Houston Whatever Fest is a art & music festival that takes place at the Warehouse Live venue and…read morethe surrounding 2 blocks of street or so. This music festival has a low-key vibe to it. I love how it featured both local Houston musical artists and had bigger names like GZA, Ghostland Observatory, and Metric. They also had a comedy tent, art paintings installed, and a wrestling ring right by one of the stages. There were also vendors present. I was confused at first when I arrived since I bought VIP tickets but there seemed to be only one entrance. Also there was no map of where the stages were, but I eventually wandered around and figured it out. There was also confusion on the 1st day of the 2015 festival since I wanted to see some opening acts at the Ballroom and Studio stages which were located in the Warehouse Live venue, but it wasn't open yet since they started late. The comedy tent is located where the art and food trucks are. The 2 main stages are located all the way on the other end (almost behind the BBVA stadium, but not quite). I loved the small setting that this festival had. I discovered local artists that I otherwise wouldn't have known about and found me some good music to listen to. There were also all sorts of genres represented here from synths, electronica, punk, metal to indie rock and hip-hop. The tickets are very affordable and worth its value just on the lineup alone. I just bought VIP tickets just to see whatever extra access it had but it wasn't crowded enough to justify spending that much. Regular tickets would've been fine. Wrestling Ring featuring actual wrestling with a music stage right next to it, to the comedy tent featuring a variety of comedians, to the broad genres of musics one can listen to and see art, Houston Whatever Fest truly lives up to its name.

No complaints on the selection of music/art/comedy. DJ Fredster and Ghostland Observatory were a…read morewin! You can definitely see it still in it's growing stage and needs some work. Pulled up my tickets on an app and had to go to the box office upon arriving. Staff working around the box office were not very helpful in getting you into the fest quickly. There were no signs to guide you and you always had to ask staff rather than them point you in the right direction. If there was a map online it was useless with no names of the stages and tents. Stages and tents were not clearly and visibly marked. Buying drinks was insane as you had to stand in one line to buy tickets (cash only) and then stand in another to get drinks. You could go to Lucky's pub and get a drink there (but couldn't walk back into the fest w/it), but it was easier and they take plastic. Only about 5 food trucks on site. The much hyped up ferris wheel was not operating on Saturday, and no sign of why. Hopefully, in the coming years they improve, and I can write a more positive review.

While the tree lighting ceremony on Post Oak boulevard has been going on for years, this was the…read morefirst time I've attended. The even had street vendors, entertainers, and lots of family fun. The festival had lights on the roof of buildings and a fun show on the stage. This was the debut of the "new" trees on post oak boulevard, and they did not disappoint. They were 20 feet tall and made of twisted stainless steel with 249 LED lights on different points of the "trees". They were a very a modern take on the "Christmas Tree" and they were beautiful. The trees and fireworks were meant to be lit at 7:00 P.M., it didn't exactly go as planned, but nobody seemed to mind. Once the firework display began, the crowd was amazed, including myself. The uptown post oak tree lighting event was a sight to see and I would highly recommend.

I took my Mother to the 2013 Uptown Houston Holiday Lighting. It was our first time, after living…read more33+ years in Houston... If you've lived in Houston at least 10 years, you should attend this annual event at least once. Pros: - There is lots of parking even if you don't arrive early. The flyer also has a map of the free parking areas. - The music is good. - There are some booths, one of which lets you throw a ball through some holes in the back and you could win t-shirts, stress balls, etc... - There are police directing the flow of traffic which made leaving the area smooth. - There are lots of food options (albeit mostly unhealthy carnival type food). - The other attendees are polite (We only saw one drunk guy helped by his friends. Alcohol was not available at the event so I'm not sure how that happened.) - There are lots of places to sit (e.g. along the curb, concrete garden walls of surrounding businesses, etc...) I brought a chair for my mother, though. - The terrific fireworks show at the end was choreographed to music. - The emcees did a good job entertaining. - It was held in a fun area so you could walk around if you were waiting for the fireworks. - Some booths sold hot chocolate for only $2 when the temperatures were in the low 50s. - The food was not overpriced (except that bbq food truck selling turkey legs for $10 each). Cons: - They advertised food trucks but other than a bbq one, they were mostly generic fair food tents serving turkey legs ($8!), hot dogs, corn dogs, nachos, fajitas, sandwiches, tortas, funnel cakes, etc... - Lots of vendors were selling flashing colorful light toys that may make parents buy junk for their kids, wasting money. - I didn't see any portable restrooms. - There were strobes flashing lights. - The diesel-fueled generators powering some of the food tents were really loud and smelly.

