THE MAIN STREET DRAG
presented by
The Main Street Drag presented by H-E-B is the first official event of Houston Art Car Parade Weekend and famously one of the art car artists' favorite parts of all four days. Organized by the Houston Art Car Parade Volunteer Committee, the Main Street Drag is an opportunity for art car artists to travel to locations across Houston and visit with individuals that may not have the opportunity to attend the actual parade. Schools, nursing homes, developmental centers, hospitals, and other similar institutions are stops along the five miniature parade routes.
2024 Main Street Drag Routes
ā
Galleria Area
Tanglewood Middle School
The Hallmark
River Oaks Elementary
Lighthouse of Houston
ā
Medical Center Area
Horn Elementary
Poe Elementary
Texas Children's Hospital
Methodist Hospital
ā
Meyerland - North
Lovett Elementary
Kolter Elementary
Seven Acres
The Medallion
ā
Meyerland - South
Brazos Tower / Bayou Manor
Parker Elementary
Red Elementary
Imani Elementary
ā
East End
Carrillo Elementary
Gallegos Elementary
Tijuerina Elementary
The Center for Pursuit
ā
Southeast Area
Sanchez Elementary
Ortiz Middle School
St. Augustin Catholic
DeZavala Middle School
Thank you to our Sponsors
presenting sponsor
in-kind sponsors
Katz Coffee
Space City Bagel
Home Slice
Taste of Thai
HISTORY OF THE MAIN STREET DRAG
In 1991, the Orange Show brought acclaimed art car artist David Best to Houston to collaborate on an art car with a University of Houston sculpture class. He and Houston artist Paul Kittelson staged an impromptu procession of art cars the day before the official parade around the city's 610 loop.
ā
The pre-parade art car convoy was such a success that in 1992, the Orange Show formalized the pre-parade event as the Main Street Drag, a caravan from the Astrodome at the South end of Main St. to the North Main barrio. In 1993, with the involvement of the Texas Children's Hospital, the Drag began to include the Texas Medical Center. It has grown into multiple separate caravans, making organized stops at a variety of schools, hospitals and community centers, seeing more than 30,000 people.