Weekend events planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Even though it’s a short work week, the weekend still can’t get here soon enough. Ready to have some fun? We hear you. From lively festivals to can’t-miss food events, read on for the top eight things to do in Houston this weekend. For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Deep in the heart
Thursday, June 1
Head to posh downtown residential high-rise The Star Houston for a Texas-themed three-course dinner, including cocktail pairings, by chef and former contestant on the Food Network's Chopped Javani King.

A cheese and fruit board gets things started before course one, an Heirloom tomato salad with aioli, 25-year-old balsamic, and burrata cheese, is served. It’s followed by a main entree of pan-roasted quail with aioli blanched garlic potato puree and braised kale, and chocolate bourbon pecan pie for dessert. Proceeds benefit nonprofit Preservation Houston. (6:30-9 pm; tickets: $50-$70 per person; free valet)
1111 Rusk St.

Back in time
Friday, June 2-Sunday, June 4
Experience up-close encounters with a lifelike Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, and T-Rex at Discover the Dinosaurs Unleashed event at NRG Arena. Kid-friendly activities include miniature golf, a scavenger hunt, digging for fossils, and play time in the Adventure Zone with bounce houses, crafts, and face painting. (Various times; tickets: $15-$19 per person)
1 NRG Park; 612-375-9670

Mermaid tale
Friday, June 2
Polish fantasy horror flick The Lure puts an adult spin on The Little Mermaid. The storyline involves two mermaid sisters, caught in a love triangle when they fall for the same man. Catch a showing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (7 pm; tickets: $7-$9 per person)
1001 Bissonnet St.; 713-639-7300

Soccer state of mind
Saturday, June 3
Kick it at FM Kitchen and Bar, where you can catch the play-by-play as Juventus takes on Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League soccer final. Score big thanks to specially priced Italian and Spanish beers ($1 off while each respective country's team leads the game) available all throughout the match. (1:45 pm; tickets: free entry)

Get your game on early with spins by DJ Ryan McKay (10 am-kickoff), and work up a thirst as former Houston Dynamo Mike Chabala, of soccer-inspired fitness club Sphere, leads two workout classes. (Classes are at 10 am and 11 am; tickets: Space is limited with free admission for the first 10 people to arrive)
1112 Shepherd Dr.

Music fest
Saturday, June 3-Sunday, June 4
The lineup of more than 55 artists on four stages at the 2017 Free Press Summer Festival includes headliners Lorde, Flume, G-Eazy, Cage The Elephant, Solange, and The Shins. Fuel up at the festival food court with elevated bites by chefs Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan of The Pass and Provisions. (11 am - 11 pm on Saturday, 11 am - 10 pm on Sunday; tickets: $148 per person)
150 Sabine St.; 888-512-7469

Where the wild things are
Sunday, June 4
On loan from the Natural History Museum in London, the 52nd "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" exhibition/competition at The Houston Museum of Natural Science features 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behavior to breathtaking wild landscapes. The annual contest receives almost 50,000 entries from 96 countries, with this year’s 100 award-winning images showcased in an international tour across six continents. (9 am; tickets: $25 per adult and $15 per child)
5555 Hermann Park Dr.; 713-639-4629

Car show
Sunday, June 4
The Houston Exotic Auto Festival and Luxury Lifestyle E-X-P-O hits NRG Arena with a display of luxe automobiles from McLaren, Aston Martin, Jaguar, and more. (11 am; tickets: $20-$35 per person)
1 NRG Park; 713-629-3700

Puppy love
Sunday, June 4
At the Chefs for Paws fundraiser at The Merrill House, enjoy tastings created by a roster of local top chefs, including Martha DeLeon (Pax Americana), Alyssa Dole (Cherry Pie Hospitality), Felix Flores (Ritual), Ben McPherson (Krisp Bird & Batter), and Ryan Hildebrand (FM Kitchen and Bar). You’ll also enjoy cocktails from Deep Eddy Vodka, beer from Goliad Brewing, and wine from Cannonball Wines. Proceeds go to Rescued Pets Movement. (5-7 pm; tickets: $75 per person on up to $500 for a VIP table for eight)
2502 Algerian Way; 713- 360-2002

Two innocent man-eating mermaids are at the center of the Polish fantasy horror flick, The Lure, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Courtesy photo

Two innocent man-eating mermaids are at the center of the Polish fantasy horror flick, The Lure, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

event-planner

Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

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