White Linen Night in the Heights has grown beyond the block, which has organizers and HPD responding.
HOUSTON — For the 19th year, the Heights hosted Houston’s biggest block party: White Linen Night. Organizers said they expected more than 14,000 people to attend the ticketed event along 19th Street.
Businesses and the 60-plus vendors on the block benefit from the crowds, but security has grown with the party. The goal of White Linen Night is to give businesses and artists a boost during a historically slow time of year.
“People will be walking the streets, celebrating, eating, shopping,” Chuck Roast, owner of record store Vinal Edge — a long-standing brick-and-mortar shop on 19th Street. He’s seen White Linen Night evolve over the years.
“It was just growing and growing and growing, to where it became unmanageable and out of control,” Roast said.
Organizers saw it too.
“We were getting a crowd down here that wasn’t interested in supporting small businesses; they were interested in a party and free drinks,” Coryne Rich said.
Rich is a secretary with the 19th Street Merchants Association, which is part of the group that plans White Linen Night. On top of the street closures, there’s a large first responder presence.
“[The] City of Houston has always matched our efforts with that. Whatever we feel like is necessary to keep the crowd safe, they have doubled it,” Rich said.
Last year, White Linen Night in the Heights became a ticketed event, which Rich said became beneficial.
“It’s one of the things that we were happy to do [which] was kind of qualify our buyer on this street,” Rose said.
Other business owners like Roast have taken notice.
“It’s really well organized now, which I kind of like. It’s more family-friendly,” Roast said.
It’s a family-friendly night, although the block party has grown into different neighborhoods around the city.
This week, city councilwoman Abbie Kamin said Houston Police will have command posts and additional resources in the surrounding neighborhoods.
“Many of those are stand-up parties, block parties, bar parties, that do not seek additional permits, that do not work with law enforcement, and create significant issues,” Kamin said.
Kamin called it “extremely concerning” with the amount of resources directed to the area.