Spring Festivals in Houston: 8 Worth Planning Your Calendar Around

Houston runs eight recurring festivals between late February and late May that span the arts, food, culture, and music. The biggest anchor is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Park, which draws millions of visitors over three weeks each spring. Alongside it: two fine-art festivals, the world's largest art car parade, a German heritage celebration in Old Town Tomball, a nationally ranked outdoor art fair in The Woodlands, a massive crawfish festival in Pearland, and a spring-bloom festival at the Houston Botanic Garden.

How we chose

Each festival on this list has an active official website confirming 2026 or 2027 dates and a multi-year track record. We left out events that cancelled with no confirmed return date — the Texas Crawfish and Music Festival in Old Town Spring is currently on hiatus — recently rebranded single-day events without a long history, and professional trade conferences not open to the general public. All eight picks below were confirmed active as of October 2026.

The quick list

• Late February through mid-March: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, NRG Park
• Late March: Bayou City Art Festival downtown + Tomball German Heritage Festival — often the same weekend
• Second Saturday of April: Houston Art Car Parade, Allen Parkway — free admission
• April: Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival, Town Green Park, The Woodlands
• April: Pearland Crawfish Festival, Shadow Creek Ranch, Pearland
• April: Houston Botanic Garden Flower Power Festival, Eastwood
• Mid-May: Houston Greek Fest, Energy Corridor

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Late February through mid-March · NRG Park, south of downtown

The Houston Rodeo has run every spring since 1932 and grown into one of the largest events of its kind in the world by attendance. The 2027 run is scheduled for March 2–21. NRG Park hosts a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo, a livestock show with competitions across dozens of breeds, a carnival midway, and a three-week concert series that brings A-list performers to the stadium every night.

The fact that surprises most first-timers: the Rodeo has awarded more than $660 million in scholarships to Texas youth since it began. Every carnival game token and concert ticket is, in part, a scholarship contribution.

What to know: Concert tickets sell separately from grounds admission and go fast — buy as soon as the lineup is announced. Grounds admission covers the livestock barns, horse shows, and carnival without a concert. Our Rodeo survival guide covers the full logistics. If you want live music without the Rodeo, the outdoor concerts guide has the rest of the year covered.

Bayou City Art Festival — Spring Edition

Late March · Sam Houston Park, downtown Houston

The Bayou City Art Festival runs twice a year, and the spring edition brings around 250 juried artists to the grounds of Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston. All artists are selected through a jury process across categories including painting, ceramics, jewelry, and mixed media.

What to know: Tickets are typically $15 for adults; children 12 and under are free. Arrive early Saturday morning for the lightest crowds. Our Bayou City Art Festival guide covers what to expect at both the spring and fall editions. The fall edition is held at Memorial Park in October. Check bayoucityartfestival.com for exact 2027 spring dates.

Tomball German Heritage Festival

Last weekend of March · Old Town Tomball, 201 S. Elm St.

Tomball's annual German Heritage Festival runs three days in the historic depot district about 30 miles northwest of downtown Houston. Admission and parking are both free. Four live music stages, more than 150 street vendors, a Saturday parade, and a ceremonial tapping of the keg that welcomes German exchange students have made this one of the most authentic heritage events in the Houston metro — less state-fair spectacle, more neighborhood celebration. The 2026 edition was the 24th annual.

What to know: Saturday draws the largest crowds because of the parade. Arrive Friday if you want more room. Our Tomball German Heritage Festival guide has what to eat and the full schedule. The historic Tomball Depot is right next to the festival grounds.

Houston Art Car Parade

Second Saturday of April · Allen Parkway, downtown Houston

The Houston Art Car Parade bills itself as the largest art car celebration in the world. More than 250 decorated and modified vehicles roll down Allen Parkway every April — from a Cadillac completely covered in welded metal fish to a school bus sprouting enormous flower sculptures from its roof. The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art has organized the event since the late 1980s.

General admission along the parade route is free. The Art Car Ball — a ticketed evening party the night before — is a separate event for vehicle artists and their guests. The parade is one of Houston's genuinely unmissable annual spectacles. Our Art Car Parade guide covers the best viewing spots along the route, and it pairs naturally with free things to do in Houston if you're building a full day.

What to know: Stake out a spot on Allen Parkway early. The route runs about 1.5 miles and vehicles move slowly, so most of the crowd sees everything without moving. Bring sunscreen; there is little shade along Allen Parkway.

Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival

Mid-April · Town Green Park, The Woodlands

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival consistently ranks in the top 10 of Art Fair SourceBook's national outdoor-art-festival rankings and has been named the best annual event in The Woodlands fifteen consecutive years. Around 200 jury-selected artists from across the country exhibit along the waterway at Town Green Park over a three-day weekend in April, with four live music stages running alongside the booths.

