Rob Salinas / Houston Public Media
2024 Thanksgiving parade taking place in downtown Houston.
One month out from Thanksgiving — and less than 60 days until Christmas — the city of Houston is transitioning into holiday mode. City and community leaders shared their plans Monday for some of the city’s biggest holiday festivities.
“I have grandsons, 10 and 12. I can’t wait to bring them,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said during a Monday morning news conference. “But also it’s going to be something that excites the grownups.”
Here’s what’s in store for Houston’s holiday season:
Thanksgiving Day parade
On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, H-E-B is returning for the 76th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston.
On top of all the usual parade floats and balloons, this year’s parade will have a 40-foot H-E-Buddy balloon, and a 50-foot golden dragon, according to Lisa Helfman, the public affairs managing director for H-E-B Houston.
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And what’s a parade without a grand marshal — or, better yet, four grand marshals? This year, Houston Dynamo FC’s mascot Diesel, the Houston Rockets’ Clutch, the Houston Texans’ Toro and the Houston Astros’ Orbit will be helming the parade.
The parade also has a lineup of new parade floats — including a tribute to Houston artist David Adickes, who died in July at age 98, and a 2026 FIFA World Cup float as the city is set to host seven matches next summer as part of the international soccer tournament.
Christian singer Danny Gokey, country singer Payton Howie, soul singer Kam Franklin and others will perform.
The parade is free and open to the public. If you’re looking to reserve seats for the parade, you can do that on the city of Houston’s website. Tickets for reserved seats start at $33 and are first-come, first-served.
The parade begins at 9 a.m. on Smith Street at Lamar Street, heads north to Walker Street, east to Milam Street, south to Pease Street, west to Louisiana Street, north to Clay Street, west to Smith and north ending at Smith and Dallas Street.
“Deck the Hall” Christmas tree lighting
On Saturday, Dec. 6, Houston City Hall’s Christmas celebration, “Deck the Hall,” kicks off in the evening, culminating in the lighting of a Christmas tree.
The free celebration, sponsored by Reliant Energy, will kick off in Hermann Square at 4 p.m., with the concert portion of the evening starting at 6 p.m. R&B singer Brian McKnight is headlining with holiday classics, and Whitmire will lead the countdown to lighting the tree, culminating in a fireworks finale as “snow drifts over the audience.”
The tree will be 48-feet tall, with more than 4,000 ornaments and nearly 100,000 LED lights. Reliant is also bringing back twinkling Santa hats for attendees.
Houston Public Library is co-sponsoring a new “Winter Wonderland Kids Zone” with free crafts, games and other holiday activities. Santa will also set up his workshop at the celebration, with the chance for families to take photos.
City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic
City leaders also offered a sneak preview of the annual City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic events taking place this December.
Kris Larson, president and CEO of Downtown Houston+, said Monday the events will be set up in two spots — called the North and South Poles.
The “North Pole” is going to be around the Theater District. Lynn Wyatt Square is going to be centered around live performances, popup locations for hot cocoa, movies and fun activities after shows and performances in downtown Houston. Market Square Park will have singalong concerts, photos with Santa and an ugly sweater-edition of the popular blanket bingo.
Meanwhile, the “South Pole” will focus on Discovery Green’s ice rink as well as lights along Avenida Plaza. Plus, the Houston Astros are launching their new “Light Up the Park” event at Daikin Park, starting Nov. 22, with Astros-themed light shows and displays. Tickets for Astros Light Up the Park go on sale Nov. 4.
Larson also said the city will be bringing back its popular Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunts across the city.