Community Events

In The Woodlands, holidays and special milestones are celebrated with events that bring residents together for good times and great entertainment.

Here’s a sampling of some of the traditional events that are celebrated each year:

• Arbor Day, Earth Day and The Woodlands Wildflower Festival are annual events that reinforce The Woodlands’ dedication to the natural, forested environment. On Arbor Day, free tree seedlings are distributed to residents each January, following a tradition established over 30 years ago. Lovable mascot of The Woodlands, Puffy Pine Cone, also celebrates his birthday each Arbor Day with many of his mascot friends. Wildflower seeds that bloom in the spring are distributed each fall at The Woodlands Wildflower Festival, and Earth Day is commemorated with a community-wide education event each April.
  
  
• The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is a juried art show with more than 200 talented artists displaying their works along The Woodlands Waterway. Live entertainment, food, educational activities for children, scholarship contests and other cultural enrichment programs make this weekend festival a regional attraction each spring.
  
  
• The 4th of July holiday is celebrated in grand style in The Woodlands. The festivities begin with the free “Star-Spangled Salute” concert at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on July 3, sponsored since its inception by The Woodlands Development Company. Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the “1812 Overture” complete with cannon blasts from atop The Pavilion hill are just a few of the rousing, patriotic favorites at this popular event. The 4th of July Parade is followed by the Red, Hot & Blue Festival with music, food, entertainment and good old-fashioned family fun. It’s all capped off with one of the largest fireworks displays in the Houston area.
  
  
• There’s no better place to be during the holiday season than The Woodlands. Another long-standing tradition, The Lighting of the Doves, kicks off the season with the lighting of holiday displays along The Woodlands Waterway, Santa’s arrival from the North Pole and iWOW (International Winter on The Waterway). The Ice Rink at Town Center, the largest season ice rink in the southwestern U.S. is set up near The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion before the holidays, and remains open through most of January.
  
  
• Throughout the year, you’ll find events that cater to many different tastes – from antique shows to Dragon Boat Races on Lake Woodlands, flea markets, jazz concerts, car exhibitions and triathlons. The honoring of the community’s Hometown Heroes benefiting Interfaith of The Woodlands, Concerts-in-the-Park at Northshore Park, and Trick or Treat Trail in Waterway Square are some other community-wide celebrations you won’t want to miss.

For information about upcoming Community Events in The Woodlands, visit www.thewoodlands.net daily and subscribe to e-neighbor, the free, weekly e-newsletter published by The Woodlands Development Company.