Mint julep sips at — where else? — Julep
Arnaldo Richards' Picos
While their main event will be Cinco de Mayo the next day (their 40th!) Picos will have derby-inspired drinks with happy hour from 11-5pm. Don’t miss the best-dressed contest — the winner gets a brunch for four!
Backstreet Cafe
Maker's Mark and patio-fave Backstreet Cafe are teaming up for an all-day party May 4, featuring three iterations of a Maker's Mark mint julep and a special dish: Backstreet's Kentucky Derby Board ($32) has deviled eggs, pimento cheese, cucumber sandwiches, hot-chicken biscuits, and fried green tomatoes with crab remoulade. And don't forget the hats! There will be a prize for the best one.
Brasserie 19
B19's Derby Day bash (photo by Andy Hemingway)
Mark your calendars: the 150th Kentucky Derby is right around the corner. Wear your finest hats and raise your mint juleps as Brasserie 19 hosts its annual Kentucky Derby Hat Party on May 4 from 1pm-7pm. Round up your crew and join the River Oaks crowd for an afternoon of horse racing and high style. Put your Derby hat game to the test for a chance to win a Champagne brunch for six! To secure your reservation for the party, contact the restaurant directly at 713.524.1919.
Brenner's on the Bayou
Brenner's on the Bayou
Wine Fest Derby Style is back at Brenner’s on the Bayou. Guests are invited on Saturday, May 4, to sample an exclusive wine collection while listening to live music and strolling around the scenic property. In addition, chef-crafted bites will be served from eight of Houston’s top restaurants. This year, the outdoor festival will feature 18 wineries and sampling of more than 40 wines, including Napa Valley-based Revana Family Vineyards owned by Houston physician Madaiah Revana. Guests are invited to break out their spring pastels, hats and fascinators and enter the Derby Big Hat Contest. Grand, second and third prizes will be awarded. After the event, stay and watch the race at one of Houston’s best patio bars, Blue Bar. Wine Fest Experience Tickets, available here, are $150, or $250 for the VIP Exclusive Experience.
Hamsa
Even Hamsa, Rice Village’s Israeli resto, is getting in on the fun! Enjoy a Woodford-sponsored Derby brunch and drink menu from 11:30am-2:30pm on its verdant patio. Guests are encouraged to dress the part, so break out the bowties and fancy hats!
Heights Bier Garten
Heights Bier Garten
For a more casual affair, check out Heights Bier Garten's eighth annual Race for the Roses party. Doors open at 11am, but Derby festivities won't begin until 3pm, when Davi Jay & The Bourbon Street Experience take the stage. Plenty of games, photo booths, and mint juleps here! Best Dressed Contest takes place at 6:30pm.
Julep
James Beard Award-winning bar owner Alba Huerta and Top Chef pitmaster contender Michelle Wallace will team up at Julep’s annual Derby bash May 4, from 1-4pm. Expect mint julep-friendly bites throughout the afternoon and DJ G-Funk and DJ Goodfat live entertainment. The Wash Ave hot spot encourages guests to show off their Southern flair and break out their best Derby hats and bowties for the backyard tented event, which features several bars. Tickets available online.
Pier 6
Take a mini road trip and enjoy Derby Day bayside! Pier 6 throws a spirited soiree on its patio, 4-7pm, complete with a rose-covered wall for pics, wine-basket prize for the best dressed, and Woodford mint juleps for just $8 (the best price we've seen!). Plus: Guests who pick the winning horse will be entered into a raffle for a Pier 6 gift card.
Whitney Crane and Kate Upton (Photo by Wilson Parish)
The marathon weekend started off with a luncheon and fashion show chaired by Janet Gurwitch and Meredith Flores Barker. On one of the most beautiful days of the year, the sun was shining and the humidity was low as models donning 45 looks from Neiman Marcus took to the runway. Guests dined onchilled asparagus soup and lump-crab salad that was capped off with a flight of fruit sorbet.
