Happy Birthday Houston!
The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park and Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney’s Historic Houston celebrates Houston’s 189th Birthday on Saturday, August 23, 2025, with free activities all day as described below.
Mayor Whitmire and Council Members have been invited to cut the cake around 3:30 PM.
Youth leaders from around Houston will be there for a Houston pep rally and interactively participate in a fun educational program about Houston’s origins. This is a family-friendly and school-friendly energetic, event.
Special thanks to our sponsors: Houston History Bus for the tours, C. Baldwin Hotel for the grand prize, and Three Brothers Bakery for the decadent cakes.
FREE EVENTS BELOW.
Our museum gallery is free from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. to enjoy three exhibits.
Enjoy cake and punch!
Someone will win a free weekend stay with brunch from our friends at C. Baldwin Hotel, down the street. The drawing will be held at the end of the event.
At 5:00 PM, a free downtown Houston History Bus tour of Downtown by Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney’s Historic Houston. All we ask is that you follow him on Facebook and Instagram here- https://www.facebook.com/MisterMcKinneysHistoricHouston/ and https://www.instagram.com/mistermckinneyshistorichouston/. Seating is limited, sign-up is in person.
The actual birthday for Houston is August 30, 1836, but we want to celebrate a little early this weekend.
Guest Speakers & VIPs
President Jillian Jopling
Council Member Sallie Alcorn
Council Member Abbie Kamin
Council Member Joaquin Martinez, Honorary Co-Chair
Council Member Julian Ramirez
Judge Israel Garcia, Honorary Co-Chair
In-Kind Donors & Supporters
Mister McKinney
Three Brothers Bakery
Houston History Bus
C. Baldwin Hotel
Happy Birthday, Houston - Kate-Yeonjae Jeong, our Poet-in-Residence
Along the curves of the bayou and above the peaks of one of the biggest, gleaming cities of skyscrapers, Houston’s story was just beginning centuries ago.
Deep beneath the heart of Texas, Houston began in 1836, as the pioneers of the new age arrived to create the foundation of a lasting landmark.
The city was not complete without its founders, heroes whose names are sung in every area of the lands: Sam Houston, whose bold spirit guides not only the city, but the state of Texas; the Allen Brothers, whose vision oversaw six thousand acres; Charlotte Marie, the mother of the city, who aptly named it to embody strength.
Beneath the grand Texas skies, Houston began with humbleness and humility, bound together by the togetherness and unity of its people.
Along the bends of the bayou and the freedom of the buffalos, Houstonians gathered like a melting pot of cultures.
Such diversity has continued into the modern day, where we celebrate multitudes of backgrounds and differences; yet we are all connected as proud Houstonians.
Together, we only make our city stronger and ameliorated, marching together with a promise for the future.
Houston is the direction towards dreams that are sky-high like the glass skyscrapers, as valuable as its natural resources, as innovative as the expanding medicine and technology, as victorious as the Astros.
Beneath the bright sun and the dancing lights at night, Houston’s rhythm is a never-ending, lively symphony of life.
So, here’s to Houston, a city of courage, dreams, and heroes, on this August day, we will carry on our city’s never-ending legacy.
@2023, Kate-Yeonjae Jeong, All rights reserved.
Photo Gallery
Happy Birthday Houston - a Poem by Katrina Machetta
Born in the banks of Buffalo Bayou
on the thirtieth of August of eighteen thirty-six,
the land whispers prosperity.
Since then,
you have given birth to thousands and millions
of brave and mighty Houstonians
who toiled day and night,
building pillars
where skyscrapers graced the sky,
embraced and blessed by abundant sunlight
and natural resources.
You have welcomed the world with open arms.
John and Augustus Allen laid the groundwork.
Brothers and sisters,
They have built a dream,
and we,
the co-creators alike,
witness the view of all that has been created on the land we call home.
As the Buffalo Bayou waves at pedestrians in modern-day Houston,
the city lies awake,
bright at night
as the gleaming stars light the path for the American Dream.
Every day is a step forward.
As we keep going,
we are gifted a promise,
witnessing movements,
creating change,
and traveling past inequities.
H-Town has survived and thrived from Alison, and Harvey to Covid-19.
The perils of the past bring hopes and dreams
of a vibrant tomorrow.
H-Town has come so far,
triumphantly with a rich history,
a vision and excitement for a beautiful tomorrow.
Happy Birthday, Houston.
@2021, Katrina Machetta, All rights reserved. Learn more about this talented poet here.