The Woodlands is about 35 miles north of downtown Houston on I-45 — an easy day trip. The waterway setting makes for a pleasant walk even if you are not buying. Check thewoodlandsartscouncil.org for exact dates and ticket information. For more to do in the area, our Woodlands guide is a good next stop.

Pearland Crawfish Festival

April · Shadow Creek Ranch, Pearland

The Pearland Crawfish Festival brings Cajun and Creole food culture to a 50-acre site off Highway 288 south of Houston. Expect boiled crawfish by the pound, live music, carnival rides, crawfish races, and a crawfish-eating contest over a spring weekend. The event draws families from across the metro and is one of the larger crawfish celebrations in the region.

What to know: Shadow Creek Ranch is about 20 miles south of downtown Houston. The festival runs over a weekend in April — check the official site for 2027 dates. If the season has you craving more, the Houston crawfish guide covers where to find them year-round.

Houston Botanic Garden Flower Power Festival

April · Houston Botanic Garden, 5151 Eastwood Rd

The Houston Botanic Garden hosts its Flower Power Festival each April during peak spring bloom. The day-long event includes live music, a local vendor market, plant sales, flower-crown workshops, and access to all 132 acres of the garden. The 2026 edition featured a Smithsonian traveling exhibition alongside a Beatles tribute band. This festival is fewer than five years old but takes full advantage of the garden at the time of year when it is at its best.

What to know: Tickets are typically around $20 for adults, with lower children's pricing. The Houston Botanic Garden is worth a separate visit any time of year; the April festival adds live music and vendor programming on top. The garden is in Eastwood, southeast of downtown, about 15 minutes from Hermann Park.

Houston Greek Fest

Mid-May · St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church, 1100 Eldridge Pkwy

Houston Greek Fest is a community-organized food and culture event with more than 25 years of history. The parish of St. Basil the Great in the Energy Corridor prepares the food — spanakopita, gyros, baklava, loukoumades — rather than outsourcing to catering, which makes a real difference in quality. Traditional Greek dance performances, church tours, and a Santorini Market shopping area round out the three-day event.

The 2026 edition was the 27th annual. The festival is cashless. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Friday daytime admission is typically free, making it an easy lunch outing if you are in the Energy Corridor. Check houstongreekfest.com for 2027 dates.

Also worth knowing

Japan Festival Houston at Hermann Park typically runs in late March or April and is one of the largest Japanese cultural festivals in North America — free admission, live performances, food, and martial arts demonstrations organized by the Japan-America Society of Houston. Our Japan Festival guide has the details.

Houston Azalea Trail: Every other year, the River Oaks Garden Club opens seven private gardens in River Oaks and Tanglewood for a ticketed self-guided tour during peak azalea bloom, typically in early March. The 2026 edition was the 88th; the next is expected in 2028. Tickets run around $35 through the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

Save this: spring festival calendar

• Late February: Secure Rodeo concert tickets before the lineup sells out.
• Late March: Plan a Bayou City Art Festival day downtown. Tomball German Heritage Festival runs the same weekend and is about 40 minutes away.
• Second Saturday of April: Houston Art Car Parade, Allen Parkway. Free. Starts around noon.
• April: Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival and Pearland Crawfish Festival sometimes overlap — check the dates and pick your weekend.
• April: Houston Botanic Garden Flower Power Festival — pairs well with the garden's spring plantings.
• Mid-May: Houston Greek Fest, Energy Corridor. Friday admission is typically free — a good lunch outing.

For a full picture of seasonal activities, our family activities guide and free things to do in Houston cover the rest of the year.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Houston Art Car Parade?

The Houston Art Car Parade takes place on the second Saturday of April along Allen Parkway in downtown Houston. Admission along the parade route is free. The 2026 edition was held on April 11; the 2027 parade is expected on the second Saturday of April.

What is the largest spring festival in Houston?

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest spring festival in Houston by attendance, drawing millions of visitors over its roughly 20-day run at NRG Park from late February through mid-March.

Are any Houston spring festivals free?

Yes. The Houston Art Car Parade has free admission along Allen Parkway. The Tomball German Heritage Festival is also free to attend and to park. Japan Festival Houston at Hermann Park is free. The Bayou City Art Festival and Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival charge admission.

When is the Bayou City Art Festival spring edition?

The spring edition of the Bayou City Art Festival is typically held in late March at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston, near Buffalo Bayou Park. The fall edition is held in October at Memorial Park. Check bayoucityartfestival.com for the current year's exact dates.

Where is Houston Greek Fest held?

Houston Greek Fest is held at St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church at 1100 Eldridge Pkwy in the Energy Corridor area of west Houston. The festival typically runs in mid-May over a three-day weekend.

Is the Texas Crawfish Festival in Old Town Spring still happening?

As of October 2026, the Texas Crawfish and Music Festival in Old Town Spring is on hiatus with no confirmed return date. The Pearland Crawfish Festival at Shadow Creek Ranch is the Houston area's largest confirmed active crawfish festival.