The 2019 FAQ

when & where will the crawl start?

The Crawl will take place on Saturday, October 26th. It begins at Brasil, Poison Girl, and La Grange at 6 o’clock.

what are the stops on the crawl?

1. Brasil, Poison Girl, and La Grange from 6 to 8, with best costume awards at 7
2. Pistolero’s, Boondocks, and Stone’s Throw from 8 to 10, with best costume awards at 9
3. Catbirds, Present Company, Slick Willie’s, and Hay Merchant from 10 to 12, with best costume awards at 11, and a grand prize award at midnight at Slick Willie’s
4. After party at The Burger Joint

All times are approximate. Everyone’s free to crawl ahead, drag behind, start in the middle, or just get a tattoo instead.

Here’s a handy map to all of the stops (in case you forget where you are):

how can the crawl be in different places at the same time?

Because it’s magic! Also, no one location is big enough to host all of our Crawlers on its own, so the Crawl actually moves from area to area, and not from one single venue to another. The idea is to keep Crawling to Slick Willie’s for the costume contest finals at midnight, but everyone is free to get there at their own pace.

how does the costume contest work?

It actually works pretty well, which is amazing considering we have to pick 10 finalists out of hundreds of Crawlers packing 10 separate locations. But yeah, it’s somewhat complicated, definitely crazy, and it goes like this:

A big, big, big costume contest will be held at midnight at Slick Willie’s, where our ceremonial Grand Crawler will pick a grand prize winner out of 10 finalists. That freakiest finalist will win a $100 gift card to The Burger Joint. All other finalists will each receive $25 gift cards to either Brasil or The Burger Joint.

To become one of the final 10, you must be selected by Crawl officials as having the best costume at a particular stop at a particular time, with those stops & times being:
Brasil, Poison Girl, and La Grange at 7
Pistolero’s, Boondocks, and Stone’s Throw at 9
Catbirds, Present Company, Slick Willie’s, and Hay Merchant at 11

Selections at each time will be nearly simultaneous, so if you’re not selected at (for example) Poison Girl, please don’t run over to La Grange for another shot – you’ll probably be too late. But you will still have opportunities to be selected as a finalist later on at the other bars, so keep Crawling.

Look for Crawl officials wearing staff shirts at the selection stops & times. If you can’t see us, then we may not be able to see you. If there’s any doubt, ask us to take your picture – we’ll be posting photos of each finalist to our Facebook page and Twitter feed all night long.

Any finalists who aren’t at Slick Willie’s at midnight will be disqualified from winning the grand prize, and their gift certificates will be given to the Will Rap 4 Weed lady. Finalists must be selected at our stops prior to midnight – anyone attempting to crash our stage will be hogtied and left underneath the Waugh Bat Bridge for the night.

what’s the montrose crawl’s relation to the stops on the crawl?

Nada. These are just places we enjoy, and we hope you enjoy them too.

does it cost anything to join the crawl?

Nope, just buy your own drinks, smokes, company, etc.

do i have to wear a costume?

Yes, it’s a Halloween party. Don’t be a schmuck.

how much walking will be involved?

Roughly 3/4 of a mile in total, spread out over several hours – a challenge for able-bodied Houstonians.

is there parking?

None that Montrose Crawl will provide. So why don’t you take Uber instead? It’s the safest way to enjoy the Montrose Crawl. You can also find guaranteed parking 5 blocks away from Westheimer at the University of St. Thomas Moran Parking Center, located at the corner of W. Alabama & Graustark.

how does the crawl benefit the houston area women’s center?

HAWC is the Crawl’s official charity. All of the bars participating in the Crawl will donate a portion of their sales during the Crawl to HAWC, which means that Crawlers will contribute to HAWC with every drink they buy. The Montrose Crawl has raised over $55,000 in total for HAWC over the years, and every penny of it has been put to good use.  Please visit HAWC’s own website to learn more about the services it provides to women and children in need, and to discover additional ways you can contribute to its mission.

can i bring my child to the crawl?

No, the Crawl is strictly 21 and up.

can i bring my dog to the crawl?

It’s not recommend. Even those participating bars which are normally dog friendly may deny access to four-legged friends to keep your pet and our Crawlers from being crowded together.

can i bring my gimp to the crawl?

Yes, as long as he remains leashed.