Art car parade moves up a month

Scenes from the 27th annual Art Car Parade, May 10, 2014 in Houston. (Eric Kayne/For the Chronicle) Scenes from the 27th annual Art Car Parade, May 10, 2014 in Houston. (Eric Kayne/For the Chronicle) Photo: For The Chronicle Photo: For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 107 Caption Close Art car parade moves up a month 1 / 107 Back to Gallery

One of Houston's most popular annual festivals is moving to up a month in a bid to capitalize on cooler spring temperatures.

The 28th annual Houston Art Car Parade is now set for April 11, 2015, The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, producers of the annual Houston Art Car Parade Weekend, announced today.

This year's past parade was May 10.

In the past festival goers had expressed that that rain, heat, and humidity in early May dampened the fun of the parade, which sees hundreds of cars driving through downtown Houston decorated to the hilt.

"Securing this date in April for the Houston Art Car Parade is a dream come true. To be able to present the parade then will allow for a greater audience including those who could not or would not brave the heat in May," said Don Mafrige, Jr., Orange Show Center for Visionary Art Board President-Elect and Chairman of Houston Art Car Weekend.

College graduation and wedding season sometimes caused conflicts for those wanting to attend the parade festivities.

The Legendary Art Car Ball, usually the night before the parade, is one of the most unique party events on the Houston social circuit.

The complete schedule of events for the 2015 Houston Art Car Parade is as follows.

April 9 – The Main Street Drag – Locations all over Houston

April 9 – Sneak Peek – Discovery Green

April 10 – The Legendary Art Car Ball presented by Arts Brookfield

April 11 – The 28th Annual Houston Art Car Parade & Houston Art Car Parade VIPit Party – Allen Parkway

April 12 – Houston Art Car Parade Awards Ceremony – Smither Park

The Art Car Parade has been a major part of the Houston cultural experience for over 33 years. The free event saw nearly 300,000 people posted up along Allen Parkway this year to see nearly every kind of art car imaginable.