Celebrate America at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s Annual Star-Spangled Salute July 3

The Woodlands, Texas – Kick off America’s birthday celebration at Star-Spangled Salute as the Houston Symphony takes the Main Stage, Wednesday, July 3 at 8 p.m.  This free Independence Eve spectacular, which has been a tradition at The Pavilion for 30 seasons, features the Houston Symphony in a selection of patriotic favorites, presented by The Howard Hughes Corporation. Tickets are not required for this event. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.

The symphony will perform a variety of Americana favorites led by conductor Steven Reineke whose boundless enthusiasm and exceptional artistry have made him one of the nation’s most sought-after pops conductors, composers and arrangers. Attendees are encouraged to stay for the grand finale as the Symphony performs Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” complete with booming cannons from atop the hill.

Featured vocalist includes Houston native Chelsea Cymone, who made her debut as a featured soloist with the Houston Symphony in the 2018 POPS Season and has performed as the featured artist for the Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Christmas and Thanksgiving parades. She has worked with several artists as vocal producer/arranger, including Tamar Davis of NBC’s The Voice, and as a background vocalist for Motown Gospel’s artist Gene Moore, Chante’ Moore, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Regina Belle and Kenny Latimore.

Pre-concert activities begin at 6:30 p.m. in the North and South Plazas and will feature photo opportunities with patriotic characters, The Pavilion Partners Arts & Crafts booth and Instrument Petting Zoo and activations by The Howard Hughes Corporation, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, Woodforest National Bank, Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse and Renewal by Andersen. 

Pre-show entertainment in front of the Main Stage will be provided by The Woodlands Show Chorus and will begin at 7 p.m. The group is an award winning, women's auditioned a cappella chorus, comprised of nearly 80 singers, and chapter of nonprofit Sweet Adelines International.

Guests are welcome to bring a picnic from home or their favorite restaurant to enjoy in their seat or on the lawn. Keep in mind however, that beverages are not allowed to be brought into The Pavilion and picnics must comply with The Pavilion’s bag size restriction and/or be in original packaging. Examples include pizza within a pizza box or chips in original sealed packaging. Please visit The Pavilion’s website for more information on these restrictions. For those wanting to sit on the hill, lawn chairs also are provided free for this event.  

Preferred parking is available in the on-site Town Center Garage, located along Six Pines Drive. Parking is $10 per vehicle for this and most performing arts events. Tickets for on-site parking can be purchased in advance at Ticketmaster.com and The Pavilion Box Office. Guests also may park in any of the free parking lots off Timberloch Drive on the southwest side of The Pavilion.

For more information about The Pavilion, please visit our website at www.woodlandscenter.org. Look for The Pavilion on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram, or download The Pavilion’s iOS or Android app.

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Opened in 1990, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is part of The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides diverse, high-quality performing arts events for the entertainment and enrichment of a broad regional audience. Through numerous educational and community outreach programs, The Center is a catalyst for attracting new audiences to the performing arts and building strong ties between the arts and educational institutions.