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Your weekly guide to Houston: Five (plus) don't-miss events — and all the best festivals

It's festival mania in Houston as this weekend offers more than your share of celebrations that laud art, culture, food and music.

The Original Greek Festival

I have two words for you about this big fat happy fest: Eating pants. Sure there are boisterous live music, dancing and a gift store with colorful pottery, jewelry, candles, clothes, art and lovely smelly candles. But does anyone think that the main reason to take in this celebration isn't to be shamelessly gluttonous?

Get in line early for the dinner plate that includes pastisio (some call it Greek lasagna, I call it heavenly shepherd's pie), spanakopita, beautifully caramelized balls of meat and more. Then work your way to the beef souvlaki on skewers and gyros that are generously loaded with tatziki. Buy a bottle of wine to share and use the varietal to wash down some of the 21,000 pieces of baklava and honey balls as your final stop on this cultural adventure. Bring extra cash.

The skinny: Through Sunday; Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral; $5 admission (cash) for adults, free for children ages 12 and under.

Hands-on Houston Family Festival 2014

I don't mind if folks call me a dork for being enthralled by the process of turning raw materials into beautiful glass creations. I once had the opportunity to witness the magical transformation first hand during a visit to Houston Studio Glass (video here), where Kathy Poeppel and Dick Moiel demonstrated the beauty of a substance that's so abundant we often take it for granted.

The husband-and-wife team is among a select number of experts who will participate in Houston Center for Contemporary Craft's Hands-on Houston Family Festival. Amid artful activities, demonstrations and exhibitions, visitors will glean a new appreciation for glass while enjoying grub from The Golden Grill and Monster PBJ food trucks.

The skinny: Saturday, 11-3 p.m.; Houston Center for Contemporary Craft; free event.

Buffalo Bayou Shrimp Festival "A Celebration of the Estuary"

You can add one more to the ongoing tally of food festivals that occupy the calendar of a gastronome. As part of Houston Arts Alliance's Transported + Renewed place-making initiative, the inaugural Buffalo Bayou Shrimp Festival, presented in partnership with Shrimp Boat Projects and Buffalo Bayou Partnership, may be about food, but it's so much more.

The gathering that includes beer, live music from local talent, games, a boat parade and an Urban Harvest cooking feud is really about recognizing the crustacean's influence in shaping economies, lifestyle, culture and family life.

The skinny: Saturday, noon-6 p.m.; Tony Marron Park; free event.

Zine Fest Houston 2014

While I love the convenience of e-books, there are some literary mediums that will never be able to be replaced by digital formats. That's why supporting an event such as Zine Fest is critical. The creativity found in small alternative publications — many the métier of underground artists — is like a box of chocolates. This Printing Museum affair brings together some 50 zine creators in a day that includes lectures, discussions, workshops and demonstrations.

The skinny: Saturday, 2-8 p.m.; The Printing Museum; free event.

Houston Chamber Choir presents "Love Me Do: Songs of the '60s"

While not technically a festival, every Houston Chamber Choir performance I've attended has felt more like a party than a stiff, serious, let's clasp our hands together choir musicale — especially when the professional musicians venture outside classical rep to offer popular selections. That in a nutshell is what this program is about. A bit of 1860s Brahms complemented with 1960s tunes by The Beatles.

The skinny: Sunday, 8 p.m.; Miller Outdoor Theatre; free concert, tickets are available for the seated area.

The Original Greek Festival is all about food.

Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio

The Original Greek Festival is all about food.

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on the bright side

'First-of-its kind' Houston park reveals 6 murals by local artists

Houston artist Ade Odunfa stands in front of his mural "Salt Marsh" at the Hill at Sims.

Photo by Scott Julian, courtesy of Houston Parks Board

"Birth From the Sea" by Ade Odunfa

One of Houston's most innovative green spaces, the Hill at Sims, is edging toward completion as artists put the finishing touches on a series of six beautiful murals. They should be ready when the park has its grand opening on Saturday, May 23.

The project is being led by Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis and the Houston Parks Board. Located in Sunnyside along Sims Bayou, it combines a flooding retention pond with walkways and other infrastructure to create a unique multi-use community space. Adding a series of environmentally-themed murals highlights the project's dedication to empowering nature around Sunnyside.

“When we bring art, resilience, and opportunity together in one place, we create something that can serve and inspire future generations for decades to come," said Ellis in an emailed statement. "The Hill at Sims is a community-oriented, first-of-its-kind green space in the neighborhood I grew up in. These murals honor Sunnyside, celebrate the natural world, and help turn public space into something people feel proud to protect.”

The murals include “Impression of Nature” by Emily Ding, “Step Into the Wild” by Carlos Alberto, “Birth from the Sea," a reproduction of a John Biggers’ mural by Ade Odunfa, "The Heron and the Fish” by Ana Marietta, “Rêverie” by Amy Sol inspired by Claude Debussy’s 1890 solo piano piece, and “Salt Marsh”, another Biggers reproduction by Bimbo Adenugba.

Houston is a major mural and street art city, with an increasing number of spaces using murals to showcase local talent as well as bring a sense of identity to locations like the Hill at Sims. The green space offers both a massive natural setting in a neighborhood that has traditionally been underserved in park acreage with an elevated point to view the whole city, a rare treat in a place as flat as Houston. Thanks to the Bayou Greenways Project, a 150-mile series of trails that connects parks across Houston, people can walk or bike to the Hills at Sims if they choose to.

"Our goal is for every person who visits this park to feel that Hill at Sims truly represents the Sunnyside community. Public art is a powerful and joyful way to evoke feelings of connection and stewardship in public settings,” said Justin Schultz, President and CEO, Houston Parks Board, in an emailed statement. “Houston Parks Board is proud to support Commissioner Ellis to bring Sunnyside residents a transformative, multi-benefit greenspace that captures the spirit of Houston: turning our climate challenges into vibrant community assets.”

The total cost of Hill at Sims is $28.3 million. Funding comes from Precinct One ($18.8 million), The Brown Foundation ($7.5 million), with an additional $2 million from public federal and state funds secured by State Representative Alma Allen and Congressman Al Green. When complete, it will feature a 1.6 mile basin loop trail, water access pier, a parking lot, a 2,000-square-foot open air pavilion with restrooms, flexible lawn space for active programming, and picnic pavilions.

parks visual-art hills at sims anderson