by Sarvabhauma dasa
In 1986, after an old vehicle-perhaps on its last legs-was donated to a Houston organization for the arts, a local artist got the idea to transform it into a moving art piece. Soon after that, the first “art car” parades began in Houston with eleven and then forty artistically embellished vehicles. These days the annual Houston Art Car Parade-the city’s biggest free public event-attracts up to 300 art cars and 200,000 spectators on a Saturday every April. It is the biggest art car happening in the world. For the last 30 years, devotees from ISKCON Houston have chanted on decorated moving flatbed trailers and distributed prasadam to thousands of festival-goers at the annual parade, which is organized by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. This year, on April 11th, the devotees were also able to hitch a large chariot to their kirtan chanters’ float. The chariot, brought from North Carolina by Jagat-purusa Prabhu, carried Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Lady Subhadra, and devotees distributed 10,000 pieces of peanut butter fudge prasadam to Houston’s enthusiastic, multi-ethnic crowd along the two-mile parade route.
Art Car Parade 2026 ISKCON of Houston by Sarvabhauma Dasa (Houston) According to Jagat Purusha, “It was impressive to see how the people at the Art Car Parade in Houston were so favorable to the devotees and Their Lordships.” One obvious reason is that many Houstonians love the peanut butter fudge that the devotees hand out during the parade, at least 6,000 pieces per parade for many years. The devotees also provide a much-appreciated complimentary breakfast snack of banana bread and fresh fruit for up to 500 of the artists riding in the art cars, as well as a post- parade meal for the awards ceremony brunch the next day. In return, the organizers allow the devotees to have a complimentary Govinda’s food booth and entry in the parade.
Damodar Sharan Dasa, one of the organizers along with his wife Shoba Kisori Dasi, said that this year “Although it was logistically very challenging, it was wonderful that Jagat Purusa Prabhu brought his chariot so the Deities could elegantly grace the event, and also that we were able to place a giant 8-foot Jagannath Swami which Gauramani Prabhu brought from Chicago, on the bed of the truck which pulled the flatbed and chariot.”
In the 2006 Art Car Parade, the Houston devotees pulled Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra by hand in a chariot provided by ISKCON Dallas, but because it is mainly a motorized event, several art car artists complained that the Ratha chariot was not moving fast enough, so the Houston devotees were told that pulling the chariot by hand would no longer be permitted. A few years later, a devotee from Louisiana brought the giant Lord Jagannath from New Talavana and gave Him a ride in the Houston Art Car Parade on his large flatbed truck.
According to Guru Bhakti Dasi, who helps with outreach in Houston, “Even when we haven’t been able to have the Deities in the parade, this festival has always been a great place to spread the holy name, distribute Prabhupada’s books and prasadam. The people are favorable and because we have cultivated a relationship with the organizers by helping them take care of the artists’ meals, they are cooperative. This year was special because thanks to the ongoing efforts of Sudevi Sundari Dasi, many of the local non-Indian devotees who we have been cultivating as part of the commitment by our Temple President, Saranga Thakur Prabhu to increase our outreach to the local population by 3%, enthusiastically chanted, danced and distributed prasadam.” Madhava Charan Dasa, who organized the kirtan chanters, noticed that one reel on Instagram showing the devotees chanting on the caravan “was spreading like wildfire.” It had over 45K views and approximately 10K likes, 665 shares and 87 comments glorifying Lord Jagannath. He commented, “Probably people were amazed that something like this could be done. This was really something very extraordinary.” Devotees in different localities may find that cooperating with existing local parades and festivals, such as the devotees in New Orleans with the Mardi Gras Parade and San Antonio devotees with the Fiesta Parade, can lead to similar win-win opportunities. During the Art Car event when an art car artist who had come from California to participate in the parade saw the devotees and heard their roaring kirtan, he got on his knees and offered obeisances. Another man, who drove a decorated 1969 Volkswagen “Beetle” in the parade which he dedicated to the Beatles and in which he played their amplified songs in the parade, including “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison, sent a photo of a plate of prasadam he had received along with the BBT book, Chant and Be Happy, which features conversations of George Harrison and John Lennon. Referring to the devotees, he wrote, “It’s hard to not like these guys.”