Thank you, Free Press, for giving Houston a music festival that's been long overdue…read more I must admit that I expected a couple thousand people at this gathering, but so many more thousands proved be wrong; braving the scorching temperatures all in the name of good tunes, I couldn't even give you a number to how many folks were in attendance. There was just a sea of people ... everywhere. This was was a great crowd, a good mix of teens living up their final days of summer, parents and their hippie babies, hotties, notties and above all, a really excited group of locals proud to have this festival right in their backyard. Let me say that with the craziness to the left and a beautiful Houston skyline to the right, it was surreal. And I didn't know Houston had so many hippies, either. There were tons of restrooms (non of which I used), hand sanitizing stations, beer, grub, a volleyball action, lots of local vendors selling clothing, art, cigs and other "festival must-haves," A/C cooling tents, water misters, a VIP tent serving hard alcohol and two stages with great lighting and sound showcasing more than 50 acts. Just two drawbacks: It pained me to see all the metal Budweiser beer bottles thrown in the trash; and the line/ticket situation. Those who purchased their tickets early online, saving a few bucks, ended up spending as much as three hours waiting in line at will call. Whoa. (They did warn to arrive early to avoid this!) But those who were purchasing that day? Eh, some paid and played within minutes. Next year, either spend the few extra bucks to buy then and there ... or maybe they'll work out a better sitch. But keep in mind that they ran out of two-day passes on the first day! Kudos to the staff for allowing people bring in a few snacks and water bottles, cause like I said, it was hot! Once again, Free Press and Omar, thanks for working your little tails off to host this and congrats on such a tremendous success. Can't wait til next year!

"On an island in the sun We'll be playing and having fun"…read more Free Press SummerFest! It's about time people get used to Houston having a bad ass music festival. I'm tired of hearing about Coachella, Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, and Voodoo Fest. It's just a matter of time before FPSF becomes a place people around the nation travel to. This year was great! (besides the heat). It didn't rain, which could be a negative or a positive, as opposed to last year. This year brought a much bigger crowd, maybe because WEEZER owns FLAMING LIPS, but either way the headliner is getting much better. Also I felt this year the local bands/smaller bands were better performances overall. I found a couple that I really enjoyed and was able to stand literal inches away from them. There were so many stages with so many different performers to watch I couldn't figure out which one to see and which one I'd have to miss. Even though it's a huge music festival, we're still in Texas, so you still get that Southern Hospitality, people are still really nice, not pushing, and yelling, over a spot. Don't get me wrong you still get crazy dancing and even some crowd surfing by the end. The promoters of this event do a great job of bringing together, a perfect mix of music, food, activities, and giveaways! OH YEAH! Fireworks at the VERY END. I can't wait to see who they have in store for next year! "We'll run away together We'll spend some time forever We'll never feel bad anymore"

Huge disappointment.. food was no good and a handful of options only with big lines…read more They had lots of vendors selling stuff though

Llegamos al festival y muy decepcionados las muestras de Sake las dan las compañías gratis pero, te…read moreexigen una entrada general de $50 dólares para entrar, la comida no está incluida si quieres ir por comida este no es un buen lugar básicamente tienes que pagar la entrada y quizás otros $70 por persona para comer, no recomendado dejo mucho que apreciar.

For a second year con Space City put on a great show. Sure there were problems, the main one being…read morethat the venue was just too small for the number of people. But as a convention goer, that's a better problem to have than for the place to be empty! If you don't know what a convention is, check out Sandra I.'s post. But if you are already part of the culture and just want to know how this one compares to others... keep reading. The "fame level" of the celebs was a little bellow other conventions of similar stature, but quite good for a second year convention. It was also good to see a lot of guests willing to interact with the patrons rather than only appear to sell their autographs and their 1 hour Q&As. Having Robert Picardo as an MC throughout the entire event was a nice touch. The dealers room was nice, with a good variety of things for sale and for the most part had a good traffic flow with only a few bottlenecks near the doors and where some of the celebs were. Artist Ally was a little lackluster with less artists than one would expect for a con of this size. Part of that though was due to putting some artists in the dealers room where they were somewhat overshadowed and possibly missed. Very average in this regard. I never made my way to the gaming area. So I don't have much to say about that. The 24 hour video game room was nice as many cons have tried to do similar things, but this was one of the most friendly ones I had seen. To me the big take away was that the con had a mock up of the Enterprise D bridge, Holodeck Arch, Tardis exterior, Tardis Interior and Stargate. Yeah, I've been to quite a few cons, but never one that had all of those things at one time. Of course putting them behind a big blue curtain meant that a bunch of people probably missed out on them. Logistics also could have been better... but assuming the con moves to a bigger venue in the future, that should help!

One of my favorite cons in town. I know within the last couple of years there has been drama…read more However, before it was a great group that brought some of the best guests! It really does suck that there was so much controversy over the name.

