Weekend Event Planner

Here are the top 11 things to in Houston this weekend

We are getting closer Super Bowl LI and while there are activities over the weekend surrounding the big game, there's a lot of other things going on around Houston. New art exhibits, big concerts, a Tony-award winning play, a couple of craft brew cook-offs and much more round out the list of hip happenings in Houston.

Here are 10 of the top events taking place this weekend. For a full list of events, be sure to check out our CultureMap Events Calendar. And look for a special article on Lunar New Year celebrations later this week.

Thursday, January 26

The Amazing Acro-cats

Cats walk on a tightrope, balance and roll on a ball across the floor, and play musical instruments — the band lineup includes Tuna on cowbell, Oz on guitar, Asti on drums, and Nue on keyboard — in this fun-filled show that continues this weekend and next weekend. It benefits Friends of League City Animal Shelter and will feature kittens and cats available for adoption.

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time

BBVA Compass Broadway at The Hobby Center presents the multi Tony Award-winning play by Simon Stephens and adapted from Mark Haddon's best-selling novel about an exceptionally intelligent 15-year old named Christopher on a quest to clear his name after being accused of killing his neighbor's dog. While on the hunt to discover who really committed the crime, he makes an earth-shattering discovery and embarks on a journey that will change his life forever. It continues through Sunday.

Friday, January 27

HMNS Wildlife Photographer of the Year Opening Day

On loan from the Natural History Museum in London, this special exhibition at the Houston Museum of Natural Science features 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behavior to breathtaking wild landscapes, selected from over 50,000 entries from 96 countries. It continues through June 4.

Asia Society Texas Center presents "Modern Twist: Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art" Opening Reception

Works from 17 Japanese artists are featured in this special exhibition at the Asia Society Texas Center through July 30. It showcases the innovative shapes of bamboo art and features rare wall-hung installations and some pieces that have never been on display before in Houston.

Reba McEntire in Concert

Country music fans will delight as superstar Reba McEntire hits the stage at the newly opened Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land. McEntire will perform songs from her latest album Love Somebody as well as hits that span her entire career.

Saturday, January 28

Super Bowl LIVE

Super Bowl LIVE, a free nine-day fan festival with over 250,000 square feet of entertainment space, debuts at Discover Green. Live music from national and local bands, a wide array of food, interactive exhibits, and a 90-foot-tall thrill ride called Future Flight, featuring a virtual reality trip to Mars, are all a part of the fun.

2017 NFL Experience

The NFL Experience is an exciting opportunity for fans to get amped up for the big game on Super Bowl Sunday. Visitors to this interactive theme park inside the George R. Brown Convention Center can get autographs from NFL players, shop NFL merchandise, participate in games, like going head-to-head against NFL players in a 40-yard dash and vertical jump on LED screens, check out skills with the NFL Draft, and admire Super Bowl rings in an enhanced display. It is open to the public this weekend and February 2 through 5.

Artopia

This one-night event, sponsored by the Houston Press, celebrates art, culture, food, fashion, and music with performances and galleries filled with works from local artists. Individuals or organizations that have made an impact in the arts community will be honored with a Mastermind Award and a $2,000 check.

Sunday, January 29

Karbach Cookoff

Singers Aaron Lewis, Tracy Byrd, and The Voice winner Sundance Head will headline the third annual cookoff presented by the Robert Garner Firefighter Foundation and Karbach Brewing Company. More than 35 teams will compete in the cookoff and CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler is one of the judges. