January is a great month to visit Texas for a variety of reasons. The first month of the year is full of promise, as well as big events across the Lone Star State. And while some areas of Texas experience “true winter weather,” for the most part the Texas winter is mild compared to the rest of the country, making it a great place to escape and warm up for a while. The mild winter weather also allows for a number of outdoor events and activities during January. But, when winter weather intrudes, there are plenty of indoor events too.
In short, there is always something to do in Texas during January, as the event calendar is packed with all kinds of events and activities.
Soccer, football, soccer
The beginning of a new year always marks the end of the college football season. In Texas, college football season always ends with a bang with the annual Cotton Bowl college football game. Held at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the Cotton Bowl has been a college football tradition for more than 70 years. Currently, the Cotton Bowl features teams from the Big 12 and Southeastern conferences.
And, the Cotton Bowl isn’t the only college football game to be held in early January in Texas, or even at Cowboys Stadium. The weekend before the Cotton Bowl, the TicketCity Bowl is held at Cowboys Stadium, with teams from the Big 10, Conference USA, MAC or Big 12 conferences (TicketCity Bowl chooses the two teams it wants from those four conferences). So even though college football season is nearing the end, soccer fans will be able to get their fix in Texas in early January.
Marathons
Soccer is not the only sporting activity that leads the first month of the year. A series of running events are organized throughout the Lone Star State during January. However, none is bigger than the annual Houston Marathon, which is the biggest sporting event of the year in the largest city in Texas. Other notable running events in Texas during January include Port Isabel’s “Longest Roadway and Wellness Race” and the 3M Austin Half Marathon and Relay.
boat shows
In anticipation of some of the colder weather of the year, several boat shows are held throughout Texas during January, offering boaters and fishermen the opportunity to enjoy their hobby even when the weather prevents them from being on the water. . Among the nautical shows held annually during January are the Houston International Boat & Travel Show, Austin Boat Show, and San Antonio Boat Show. A number of other fishing and boating shows are held in smaller Texas towns also during the first month of the year.
Festivals, celebrations and events.
Other festivals, celebrations, and events are held throughout the Lone Star State in January as well. One of the most unique events held each January in Texas is Laredo’s annual “Washington Birthday Celebration.” Held every year since 1898, Laredo’s month-long celebration of the nation’s first president now draws nearly half a million visitors per year. Washington’s birthday celebration typically begins in mid-January and runs through mid-February, with a series of pageants, parades, events, concerts, and activities filling out the days in between.
Also in mid-January, San Antonio is hosting a one-of-a-kind event: the San Antonio Riverwalk Mud Festival. Traditionally celebrated after the annual drainage and maintenance of the San Antonio River (although in recent years the river has not been drained every year), the Riverwalk Mud Festival includes crowd favorites such as Mud Pie Ball, King and Queen Coronation, Mud Art Contest and more. Essentially, it’s just one more reason to party at Riverwalk, but it helps fill out a busy January calendar of events across Texas.
