driven to be inspired.
TRIPLE WOW! i have never seen anything like that in my life! How much fun that must have been! You must have laughed and smiled the whole day.. c
A different sort of funny farm? Thanks for driving over to chat.
What fun! I’ve never heard of this before which seems crazy to me. A parade this big & bold should merit national coverage, imho. I’m digging on that red stiletto car: “there was a young woman who lived in a shoe…”
Actually there is “an old woman and the shoe car”!(maybe I can find a picture) Glad to give you a chuckle. Thanks for steering this way today
This looks to be great fun indeed. Thanks for bringing it to the attention of those of us who were not aware of its existence.
Everyone needs a little laughter right now. Glad you had time to park and chat.
What a hoot. Love all the creativity and wackiness. Thanks so much for posting this! A nice treat with a second morning cuppa.
Glad to toss a chuckle your way. Thanks for pulling over to chat
Human creativity never ceases to amaze me! That must be one heck of a fun parade!
Nobody ever thought it would grow into this. Lucky there are pictures – hard to explain. Thanks for steering this way
This looks like fun! Hope you are going?????
There’s a preview tonight at a downtown park. Tomorrow depends on the clouds…Thanks for steering by
That looks like so much fun! I especially like the bunny cars.
Those are definitely a stroke of genius. Thanks for driving past today
Seems a bit staid to me
You can tell class by what they drive? Glad you sped by today
This is brilliant. Makes any parade we have here (Ireland) pale in comparison. Have to appreciate the crapper car
And the red shoe of course.
The parade is always a great show – and fun to see many of the cars all year round on the streets. Thanks for shifting gears to chat.
Love it!
What’s life without wacky? Thanks
So cool! My son also loved this post
That gator car is a 5 year old’s dream!
anne
Gotta love that gator guy! Thanks for driving in to visit
Those are some way cool vehicles!
Something to howl at – that’s for sure! Thanks
Hilarious! I bet you can’t stop laughing as you watch the parade roll by. I am surprised that you were able to focus your camera. I can’t decide which one delights me the most.
It’s real hoot – there are hundreds of cars. Thanks for sharing the chuckles
Absolutely amazing, beautiful, wild, clever, FANTASTIC!!!!!
I want the bunny slippers one.
It all starts with a glue gun….Seriously, any day a website will pop up with do it yourself components for art cars…we should get on that? Thanks for shifting gears to park and chat a bit