On Saturday, more than 320 guests took part in the family-friendly Bayou Land celebration. Here, supporters and their kiddos explored different activities in themed areas like Barbie Land, Lego Land and Sports Land. The crowning jewel was the Bubble Palace!
The gorgeous spring weather continued through Sunday, when the Moonlight Sonata-themed Garden Party took place. Guests gathered in the estate’s gardens at twilight for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before enjoying a seated dinner of pan-seared red snapper by City Kitchen. The weekend was capped off with dancing on the black-and-white checkered dance floor to the music of Anthony Caceres.
Rachel Bagwell; Julia Morales (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Rich and Nancy Kinder (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Ashley Seals, Heather Almond (photo by Wilson Parish)
Meredith Flores Barker; Gary Tinterow; Janet Gurwitch
Consuelo MacPherson; Laura Arnold; Maria Munoz; Vanessa Sanchez; Jennie Segal; Evelyn Pappas (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)
Courtney Freels; Kirby Lodholz (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Lisa Eads; Julia Eads Grazer (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Sloan Childers-Cummins; Maddison McConn; Phoebe Massey Cholnoky; Lily Schnitzer (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)
Stuart Winston; Josh Gaynor; Moti Ferder (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)
Stephanie Marchand; Rosangela Capabianco; Janie Luna; Elia Gabbanelli (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Ashley and Wes Dillard Family (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Colleen Kotts; Cynthia Petrello (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Debbie Dacus; Denise Wynne (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Jacob Stein; Lynden and Alexander Unger (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)
Karol and Paul Barnhart; Polly and Murry Bowden (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)
Emily and Olivia Kelting (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Lisa Hough and Erik Littlejohn (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Kenner and Wright Francis (Photo by Wilson Parish)
Roger and Fatima Camp, and Cassie and Wesley Sinor
The evening kicked off with a VIP pre-party inside the museum's Galveston Orphan's home, which survived the Great Storm of 1900. Cowboy-hat-clad guests then made their way to the property's Conservatory for the main event, welcomed with a platter of Brush Fire signature cocktails. They sipped and surveyed the silent-auction items, including a suite at a Texans game and original art.
The gala, chaired by Kelley Sullivan Georgiades and George Georgiades, honored fifth-generation Galveston rancher Gerald Sullivan with the Buck'n'Bull Award. Sea-glass-inspired decor filled with blooms from Island Flowers and a meal featuring RC Ranch beef, catered by Culinaire, were among the sensory-rich highlights. Guests participated in a lively auction, led by Rodeo Houston auctioneer Randolph Holford, that included an exciting Montana ranch trip donated by Houston native and Yellowstone star Cole Hauser. And afterward, partygoers took to the dance floor and two-stepped the night away to a set by Roger Creager.
In all, the night raised more than $900,000 for the Bryan Museum, which opens its Coastal Cowboys exhibit in November.
Alicia Bryan
Todd and Sarah Sullivan
Chairs George and Kelley Sullivan Georgiades
Russell and Jolyn Sheirman
Champagne Cowgirl at the 2024 Bryan Museum Gala
Romy and Jason Dell’Ario
Cole Lowry and Eloise Haynes
Roger Creager
D'Lisa and John Johnston
Gerald Sullivan, Mac Sullivan
Greg McEldowney and Joanie McLeod
Robert Clay, Colleen and Phillip Smith
Michelle Lilie and Rodney Rudell
Honoree Gerald Sullivan and Family
Michael Fossum and Rusty Hardin
J.P. Bryan, Gerald Sullivan
Melissa Williams Murphy, J.P. and Mary Jon Bryan
Leigh Stubbs, Natalie Crowder, Bill Stubbs
Jackson Alston Berger, Kelley Sullivan Georgiades
Johnny and Sydney Sullivan
John and Andrea Bryan
Jim and Kate Lykes
- In New ‘Cool 100,’ Mag Counts Down Houston’s Top Movers, Shakers and Makers. Did You Make the List? ›
- A Day in the Life of the Arts, Presented by Deutsch Fine Jewelry ›
