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Your weekly guide to Houston: Five (plus) don't-miss events — wild pop star party included

On tap this week is a show presented by sexy gals, a film festival with notable premieres, a day that celebrates the city's artsy prowess, a catastrophic vaudevillian musical and a cooking class so you don't ruin high-end proteins.

Dem Damn Dames presents "Party Like a Popstar"

You absolutely have to love the titillating gals that confidently shake their lady parts burlesque-style for this amicable entertainment troupe. The Dem Damn Dames as they are called, who rose in popularity with the numerous 1920s gangster-themed fundraisers that (for perhaps too long) invaded the social circuit, have been hosting their own shows for a while now on the last Friday of the month at Numbers.

Tifa Tittlywinks, Lady Lush, Emma D'Lemma and Honey MoonPie plus guests ND Licious, Ginger Snaps and Zaftigg Von BonBon (say that with a straight face) present a show that pays homage to pop stars such as Michael Jackson and Christina Aguilera.

The skinny: Friday, 7 p.m.; Numbers; tickets start at $15.

QFest Film Festival

Through July 28, this 18th annual film festival that celebrates diversity in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer communities offers a myriad thought-provoking presentations, including many features at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Save the date for the premiere of a documentary that chronicles the life of activist Ray Hill, The Trouble With Ray, produced by Proud Pony International, set for Sunday at Brasil. Also notable on Sunday at 14 Pews is Dudley Saunders' In These Boxes, a multimedia melange that melds contributions from Houstonians fashioned into a video art piece, complemented by live music and spoken word performances.

The skinny: Through July 28; various locations; prices vary by event, with some offering free admission.

The Museum Experience

It's easy to take Houston's art scene for granted. Here's your chance to discover some of the wonderful Music District institutions that add creative zing to the city. The third Museum Experience of the year concentrates on the Jung Center of Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in a day that includes free gallery talks, doodling workshops and family activities.

The skinny: Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Museum District; free admission to featured museums.

Catastrophic Theatre presents A Very Tamarie Christmas by Tamarie Cooper

Comedienne Tamarie Cooper says she's gotten lewder and raunchier in her new show, but I say that regardless of the hilarious language that pokes fun of every American holiday imaginable there's a nostalgia for old-school humor that renders her vaudevillian musical a breath of fresh air.

Leave the kiddos at home for this one. That's unless you have a sadomasochistic desire to explain the gist behind a giant turkey that loves anal thrills and why Christmas isn't as magical as children think. Welcome to The Catastrophic Theatre, folks.

Don't wait until the last possible minute to make reservations. The shows have been selling out days in advance.

The skinny: Through Aug. 30; Catastrophic Theatre; pay what you can, $25 suggested ticket price.

Revival Market Culinary Skills Cooking Class Series

Yes, Revival Market has amazing coffee, fantastic goods from local vendors and house-cured meats that tempt vegetarians to stray from their herbivore eating regimes. But I bet you didn't know that these specialists also host cooking classes — with the next one this weekend.

General manager Carlos Meltzer — he's such an entertainer in addition to being a great teacher — leads Sunday's class on braising, searing and roasting. If you're going to drop cash on artisanal (oh, yes, I said artisanal) and pricey cuts of meat, shouldn't you know how to not screw them up?

The skinny: Sunday, 5:30 p.m.; Revival Market; $95 per person.

Dem Damn Dames presents a show that pays homage to pop stars such as Michael Jackson and Christina Aguilera.

Photo by Smokin' Aces Photography

Dem Damn Dames presents a show that pays homage to pop stars such as Michael Jackson and Christina Aguilera.

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MFAH expands

Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace

Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District. On Tuesday, December 23, the museum announced it has purchased a two-acre parcel of land at 4911 Montrose Blvd that will bring its total footprint to 16 acres.

Located just north of the Glassel School of Art, the property will be developed as a greenspace that will serve as a community lawn as well as be utilized for future museum events and parking. MFAH has retained landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz — the firm responsible for work at Memorial Park and the recently-opened Ismaili Center — to create the design for the new greenspace.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston greenspace rendering A rendering offers a bird's-eye preview of the new greenspace.Image by by Cong Nie/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

At this time, the museum does not have plans to build anything on the property, according to a press release.

To make way for the greenspace, the property’s existing building, Holland Lodge No. 1, will be torn down. Built in 1954 as a home for the oldest Masonic lodge chapter in Texas, the building features a sandstone mural facade. It has been for sale since at least 2005, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

Demolition on the site is expected to begin in spring 2026 with the greenspace opening in approximately two years, according to press materials. In addition to the Glassell School, the museum’s campus includes the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building.

“We are delighted to contribute to Houston’s greenspace access with this new initiative, which will expand the museum’s 14-acre campus to a thoroughly walkable 16 acres,” Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, said in a statement. “While the primary objective for the purchase of this property is to secure land for any potential future expansion of the museum, our priority now is to create a welcoming community lawn. Thoughtfully designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz, one of the leading firms in sustainable landscape practice, the site will serve as public greenspace and provide additional parking for museum visitors.”

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