The Houston Art Car Parade, the granddaddy of all Art Car Parades and one of the best reasons to be in Houston in the springtime, is severing its ties with the Houston International Festival, thus allowing it more freedom in scheduling and parade route. This is a good thing all around. If you live in Houston and you've never been to an Art Car Parade, you're really missing out. It's not just the amazing spectacle of the vehicles themselves (many entrants aren't cars - there are trucks, motorcycles, and all sorts of homemade things which can't be adequately characterized), it's also the excellent people watching. Scroll through this page for a sampling. This page has more pictures and links of interest. Heck, just do a Google search on "Houston Art Car Parade" and you'll have enough fun stuff to waste the rest of the day.