Winter Events Calendar
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WINTER 2018-19 DECEMBER•JANUARY•FEBRUARY EVENTSC A L E N DA R FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, EXHIBITS, PARADES, AND ALL THINGS FUN IN TEXAS! SNAPSHOT Pearland’s Winterfest See more inside... EVENTS WINTER 2018-19 become one of the city’s largest annual highlights like mutton bustin’, bull riding, events, with more than 2 million visitors steer wrestling, and barrel racing, head to Let’s Rodeo each year. Built in the late 1940s to house the horse show arena on Feb. 17 to cele- this growing livestock show, the Joe and brate Hispanic heritage at the rodeo with hether this is your first Harry Freeman Coliseum still hosts the the Dia de Vaquero ceremony. Weekends rodeo or your 50th, a stock show and exhibits today, while the at this year’s show will feature Rodeo after night at the iconic San main rodeo event now takes place in the Dark with food, beverages, and live music Antonio Stock Show and adjacent AT&T Center. Attractions of this until midnight from Thursday to Saturday. WRodeo can offer some of the most exciting 18-day event, Feb. 7-24, include the Texas Don’t miss the Craft Beer Tap Room, now 8 seconds in the sports. As one of the Wildlife Expo, pony rides, and a Cowboy combined with the Wine Garden as a highest-paying rodeos in the industry, Boot Camp where kids can learn to lasso communal gathering area with a new live with a purse just shy of $1.5 million, it’s and milk a cow. Along with classic rodeo music venue. sarodeo.com/tickets ON THE COVER LET IT SNOW Texans don’t let a lack of snow get in the way of winter fun. At Pearland’s Winterfest, the annual outdoor festival blows in more than 200,000 pounds of snow on Jan. 26, with snow tubing hills and snow play areas in the H-E-B Winter Zone. Family-friendly activities include an exotic petting zoo and pony rides, virtual reality games, winter-themed inflatables, rock climbing, craft vendors, and local food. Celebrating its 23rd year, it’s one of the city’s largest events, welcoming up to 10,000 attendees to the Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium each year. Admission is $10 for children ages 3 to 16, $5 for ages 17 and older, and free to children 2 and younger. Save $2 on pre-sale tickets until Jan. 24 with a canned good donation for the Pearland Neighborhood Center. visitpearland.com PHOTOS: Will van Overbeek (above); Kevin Stillman (cover photo) WINTER 2018-19 | Texas Highways Events Calendar 1 Winter 2018-19 CALENDAR AT A GLANCE DECEMBER JANUARY 1st 15th 1st 21st ROUND TOP: Christmas Pa- AUSTIN: Bruce and Kelly's GRUENE: Hair of the Dog Day HOUSTON: MLK Grande rade With carolers, vintage Annual Holiday Shindig Enjoy free live shows all day on Parade—Midtown Houston cars, fun floats, and the occa- The singer-songwriter husband- New Year’s Day at the oldest The 25th annual parade—one of sional farm animal, this season- and-wife duo perform songs dance hall in Texas: Gruene Hall. the largest single-day multicul- al parade offers a chance for from their Christmas album 830-606-1281; gruenehall.com tural events in the U.S.—is held residents and visitors to come “Happy Holidays,” holiday- in honor of Dr. Martin Luther together to enjoy some small- themed classics, and more. King Jr. The parade features town Christmas charm. 512-474-1221; austintheatre.org 11th-13th more than 300 culturally 979-249-4042; roundtop.org diverse performing groups NEW BRAUNFELS: San Anto- from across the nation. This nio Area Vintage Guitar and 29th year’s parade theme is “It Instrument Show Buy, sell, and Takes A Village.” 713-953- 1st RICHMOND: New Year’s Eve trade guitars and other string in- 1633; mlkgrandeparade.org McALLEN: Holiday Parade Historical Bash Prepare for the struments during the 10th annu- This award-winning parade is countdown to 2019 at George al event. 830-221-4011; juke the largest illuminated holiday Ranch Historical Park with a joint.com/saguitarshow.htm 24th-27th and helium balloon parade in historical mask-making and Texas. It features more than 50 noisemaking craft, and learn ROUND TOP: Winter Antique vibrant lighted floats, more the dos and don’ts of “first- 14th Show The Round Top Antiques than 30 larger-than-life inflat- footing.” At noon, a countdown HARLINGEN: Winter Texan Fi- Show draws people from across able character balloons, is held at the 1830s Jones Stock esta This business expo offers the U.S. to shop from more than marching bands, and a celebri- Farm followed by a special New a live concert and giveaways 100 vendors. For the winter ty-filled lineup. 956-681-1200; Year’s Eve meal. 281-343-0218; for the more than 5,000 Texans show, there are great deals to be mcallenholidayparade.com georgeranch.org who winter in the Rio Grande had and vintage finds you won’t Valley. 