The Houston Art Car Parade is an annual event in Houston, Texas, featuring a display of all types of rolling art. The first and largest Art Car parade in the world, at any given parade spectators will see cars, bicycles, motorcycles, roller-skaters, and many other types of motorized and human-powered vehicles all decorated in various themes. There are also classic cars, lowriders, and various other highly modified roadworthy vehicles. The parade has been a Houston tradition since 1988, when 40 decorated vehicles were featured during the Houston International Festival. The first art car parade took place on May 14, 1986, when 11 vehicles participated in a parade down Montrose Boulevard within the Neartown area. In recent years, the parade has been held on Allen Parkway. The 2004 parade featured 250 entries observed by a live audience of over 100,000 people. There were over 260 entries in the 2006 parade. The 2007 parade featured 282 entries. On November 28 2009, Houston had an illuminated art car parade, dubbed Glowarama. Dan Aykroyd served as the Grand Marshal for the 2010 parade.
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“In Washington, the first thing people tell you is what their job is. In Los Angeles you learn their star sign. In Houston you’re told how rich they are. And in New York they tell you what their rent is.”
—Simon Hoggart (b. 1946)
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—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
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—Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965)
“With the greater part of rich people, the chief enjoyment of riches consists in the parade of riches, which in their eyes is never so complete as when they appear to possess those decisive marks of opulence which nobody can possess but themselves.”
—Adam Smith (1723–1790)