2026 KBR Kids Day

KBR Kids Day returns to The Water Works on Sunday, October 18, from 11 AM to 3 PM. It's a free annual fall festival run by Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Leave No Trace, and it's one of those days that brings together a huge cross-section of the city. The Houston Public Library, Houston Zoo, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Rockets, Houston SPCA, Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Center Photography, FLAMA, and the University of Houston-Downtown all chip in, so the variety of things to do is pretty wide.

Throughout the day, there are hands-on nature activities, face painting, wildlife encounters, and a costume parade—and since it's mid-October, Halloween outfits are encouraged. The scheduled performances run back-to-back: the Houston Public Library hosts storytime at 11:20 AM, followed by a Birds of Prey show at 11:35 AM. A Halloween dance party kicks off at 12:20 PM, then Urban Paths leads a follow-the-leader music parade at 12:40 PM. At 12:45 PM, Beast Boogie & Friends put on a hip-hop dance show, with Infused Performing Arts taking over at 1:15 PM and Compania Folklorica Alegria Mexicana following at 1:40 PM. The Birds of Prey show returns for a second run at 2:15 PM, so if you miss the morning one, you've got another shot.

For those who want to start early, there's a family bicycle group ride led by Bike Freedom Academy at 10 AM, an hour before the main festival opens. The whole day serves as the family closer to the Leave No Trace 'Spotlight' weekend, a program that picks outdoor spaces deserving of collective care and rallies the community to protect them. That particular weekend, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Team is on the ground at the park running workshops, outreach, and stewardship projects, following a Saturday nature walking tour led by Nancy Greig, the former director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

It's all at The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park, 105 Sabine Street, Houston, TX 77007. Admission is free, and the main activities run from 11 AM to 3 PM.