Memorial Park turns into an open-air gallery this weekend. The Bayou City Art Festival runs Friday through Sunday, October 9–11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., along South Picnic Loop on Memorial Drive. You’ll find more than 250 artists across 19 disciplines, selling paintings, prints, jewelry, sculpture and more.
This year’s featured artist is Aubrey Hogan, a painter from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He works in heavy-body acrylics with thick, layered brushstrokes in the French Impressionist tradition, and his subjects include nature, memory and storytelling. You can see more of his work on his website.
What to do besides browsing
The festival will feature live bands at the Stella Artois Stage, a food truck park and a craft beer garden and wine bar. The Houston Art Car Klub brings a lineup of its decorated vehicles, and selfie stations around the park include giant ART FEST letters, a guitar and an oversized picture frame.
You can also play a round of Putt-Putt mini golf for a chance to win prizes from the festival merchandise tent, and see the “Be Someone” sculpture, a three-dimensional version of Houston’s well-known mural message. The Houston Metal Arts Guild runs live demonstrations where you can try making your own jewelry. Sunscreen stations are set up around the park.
For kids and families: The Active Imagination Zone has oversized bubbles, caricatures by artist Bonnie Blue, and art projects led by nonprofit partners ARTreach, Fresh Arts, The Health Museum, WorldFest – Houston International Film Festival and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
Tickets, parking and shuttles
Online, pre-purchased tickets are required for entry and are sold on the festival website:
Adults pay $20 per day, or $30 for a weekend pass. Children ages 6–12 pay $5 per day, and children 5 and younger get in free.
The VIP Hospitality Lounge is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with light bites, beer, wine, roaming musicians and VIP parking. Tickets cost $105 per day or $150 for the weekend, and availability is limited.
There is no on-site parking. Free general admission parking is available at Delmar Stadium, 2066 Mangum Road, with shuttles running to the festival entrance during festival hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Round-trip shuttle passes cost $12 per person and are sold through the festival website. Children 17 and younger ride free.
The Art Colony Association, which produces the festival, has raised close to $4 million for local nonprofit programs since the event began as the Westheimer Art Festival. Sponsors include the City of Houston, Memorial Park Conservancy, KHOU and Stella Artois, among others. For updates, follow the hashtags #HouArtFest and #BCAF.
