If there is a spiritual home for the Art Car, then it must be a fair assertion that that home lies in Houston. The home of the world’s first Art Car Museum – affectionately dubbed the “Garage Mahal” by art car aficionados – is also home to a parade that has been highlighting art cars in all their glory for over two decades. With the 22nd annual parade set to take place this May, the Houston Art Car Parade is more firmly placed in the firmament of the art car world. As well as its stately place at the heart of art car matters, Houston’s parade is arguably the most famous and the one likely to draw the biggest stars – including George Clinton in 2006.

As you might expect, the Houston Art Car Parade has the patronage of art car matriarch Ann Harithas, one of the founders of the Garage Mahal, and an early parade - the second, in 1989, marked an important milestone when the current King of the Art Car, Harrod Blank, brought his own early work “Oh My God”. Since then it has been building, and now the expected audience for the annual parade is in the region of a quarter of a million attendees.