Skip to main content
Clear icon
61º

Big holiday events means big road closures in the Houston-area

Houston's plans for this year's Thanksgiving parade

We’re talking about thousands of people expected to attend man holiday gatherings around Houston that require a lot of space...and that means a lot of road closures.

Thanksgiving Parade

Recommended Videos



Houston will resume its holiday tradition this year with the 72nd annual h-e-b thanksgiving day parade. The last time it rolled through downtown was 2019, since the pandemic canceled the one in 2020.

The parade starts at 9 a.m., but the street closures begin hours earlier. Starting at 6 a.m., traffic will not be able to get through these streets. Drivers should start seeing these streets re-open at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Parade staging/disbanding between 6:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

  • Allen Parkway (inbound) between Taft & Bagby
  • Bagby (northbound) between Dallas & McKinney
  • Bagby (southbound) between Walker & Clay
  • Lamar between Louisiana & outbound Allen Parkway at I-45 overpass
  • Gillette St. (close midblock - beginning north of The Federal Reserve Bank to Allen Parkway)

Parade route between 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. / Parade begins at 9:00 a.m.

  • Smith between Lamar & Walker
  • Walker between Smith & Milam
  • Milam between Walker & Pease
  • Pease between Milam & Louisiana
  • Louisiana between Pease & Clay
  • Clay between Louisiana & Smith
  • Smith between Clay & Dallas / Parade concludes on Smith at Dallas

Uptown Holiday Lighting

  • The Uptown Holiday Lighting event is a tradition for many families, so this year expect heavy delays in the area as thousands flock to the Uptown Galleria area for the commence of the Christmas season. Post Oak Blvd will shut down completely between San Felipe and Westheimer, starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday and should reopen by 7 a.m. Friday.
  • To score free parking, head to the Centre at Post Oak, the Dillard’s parking lot, The Galleria parking lot and the Post Oak Plaza.
  • Houstonians are also encouraged to take Metro! Folks can park at the Northwest Transit Center or Westpark/Uptown Transit Center and ride the METRORapid Silverline.

Uptown Holiday Lighting event: 4-7 p.m.

  • 4 p.m. Holiday music, treats and more
  • 6:30 p.m. Hilton Post Oak Balcony Decorating Contest
  • 7 p.m. Multi-colored tree light show and fireworks extravaganza

BakerRipley Turkey Trot

  • The route runners will take off from the corner of Post Oak and Westheimer in the Galleria area on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 25. They’ll compete in a 10K, 5K, and there’s also a kids run planned for this year with a distance of approximately 1K.
  • Detailed route: Pre and post festivities at Dillard’s parking lot in the Galleria. Overnight Closures – Post Oak between Guilford Court & Hidalgo, Westheimer between Sage & Post Oak. Closures from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. 5k – Starting on Post Oak between Hidalgo & Westheimer heading north, west on Westheimer, north on Sage, west on San Felipe, turn around at Chimney Rock heading east on San Felipe, south on Post Oak ending between San Felipe & Westheimer. Closures from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. 10k – Starting on Post Oak between Westheimer & Alabama heading north, west on Westheimer, turn around at Dunvale heading east on Westheimer, south on Post Oak ending between Westheimer & Alabama. Closure from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Loading...