BCAF is back

Beloved Houston arts festival heads downtown for triumphant in-person fall bash

The BCAF is back in downtown this fall.

Photo courtesy of Bayou City Arts Festival

After pivoting last year (like so many events) to a virtual affair, one of Houston’s most beloved art events is returning to an in-person celebration this fall.

The Bayou City Arts Festival will be held along Allen Parkway and Sam Houston Park on October 9-10, 2021, 10 am- 6 pm, producer and organizer The Art Colony Association, Inc. announced.

The event went virtual last year due to the global pandemic. As CultureMap reported, it received a financial boost last April from an anonymous donor, who gifted the fest $450,000 in memory of her artist mother.

This year’s featured artist is McKenzie Fisk, a prolific painter from Los Angeles whose work centers on captivating animal imagery. The popular weekend event will allow attendees the chance to meet artists, view original works, and purchase artwork from some 19 art disciplines — including paintings, prints, jewelry, sculptures, and more.

Like any good fest, the event will also offer up live music, food trucks, and beverage stations, along with two entertainment stages and art installations. Adults can enjoy libations at the festival’s wine garden, craft beer garden, and Art Bar. Kids can delight in the Active Imagination Zone, with hands-on art activities for all ages.

Oh, and don’t forget the sweeping views of the downtown skyline.

Frost Bank and the fest will offer a limited availability VIP ticket experience, which includes a tented area with light bites, complimentary beer, wine, and other beverages, per a press release. Nestled under a canopy of trees, the VIP zone will feature roaming musicians, artistic décor, a phone charging station, and more. VIPs will receive all-day access to the area, along with special parking.

Early bird tickets will be available soon online for $15 for adults; $5 for children 6-12. (Children five and under are free.) Adult tickets purchased after September 24, 2021, are $18. Online pre-purchased tickets are required to enter the festival.

Importantly, tickets will not be sold at the gate and can only be purchased online, organizers note.

A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit the festival’s nonprofit partners, including Artists For Artists, Fresh Arts, Houston SPCA, Warriors In Art, Orange Show For Visionary Art, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

festivals downtown

taking center stage

Stage adaptation of iconic Black movie Jason's Lyric to debut in Houston

Courtesy of Jason's Lyric

Most of the movie's cast will appear in the play.

Next year, Houston writer/producer/director/promoter Je’Caryous Johnson will be bringing another beloved Black movie to the live stage.

Jason’s Lyric will join New Jack City and Set It Off in the lineup of ‘90s Black-movie favorites that Johnson has adapted for the stage. The 1994 made-in-Houston drama stars Allen Payne and a pre-Will Smith Jada Pinkett as young lovers trying to maintain a relationship as conflicts and obstacles keep getting in the way.

Jason’s Lyric Live will go on a nationwide, 22-city tour, premiering right here in H-Town on Thursday, February 13 — just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Houston is my home, and bringing Jason’s Lyric Live to life here first is my way of paying homage to the city and its people who inspired this story,” Johnson said in a statement. “This is more than a play; it’s a love letter to the community.”

Payne will reprise his role as Jason, with actress/model Eva Marcille stepping in Pinkett’s role as Lyric. Naughty by Nature rapper Treach, who played Lyric’s criminal big brother Alonzo in the movie, will also return to the role for the stage production. Tyrin Turner (Menace II Society), K. Michelle (Love & Hip Hop), and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Welcome Back, Kotter) will round out the cast.

"Jason’s Lyric is one of the films that defined my career as an actor,” Payne said. “To bring it to life on stage for audiences who loved the movie — and a new generation experiencing it for the first time — is an incredible honor."

Marcille is also psyched for the show, taking on the role that Pinkett memorably brought to life. "Lyric is a character who embodies resilience and hope, and I’m honored to bring her story to life on stage,” Marcille said.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday, December 13, at 10 am. For a full list of dates and ticket information, visit the website.