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Your weekly guide to Houston: Five (plus) don't-miss events — with the Golden Pig Trophy

On the itinerary this week are stylish homes, international festivals, an al fresco bash and a hot hog competition.

Try this: Click on the links below each event to find a page teeming with helpful intel, like places to eat, drink and shop near your final destination, and the ability to download the deets to your online calendar. Capish?

Prestige Builders Nantucket Showcase Open House

Contemporary residential design has a reputation for being cold, sterile and museum like. Monsour Taghdisi, president of Prestige Builders, and designer Lucinda Loya are on a quest to set the record straight about a style that, when done right, can be opulent, rich and comfortable — even you could say suitable to embrace heirlooms passed down through generations.

The 5,000-square-foot townhouse in Tanglewood is the luxury builder's first showcase home. An over-the-top opening party on Thursday introduces Taghdisi's and Loya's brainchild, with proceeds benefiting Legacy Community Services. Cash raised on tour days will be donated to the Art Institute of Houston.

The deets: Open on selected days from Friday to April 21; 1310 Nantucket Dr.; tour admission is $20; opening party tariff is $200.

43rd Annual Houston International Festival (iFest) "Brazil" Kick‐Off

Travel to sultry, sexy Brazil without leaving your hometown. The tropical destination is the theme of this year's iFest, set for the weekends of April 20 and 27.

Are we there yet? Actually, yes. The kickoff musicale at the Hobby Center welcomes Grammy Award winner Sergio Mendes alongside Casa Samba, a New Orleans-based ensemble.

The deets: Friday, 8 p.m.; Hobby Center for the Performing Arts; tickets start at $45.

20th Annual Japan Festival

Too much Brazil? How about some Asian lore? Contemporary and traditional Japanese music, martial arts demos, food, yukata (a summer kimono of sorts) try-on booths, anime costume contests, kawaii (meaning cute) fashion show and hands-on activities will occupy the grounds of Hermann Park.

Here's what to look for: Performances by Kaminari Taiko, Houston Grand Opera's premiere of The Memory Stone and an appearance by Takane Kochihira, an Okinawan pop singer who melds a bit of this and a bit of that for his unique sound.

The deets: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Hermann Park; free event

Buffalo Bayou Partnership's "Bayou Bash"

Forecast calls for lovely springtime temps on Saturday, just what you want for this young professionals party. Bayou Buddies, the hip troupe that supports the efforts of Buffalo Bayou Partnership, will gather at the Sabine to Bagby Promenade for live music by Electric Attitude and The Journey Agents, crawfish, pontoon boat rides, lawn games and Saint Arnold Brewing Company suds.

The deets: Saturday, 1 p.m.; Sabine to Bagby Promenade; tickets start at $25.

Second Annual Suckling Pig Throwdown "Go Pig! or Go Home!" benefiting OKRA

At any other occasion, being crowned with the title of swine king (or queen) doesn't go over well. But the Golden Pig Trophy is what more than 23 toques of repute will vie for at the Suckling Pig Throwdown. Oink.

Returning to defend his People's Choice award is Ronnie Killen. Those keeping an eye on the hog include big name chefs Chris Shepherd, Ryan Hildebrand, Terrence Gallivan, Seth Siegel-Gardner, Monica Pope, Randy Evans, Justin Yu . . . and the list goes on and on — and on.

The deets: Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Kata Robata; tickets are $75.

Arts smarty pants and in-the-know happy gal Nancy Wozny's pick: Stages Repertory Theatre presents Dollhouse

Nancy says: "Money has such a way of messing with a marriage. Theater's most disturbing house frau is back. Imagine Henrik Ibsen's diabolical heroine, Nora, loose in 2004 amidst the fall of Enron and the impending collapse of the economy. With Dollhouse, now running at Stages Repertory Theatre, Rebecca Gilman has re-imagined Ibsen's A Dolls House, his seminal critique of middle class angst.

"This is a marvelous production, directed by Eva LaPorte, and featuring strong performances by David Matranga and Rachael Logue."

The deets: Playing through April 28; Stages Repertory Theatre; tickets start at $19.

Contemporary and traditional Japanese music, martial arts demos, food and hands-on activities will occupy the grounds of Hermann Park for the 20th Annual Japan Festival.

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income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family