956-622-5053; see anyplace else. 979-249- 1st 31st visitharlingentexas.com 4042; antiqueweekend.com TOMBALL: Narrated Glass FREDERICKSBURG: USO-Style 25th-26th Blowing Demonstration Hangar Dance The Hangar Hotel 19th Three Dimensional Visions, hosts a New Year’s Eve bash fea- FREDERICKSBURG: Lucken- SAN ANTONIO: Barbecue Houston’s only open-access turing big-band music, benefiting bach Blues Festival This 12th Cookoff and Festival The San glass-blowing studio, offers free, USO Ft. Hood. The evening offers annual celebration features Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo’ s narrated demos on the first Sat- swing dance lessons, a Cham- local, regional, and Texas barbecue cookoff features some urday of the month. Make your pagne toast, a costume contest, a blues artists at the historic of the world’s best competitive own holiday ornaments, gifts, photo booth, and black-eyed Luckenbach Texas Dance Hall. barbecue teams, plus a kids’ and more. 281-734-0366; peas at midnight. 830-997- 830-997-3224; cookoff, shopping, and more. threedimensionalvisions.com 9990; hangarhotel.com luckenbachtexas.com 9210-225-5851; sarodeo.com 2 Texas Highways Events Calendar | WINTER 2018-19 WINTER 2018-19 DECEMBER•JANUARY•FEBRUARY FIND EVENTS ONLINE EVENTSC A L E N DA R For more fun things to do this winter, visit texashighways.com FEBRUARY FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, EXHIBITS, PARADES, AND ALL THINGS FUN IN TEXAS! SNAPSHOT Pearland’s Winterfest See more inside... The Texas Highways Events Calendar is published quarterly by the Travel Information Division of the Texas Department of Transpor tation with information from Texas chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, and event organizers. Free Subscriptions: To order a free one-year subscrip- tion to the Texas Highways Events Calendar, fill out and mail in the card in this issue or visit texashighways.com/ eventsubscription. Order single copies by calling 877- 252-8150 or online at texashighways.com/freepubs. 9th 21st-24th List Your Event: The best way to send event listings is by using our online submission form at texashighways.com/ SAN ANTONIO: Confucius PORT ARANSAS: Whooping submitevent. Bulk event listings can also be submit- Wishing Lanterns Cast Crane Festival The Texas ted via email to [email protected]. All event listings eco-friendly lanterns into the Coastal Bend is home to the must include a city, exact start and end dates, location (venue and/or address), public contact information (phone world’s last naturally occurring river in honor of loved ones, number, website, and/or email), and a brief description. hopes, dreams, and wishes. population of whooping cranes. All event listings are subject to approval and editing. Decorating areas allow guests to Festival activities include speak- LISTING DEADLINES personalize their lanterns before ers, boat tours to view whooping SPRING (March, April, May): Dec. 1 dropping them into the river just cranes, interactive workshops SUMMER (June, July, Aug.): March 1 FALL (Sept., Oct., Nov.): June 1 after sunset. 210-227-4262; and seminars, and birding and WINTER (Dec., Jan., Feb.): Sept. 1 sanantonioriverwalk.com nature boat and bus tours. austinveteransparade.org Editor: Jane Kellogg Murray 16th-18th Phone: 512-486-5876 22nd-23rd Contributing Editors: Wes Ferguson, Julia Jones, NEW BRAUNFELS: Troutfest Matt Joyce, Kimya Kavehkar, Amanda Ogle, Texas The largest event of its HOUSTON: Trail Rides Emily Roberts Stone, Julie Stratton One of Houston Livestock Show kind in Texas, this fly-fisher Contributing Writer: Hannah Phillips and Rodeo’s most iconic events festival brings out a crowd of Art Director: Ashley Horsley ends before the rodeo even be- more than 3,000 people to Associate Art Director: Chris Linnen hear keynote speaker Chris gins. Nearly 3,000 riders and ap- proximately 100 wagons con- Photo Editor: Brandon Jakobeit Wood, CEO of Trout Unlimited, verge in Houston’s Memorial Park Digital Strategies Manager: Peter Obering and enjoy activities including to participate in the Downtown live auctions, door prizes, ADVERTISING SALES INQUIRIES Rodeo Parade, which heralds the great food, and local craft AJR Media Group Phone: 855-468-6257 opening of the rodeo. 832-667- beer. 512-560-4380; Email: [email protected] 1000; rodeohouston.com grtu.org/troutfest Dates for events listed in this calendar were correct at the time of publication and are subject to change. Please con- 22nd-24th firm dates in advance by calling the number listed or by 21st-24th contacting the local chamber of commerce. GALVESTON: Mardi Gras EDINBURG: Fiesta Edinburg Galveston kicks off the first © Texas Department of Transportation This annual festival is one big weekend of Mardi Gras with party featuring attractions such parades in the downtown his- as the Heart of America Carnival, toric district and along the regional food, arts and crafts, seawall.