Weekend Event Planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

This first full weekend of the new year is shaping up to be full of many fun happenings around Houston. With concerts, architectural tours, and the lastest stop on the Super Bowl Touchdown Tour among the options, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

We've put together a list of 9 events taking place from Thursday through Sunday that you'll want to check out, but you can view our full list on the CultureMap Events Calendar.

Thursday, January 5

River Oaks Chamber Orchestra presents Beer and Brass

The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra's annual Beer and Brass event at Saint Arnold Brewery is a "spirited" affair that combines jazz from the 1920s and traditional German beer hall music, all performed by the orchestra's Brass Quintet. Enjoy jazz classics such as "It Had to be You" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" while sipping on a selection of craft beers.

Friday, January 6

62nd Annual Houston International Boat, Sport & Travel Show

If boating is of high interest to you then the 62nd Annual Houston International Boat, Sport & Travel Show will be like paradise. More than 700,000 square feet of NRG Center will be filled with everything imaginable for the outdoors at the largest indoor show for outdoor sports in the country. Get a closeup look at the latest boats of all sizes, campers and travel trailers, fishing and camping equipment and accessories, patio furniture, and even exotic vacation locations. The show debuts Friday and and runs until January 15, except for Saturday (January 8) due to the Texans playoff game.

10th Annual Houston Film Critics Society Film Awards Show

Moonlight, La La Land, Arrival, and Manchester By the Sea are among the films nominated for top awards at the 10th Annual Houston Film Critics Society Awards to be held for the first time at the Midtown Arts & Theatre Center (MATCH). Houston critics will also honor an indie film made in Texas as well as providing a bit of comic relief with the "Worst Film of the Year" award.

Houston Symphony presents Cirque Goes to the Movies

This weekend, lovers of the symphony and acrobatics will be thrilled by a dazzling show combining the two arts. Cirque de la Symphonie has joined forces with the Houston Symphony to perform aerial acrobatic feats to film scores from such classics as The Magnificent Seven, E.T., and Gone With the Wind.

Saturday, January 7

AIA Houston presents Rice University: Quads, Courts & Axis Walking Tour

Rice University is an architecture lover's dream with designs by Cesar Pelli, Michael Graves, John Staub and other top architects. A tour hosted by the American Institute of Architects Houston chapter explores the various buildings around the campus and delves into how they enhance the university experience. Also on the tour are large scale art works by James Turrell and Michael Heizer.

Houston Super Bowl Host Committee presents Touchdown Tour

With just a month to go before Super Bowl LI in Houston, the local host committee continues it series of community events to tout the big game with a stop at Burnett Bayland Park in southwest Houston. Attendees will enjoy live entertainment, “neighborhood tailgating” complete with food and beverages, games and other special guest appearances to promote fun and healthy community activities.

Ran Blake in Concert

Modern jazz pianist Ran Blake will perform a free sunset concert under the James Turrell Skyspace at the Live Oak Friends Meeting House. Blake combines early influences such as Bartok, Debussy, Stravinsky, Monk, and Ellington with his love for singers like Mahalia Jackson, Al Green and Ray Charles to produce a unique, deeply introspective, experience.

Red Hot Chili Peppers in Concert

The American funk rock band makes a Houston stop at the Toyota Center to tout their new album, The Getaway, and also perform some of their classic hits. Opening acts are Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Jack Irons.

Sunday, January 8

Southern Salt Foundation Salty Supper No. 2

Five top chefs — Bryan Caswell (Reef), Richard Knight (Hunky Dory), Steven Satterfield (Miller Union), Michael Gulotta (MoPho), and Phillip Speer (Bonhomie) — will headline the second edition of the Southern Foundation Salty Super dinner. The five-course meal will feature wine pairings by Miner Family Wines and a specialty cocktail by Pura Vida Tequila. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization that works to encourage a holistic approach to the conservation of the Gulf Coast including the estuaries, bays, waterways, wetlands, native wildlife and their habitats.

See Rice University's architectural gems up class during the AIA Houston walking tour.

LSRCommunities.com

See Rice University's architectural gems up class during the AIA Houston walking tour.

event-planner

Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

texas country artist cody johnson interview music

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Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'