I will be out of town for a wedding on November 7. Otherwise, I would totally join all of my Houston readers at the fourth annual Houston Margarita Festival. I love, love, love margaritas, and I don’t care if they’re on the rocks, with salt, or even frozen. Mix tequila and lime, and you have a fantastic combination.

Like I said, it’s sad, but I have to miss this awesome Houston event. Here’s to hoping that I will be in town next year!

And maybe even join in the “Best Margarita Competition”!

Houston Margarita Festival Returns for Fourth Consecutive Year; Makes New Home at Sam Houston Park

-Tickets On Sale Now Through Houston Margarita Festival Official Website-

HOUSTON – Thousands of margarita fans from all across the Greater Houston area will convene at Sam Houston Park on Saturday, November 7 from 12-10 p.m. for the Fourth-Annual Houston Margarita Festival. Tickets, which begin at $25 and include admission, one complimentary margarita and a discount on additional margaritas, are now available through the official Festival website, www.houstonmargaritafest.com. Additionally, the first 10,000 attendees to arrive at the Festival will receive a complimentary Houston Margarita Festival cup.

Since the Houston Margarita Festival’s establishment in 2012, the Festival has continued to grow in popularity year after year, culminating in this year’s move to a larger space in Sam Houston Park (1000 Bagby Street, Houston). The Festival’s new location at Sam Houston Park offers expanded space for Houston’s ultimate margarita experience, where an estimated 18,000 margarita lovers will enjoy a full day of drinks, food, music, dancing and more.

Additionally, this year’s Houston Margarita Festival will host the inaugural “Best Margarita Competition.” The competition includes a restaurant division and a mixologist division, the latter of which is open to both amateur and professional drink makers. Each candidate will have a special ID code to identify their mix that festival attendees can use when they text to vote. Both restaurants and individuals interested in signing up to compete in the 2015 Houston Margarita Festival Best Margarita Competition can register by emailing info@houstonmargaritafest.com.

“The community in Houston continues to amaze us year after year with their response to the festival,” Houston Margarita Festival founder and organizer, Jirmar Proctor, said. “People are so passionate about margaritas and which mixologist or restaurant makes their favorite, that we wanted to launch the ‘Best Margarita Competition’ to let people enjoy a variety of Houston’s best recipes. We’re excited about the new competition and are thrilled to be in Sam Houston Park where we will have plenty of space to celebrate Houston’s dynamic culture full of food, drinks, music, dancing and of course, margaritas.”

In addition to the “Best Margarita” competition, the Festival will once again include a salsa competition with free entry open to non-professional dance couples, co-hosted by salsa enthusiast and instructor, Salsa Eddy, and Houston Margarita Festival competition organizer and dance pro, Crissy Poole. As in past years, the crowd will determine the winner of the competition, in true Apollo-style, with the title going to the couple receiving the loudest applause. Attendees can also enter or watch the limbo competition, which is open to all festival attendees.

More than 19 unique flavors of margaritas, all made with 100 percent agave tequila, will be available at the event, including: green apple, grapefruit, pumpkin spice, coconut, peach mango, cucumber apple, grape, coconut and more. The event will showcase a wide variety of local Mexican, barbeque, seafood and Cajun cuisine, as well as a full schedule of live entertainment. Bands include: Salmerum, Groupo Latitude, Bayou City Brass Band, Mambo Jazz Kings, Step Rideau and the Zydeco Outlaws, Thunderpants, DJ Good Grief, DJ David Cruz, The Fab Five, The Paul Ramirez Band, Disco Impressions, Mango Punch and more.

Since its inception, the Houston Margarita Festival has joined forces with local non-profits and organizations that, in exchange for volunteering and assisting with the running of the Festival, receive monetary donations to support their organization’s mission or scholarship programs. In 2015, University of Houston’s Phi Beta Lambda, the National Society of Leadership and Success, Young Artist Performers (YAP), East Harris County Empowerment Council, Tigers Youth Track Club, Greater Houston Alumni Association, Love Missionary Baptist Church, Tribeca, DLW Foundation, Cy-Hope, SSHRD, Glass Slipper Foundation, In His Care, Roshaad Mayweather Memorial Scholars, Houston Area Urban League, Fresno Youth Football League, Boat People SOS, PWP Life, YFW Inc. and The Resource Group. Local organizations and groups that are interested in volunteering can register at www.houstonmargaritafest.com/#/volunteers.

The Houston Margarita Festival is open to attendees over the age of 21. Multiple ticket options are available including:

·        General Admission, $25: One event ticket and one complimentary margarita

·        Birds of a Feather, $150: Eight event tickets and eight complimentary margaritas

·        Value Pass, $37: One event ticket, one complimentary margarita, three margarita vouchers

·     Premium Value Pass, $57, One event ticket, one complimentary margarita, three margarita vouchers, three premium margarita vouchers

·    VIP, $100 (Sept.) and $110 (Oct.): One event ticket, complimentary food, $1 bar with hand-mixed margaritas and premium liquor, lounge-style seating and free non-alcoholic beverages.

During the Festival additional margaritas may be purchased (cash only) throughout the Festival for $6 and premium drinks, made with 1800 Tequila along with vodkas, bourbons, whiskeys and more, can be purchased for $8.

Anyone who purchases tickets to the Houston Margarita Festival can make reservations at the Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown – located just a two minute walk from Sam Houston Park – for a discounted rate of $159 a night. Available while supplies last, reservations can be made by calling 1-800-HILTONS (1-800-445-8667) and requesting the Houston Margarita Festival block (Group Code: HMF) or by going online here.

The official Houston Margarita Festival sponsors for 2015 include: Bud Light, Fiesta, Pitts & Spitts, Pat’s Wings on Wheels, Mas Branding, Houston Dance Factory and Exclusive Affairs Signature Events.