Weekend events planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

UPDATE: The Houston Astros World Championship Parade and Celebration will take place on Friday, November 3, at 2 pm in downtown Houston. The parade will begin on Smith at Lamar, proceed north on Smith, east on Walker, south on Milam, west on Pease, north on Smith, and ending at Lamar Street.

The parade staging area between Smith and Taft on Lamar will close to traffic at noon. The route will close to traffic beginning at 1pm for the parade honoring the players, coaches, staff and their families, culminating in a celebration at Houston City Hall.

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Break out your calendars and start planning for the weekend. From fun-filled festivals to a Broadway-bound musical from a beloved beach paradise singer and a book signing event with a Pulitzer Prize Award-winning novelist, we've got your guide to the city's top events. Here are the top nine things to do in Houston this Thursday through Sunday.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Get inspired
Thursday, November 2
Join members of Houston's startup and creative community at The Founders Festival presented by The Cannon. Lawson Gow, owner and CEO of The Cannon, a new 17-acre coworking campus, hosts the evening, which boasts tunes from DJ Indo, bites by Aces of Taste, Dolce Neve, Peli Peli, Ramen Tatsu-Ya, and The Tasting Room, and sips by Cinco Vodka, No Label Brewery, Seersucker Southern Style Gin, and 9th Hour Coffee. Proceeds benefit the Hurricane Harvey relief fund at nonprofit, Casa de Esperanza. (6-9 pm; tickets: $25 per person)
1336 Brittmoore Rd.

Gear up
Thursday, November 2 and Saturday, November 4
Don your cocktail attire and head to The Dunlavy for an evening of drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and dancing to tunes by Austin-based band The Nightowls hosted by indoor cycling studio RYDE-River Oaks. From fancy duds to spinning gear, on Saturday, take it from the dance floor to the bike at RYDE’s studio for “RYDE for a Reason.” Book a cycle, select your level of charitable donation, and break a sweat for the cause during any of five spin classes. Proceeds from both events benefit the Alzheimer's Association.
(7 pm on Thursday, November 2, tickets: $75 per person; 8 am on Saturday, November 4, tickets: cost of a class and a charitable donation in the amount of your choice)
3422 Allen Pkwy.
2005 W Gray St.

Set the stage
Thursday, November 2-Saturday, November 4
Six of the city’s mid-sized and small theaters join together to present Read Fest, a series of free staged or concert readings of new plays, or plays new to Houston at the midtown destination, the MATCH. (various times; tickets: admission is free)
3400 Main St.; 713-521-4533

Broadway preview
Thursday, November 2-Sunday, November 5
Escape to Margaritaville, a musical comedy featuring both original songs and beloved Jimmy Buffett classics, makes an eight-day stop at Houston’s The Hobby Center before heading to the Marquis Theatre on Broadway in 2018. (various times; tickets: $35-$175 per person)
800 Bagby St.; 713-315-2525

Hit parade
Thursday, November 2
Ringo Starr hits the stage at Smart Financial Centre. The former Beatles drummer is joined by members of His All Starr Band, including Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie (Santana, Journey), Steve Lukather (Toto), Richard Page (Mr. Mister), Warren Ham, and Gregg Bissonette. The group will cover songs from the Beatles as well as Toto, Santana, and more. (8 pm; tickets: $49.50 - $199.50 per person)
18111 Lexington Blvd, Sugar Land; 281-207-6278

Meet and greet
Friday, November 3
Jeffrey Eugenides, author of the acclaimed Pulitzer-Prize novel Middlesex, talks about his first short story collection, Fresh Complaint, signs books, and hosts a brief question-and-answer session with the audience at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. The event is presented by Brazos Bookstore. (7:30 pm; tickets: $27 per person; each ticket comes with a hardcover copy of Fresh Complaint).
6221 Main St.; 713-523-0701

Brews and ‘cue
Saturday, November 4
The Woodlands area eatery Hubbell & Hudson presents its second craft beer and barbecue festival. Sip rare, vintage and one-off specialty beers from five craft breweries. Dig into barbecue, from pork spare ribs to sausage to Akaushi Wagyu brisket and 45-day dry-aged beef ribs from chef Austin Simmons and chef Anthony Compofelice. Proceeds go to proceeds Casa Child Advocates of Montgomery County. (12-4 pm; tickets: $45 per person)
24 Waterway Ave.; 281-203-5641