This was my first year attending White Linen Night in the Heights after many years of wanting to…read morego. It always falls on the first Saturday in August which to me was one of the drawbacks. It's hot in August! Not sure if there is any significance on the date, but the event is inspired by a New Orleans tradition and started by New Orleans natives who moved to Houston. If you haven't guessed from the name of the event, they encourage everyone to wear white linen for comfort in the summer hear. From what I understand, it used to be a free event, but now they charge a fee of 15 bucks which to me is very reasonable as these type of events take time to plan, set up and clean up afterwards. They have live music, all kinds of pop up vendors, art, and all around good vibes. Alot of the vendors like White Claw, Saint Arnold's and others were giving away drinks which in itself should make one feel good about the small entrance fee. We did buy drinks and food to snack on as well. They also allow people to bring coolers which is cool and all, but there was some people that clearly were drinking all day and needed their friends to keep them upright. Glad I grew out of that stage. Once the clock strikes 10pm, they start shutting down and telling everyone to head on out. Overall, this was a cool event that I can see myself coming back to. I love how diverse the crowd is and the good vibes all around. Would I prefer it in the fall? Of course! Maybe they can make that happen one day. See ya'll there next year!

I really don't know why I keep coming back to this event. It's usually hot, super crowded, and…read moreusually overtaken by a bunch of sweaty boozing bros. I guess there is something a little appealing about the whole chaos of it and I usually mange to run into people I haven't seen in a long time so I guess it's not all that bad. A word of advice: bring a little cooler for yourself with water or other beverages. To be honest, I have no idea what the alcohol rules are there but most people there are lit up real good so I guess it's pretty lax. As for parking, you're better off not bringing a car or taking a shuttle. I usually park 5-6 blocks away and walk but then I'm kind of grizzled and know my secret spots. A lot of street parking does open up after sunset too once the families evacuate the area with their children and the night boozing begins.

First time here, visited Saturday night. What a nice family event with great food and drinks! Live…read moremusic was a plus

I paid $15 for admission and I was generally not impressed by the Pasadena Strawberry Festival…read more However, I'm not gonna rate it below three stars because for an average festival it faired well. It had plenty of rides. It had plenty of food stands. A little tip, buy your tickets online because to buy them in person requires standing in a 30-45 minute line. No one wants to do that. We bought ours onsite through our phones. By the time I got to the ticket booth, I could've been in and out of the festival. Inside the convention center is where you'll find the massive strawberry shortcake that's always advertised each year. It tasted regular to me but my grandparents loved the one I brought them. Maybe I just got a bad slice. It's cash only. $5. The ATM charges a 4.95 fee for withdrawal so bring cash ahead of time if you can. The exhibits throughout the convention center were really nice. It was a lot of different options but nothing out of the norm. I won't be going back next year. This was definitely a one-time thing. At least there were hardly any lines for the rides and the parking was free!

Who doesn't love tacos?! Tacos can be made in a variety of ways and is great any time of day. I had…read morethe pleasure of attending the first Texas Monthly Taco Fest for the South region. Proceeds benefitted the Zavala Family Foundation which supports people in the restaurant industry and their families who are battling cancer. It was held at Discovery Green. I lined up a little early even for general admission (GA) because I had a feeling the line getting in would be long, and it was, but it moved quickly. You get either a general admission wristband or VIP. It was a hot, June day, so be prepared with sunblock, wear a hat and sunglasses, and hydrate. I was thankful for the fans they made and gave out. You could bring your own tray to use as a plate for holding all the tacos, but honestly, by the time you line up at another vendor, you could finish eating. Waiting in line for each taco vendor took about 20-30 minutes each, especially for the most popular ones like Ana Liz Taqueria from Mission, TX. The vendors served either one or two tacos. With GA, within the 3 hours, I got to try maybe 7 or 8 different taquerias which varied from local Houston favorites to Austin, San Antonio and Mission, TX. Aside from tacos, some vendors served corn and tortilla chips & salsa, but it might be because they ran out of their tacos. One vendor from San Antonio, Los Weyes de la Asada, ran out an hour before the event ended. Waited in line for a while only for the people in front of me who were holding spots to take the last few tacos. They really should've brought more and have been prepared for the crowd. Learning lesson for next year. There are a few spots with tables and chairs in shaded areas to eat. They had a live entertainment stage and traditional dances and music which made it so fun and lively. A few drink vendors were offering free drinks such as San Pellegrino, Barrilitos, and Corona. Water was free, and they had a water station and cups. My top 3 favorites were Ana Liz Taqueria for their chile relleno taco (Texas Monthly top 10; recently did a pop up event at Jūn), ¡Tacos! Mi Gente for their chicharron taco, and El Pastor Es Mi Señor for their taco al pastor. I recommend getting there early and purchasing VIP tickets which gets you entrance an hour before GA started at 5:30 pm. I went solo, but I found that families with kids or a group of friends who could line up at several booths was the way to go! If you have the time and patience, you can get back in line for your favorites as long as they don't run out and the event is still open. First come first serve. Definitely a cool event to go to. I would come back because of the variety of taquerias from other cities I probably would've never traveled to and for the great cause.