Houston events & things to do in December 2026
Start with Museum of Fine Arts Houston, The Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel, plus Space Center Houston. December in Houston averages 19°C / 65°F highs, 9°C / 47°F nights, and about 14 rainy days.
Expect 19°C/65°F days and about 14 rainy ones in December. Start with these:
- Museum of Fine Arts HoustonTexas's biggest art museum, 70,000+ works across three buildings linked by James Turrell's tunnel "The Light Inside." The Kinder Building holds the…
- The Menil Collection and Rothko ChapelA free private museum campus in Montrose — surrealism, Byzantine art, and a Cy Twombly pavilion — with the meditative Rothko Chapel's fourteen black…
- OakwoodDec 2White Oak Music Hall - Downstairs · Source: SeatGeek
30% off a Going membership when you plan your trip.
By TripSapien Research · Updated June 3, 2026
Houston in December 2026
Weather
TempTemperature
65°F / 47°F
18.5°C / 8.5°C
RainPrecipitation
14d
3.9in · 99.7mm
LightDaylight
10.4h
Cool and gray-green — shorts one day, sweater the next.
Events & festivals
Event calendar- Dec 1 – Dec 31
Zoo Lights at Houston Zoo
A festive holiday light display featuring millions of lights, animal-themed light sculptures, and seasonal activities at the Houston Zoo.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 2
- Dec 2
Disney Worlds Collide Concert Tour w/ Disney Descendant's: Zombies
Arts & Theatre · Miscellaneous.
Source: Ticketmaster
Show all 39 events for December
- Dec 3
- Dec 5
- Dec 5 – Dec 6
Holiday Market at Market Square Park
A festive market featuring local artisans, holiday gifts, food trucks, and live entertainment in downtown Houston.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 5
- Dec 6
- Dec 6
- Dec 6
- Dec 8
- Dec 9
- Dec 9
- Dec 9
- Dec 10 – Dec 23
Houston Symphony Holiday Concerts
A series of holiday-themed concerts performed by the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 10
- Dec 10
- Dec 11
- Dec 11
- Dec 11
- Dec 12
- Dec 12
- Dec 12
- Dec 13
- Dec 13
- Dec 13
- Dec 16
- Dec 17
- Dec 17 – Dec 19
- Dec 17 – Dec 20
- Dec 18 – Dec 20
- Dec 18 – Dec 20
Houston Zoo's Christmas Town
A special holiday event with themed activities, crafts, and visits with Santa at the Houston Zoo.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 18
- Dec 19
- Dec 19
Cynthia Lee Fontaine Presents: Drag Brunch at the Punch
Arts & Theatre · Performance Art.
Source: Ticketmaster
- Dec 20
- Dec 22
- Dec 26 – Dec 27
- Dec 31
Holidays, observances & long weekends
Holiday and observance schedules can affect services and venue hours; confirm each place directly.
- Dec 25Christmas DayPublic holiday
- Dec 25-Dec 27Long weekend
About Houston
City overview
Houston is NASA's town and America's fourth-largest city — a flat, freeway-laced sprawl that hides the country's most diverse dining scene, a 19-institution Museum District, and mission control for every crewed American spaceflight since 1965. There's no zoning, so a Vietnamese crawfish hall, a Rothko chapel, and an oil-money art museum can share the same mile.
Food & drink
Houston eats better than any American city its size: Viet-Cajun crawfish (the local invention), barbecue joints with two-hour lines, Tex-Mex fajitas at the source, and a James Beard bench that runs from Indian fine dining at Musaafer to tasting-menu tortillas at Tatemó. Bellaire Boulevard's Chinatown alone out-cooks most downtowns.
Top sights
- 1
Space Center Houston
mixedThe official visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center — a genuine Saturn V rocket lying full-length in its hangar, the shuttle carrier aircraft you can walk through, and a tram tour into the working campus past historic Mission Control.
WikipediaThe Mission Control tram tour sells out first — book the earliest slot online.
- 2
Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern
mixedA 1926 underground drinking-water reservoir turned art space — 221 concrete columns rising out of shallow black water, with rotating light installations. The surrounding 160-acre bayou park is downtown's green spine.
Cistern entry is by timed ticket; the park itself is free.
- 3
Houston Zoo
outdoorA 55-acre zoo inside Hermann Park with 6,000 animals; the Galápagos Islands exhibit (sea lions, giant tortoises) is the newest anchor. The Hermann Park train and Japanese Garden are next door.
Wikipedia
Show 2 more sights
- 4The Orange Show
- 5Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
Neighborhoods
1Montrose
The bohemian heart — vintage shops, tattoo parlors, the Menil campus, and half the city's best bars and restaurants in walkable bungalow blocks.
2Midtown
Dense bar-and-restaurant grid between downtown and the Museum District, loudest on weekend nights.
- 3
Chinatown
Miles of strip-mall Vietnamese, Sichuan, and Cantonese along Bellaire Boulevard in southwest Houston — the city's best-value eating.
Day trips
80km / 1h by car down I-45
Galveston
Gulf-coast island town — the Strand's Victorian ironfront district, Moody Gardens' glass pyramids, and 32 miles of beach.
75km / 1h by car
Brazos Bend State Park
Wild American alligators sunning beside the trails around 40-Acre Lake, plus the George Observatory's public telescope nights.
Getting around
A car is the honest answer — Houston is 600 square miles of freeway. The METRORail Red Line usefully links downtown, the Museum District, Hermann Park, and NRG Stadium.
Planning a Houston trip?
Add your dates and we'll check every place for closures, limited hours, and booking needs in December.
Common questions about Houston in December
- What to pack for Houston in December
Pack for December's weather, not a generic Houston checklist.
- Layerable daytime clothes for average highs around 19°C / 65°F.
- A light evening layer because nights average 9°C / 47°F.
- Compact rain gear and shoes that handle wet pavement across about 14 rainy days.
- How many days do you need in Houston
- 3 days covers the main Houston highlights at a realistic pace. Add 2 extra days if you want the listed day trips.
- Is Houston worth visiting in December
- Yes. December in Houston averages 19°C / 65°F highs, 9°C / 47°F nights, and about 14 rainy days.
Ready to plan Houston?
You've seen what's on — now get a day-by-day Houston plan for December 2026, every place checked for your exact dates.