On a warm and beautiful winter Saturday night under the gleaming lights of downtown Houston, over 530 supporters of Houston’s cherished Discovery Green flocked to the civic paradise for its biennial Gala on the Green® presented by H-E-B. Under the leadership of gala co-chairs and longtime park supporters Ulises and Kara Kinder Vidal and Eduardo and Maria Vidal Morales, the black-tie event hauled in over $1 million for Discovery Green Conservancy.
Adopting the majestic butterfly as its motif, the 2025 iteration of Gala on the Green celebrated Discovery Green’s 17-year metamorphosis into the city’s premier urban greenspace and outdoor venue for accessible arts, culture and educational programming. An al-fresco cocktail reception along the Brown Promenade kicked off the evening, where guests imbibed on themed Monarch Margaritas beneath the wings of Discovery Green’s winter art installation, ATLAS by Jen Lewin.
The park’s lush landscape transformed into a formal haven of sophistication under a grand tent where the main event took place, as butterflies made of light fluttered gracefully above the exuberant party-going crowd. Encore Strings quartet greeted guests as they arrived at the soiree. Harpist Alex Martinez dazzled by playing two harps simultaneously in such a way as to be reminiscent of butterfly wings and their unmistakable rhythms.
KPRC2 Houston Life’s Derrick Shore deftly played the role of master of ceremonies for the evening – keeping the program moving while injecting doses of his trademark charm. As forks clinked plates throughout a multi-course culinary masterpiece from City Kitchen, Discovery Green Conservancy board member and public affairs manager for H-E-B Lacey Dalcour Salas, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral Reverend Nathaniel Katz and Houston Mayor John Whitmire delivered remarks to the gala’s captivated attendees.
Following remarks, all eyes were on the night’s honoree, Guy Hagstette, a visionary leader who served as Discovery Green’s first president and whose contributions have shaped Houston’s most iconic greenspaces. This year’s Gala on the Green celebrated multi-generational leadership, with current park president Kathryn Lott paying tribute to Hagstette and his legacy.
“The gala is a celebration of the metamorphosis that transformed a parking lot into a gorgeous outdoor cultural center and green space,” said Kathryn Lott, President of Discovery Green. “The evening is also a celebration of transformations that take place over generations with the new president honoring the first president alongside the children and grandchildren of the park’s founders.”
Once the program wrapped, attendees hit the dance floor in full force, swaying to the beat of a host of seminal ’70s and ’80s hits from SKYROCKET! Partygoers had the opportunity to bid on a number of one-of-a-kind items, including a live painting by Taft McWhorter and an 18-carat white gold and diamond butterfly necklace from family-owned Houston institution Zadok Jewelers.
Sisters-in-law Kara Kinder Vidal and Maria Vidal Morales’ decision to co-chair the gala was spurred not only by their affinity for the park’s universally friendly, culturally rich programming, but also by the values instilled in both women by each of their families. The duo is committed to instilling these very lessons in generational giving to their own children, who also joined them at this year’s soiree.
Discovery Green extends its gratitude to Specialty Cocktails Underwriter, Vivamor; Dance Floor Underwriter, SULLTRAIN; and Valet Underwriter, Phoenicia Specialty Foods.
More event photos can be found here.
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OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE
Discovery Green relies on donations from people like you to maintain the park and provide the free events and programming you love. From $5 to $500 your donation makes a difference.