Song bird
Saturday, November 4
Four-time Grammy winner Renée Fleming performs at Jones Hall. The star soprano has sung at such notable events as the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the 2008 Olympic Games in in Beijing. She will be accompanied by Richard Bado, a chorus master in the Houston Grand Opera. (7:30 pm; tickets: $34-$104 per person)
615 Louisiana St.; 713-227-3974

Art fest
Saturday, November 4-Sunday, November 5
Don’t miss the second annual Art at Discovery Green, a fine art and contemporary craft festival featuring more than 75 artists from across the U.S. There will also be a beer garden, live music, craft activities, and multiple vendors selling jewelry, furniture, painting and sculptures. The auctioning of a Houston Strong weaving created by Texas-based artist duo Sunny Sliger and Marianne Newsom of The Color Condition will benefit the Harvey Arts Recovery Fund. (10 am; tickets: admission is free)
1500 McKinney St.; 713-400-7336

Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band hit the stage at Smart Financial Centre.

Ringo Starr at the International Peace Day celebration at John Varvatos store in California

Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for John Varvatos

Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band hit the stage at Smart Financial Centre.

event-planner

Memorial Groves restoration

$42 million Memorial Park project will honor legacy of WWI soldiers

New trees and dedications to WW1 veterans will feature in Memorial Groves.

Photo courtesty of NBW.

A render of the newly restored Memorial Groves by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW).

A new project by the Memorial Park Conservancy (MPC) and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW) will restore Memorial Groves to new glory, honoring the brave men who fought in the first World War.

Memorial Groves was established as a public space to remember the service of the World War I soldiers who trained on the grounds shortly after the closure of Camp Logan, an army base on the property. The slow encroachment of golf courses, roads, and other park amenities whittled away its original design until it was little more than open greenspace.

Unveiled Tueday, April 22, the new design is part of the Master Plan project that launched in 2012 to recover park spaces from devastating drought. Donors supplied the $42 million needed to start the restoration, including the Kinder Foundation ($10 million), John L. Nau, III ($7.5 million) and the Brown Foundation ($7.5 million).

NBW will be following the basic original design for Memorial Groves as a narrow corridor winding through the highest concentration of Camp Logan archeological remains. However, they have planned significant improvements. Two thousand bald cypress trees will be planted in a grid around the existing foliage, symbolizing soldiers standing at attention on a parade ground. At the north end will be an earthwork inspired by the trenches used in WWI, framed by earthen mounds and a reflective water feature.

Memorial Groves restoration rendering Plan includes planting 2,000 bald cypress trees. Rendering courtesy of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

“The Memorial Groves project fulfills the vision of the park’s founders, who, a century ago, preserved 1,200 acres of Camp Logan as a living memorial to the soldiers who trained there,” said Thomas Woltz, principal and owner of NBW. “This landscape-scale memorial utilizes thousands of newly planted trees and savanna restoration to evoke the immensity of transformation, sacrifice, and bravery of those individuals.”

A new visitor center will welcome parkgoers at the north ends. There will also be a playground and picnic areas.

From 1917 to 1919, Camp Logan trained roughly 70,000 men for service in WWI. Some 200 women were also employed at the camp, mostly as nurses and physical therapists for the wounded. In 1918, Black soldiers stationed at Camp Logan rioted against abuse and unfair incarceration from the all-white Houston Police Department. To this day, there are still stone remnants of Camp Logan scattered throughout the woods along West Memorial Loop Drive.

“We feel truly privileged to be at the forefront of this remarkable project," said Chris Ballard, president and CEO for Memorial Park Conservancy. "Many of our daily park visitors may not be aware of Memorial Park’s rich history. We hope that’s exactly what Memorial Groves will accomplish: to tell the story of Memorial Park, how it came to be, and why it’s crucial to preserve and protect into its second century. The generosity of the Kinder Foundation, the Brown Foundation, and Mr. Nau provide foundational support for this project, and serve as a call to others to support the telling of this important part of Memorial Park’s and Houston’s history.”

Preliminary ecological work on Memorial Groves will begin this month, with full construction starting in 2026. The estimated date of completion is sometime in 2027. Part of the construction involves two new free parking lots with 100 spaces.

parks memorial park memorial groves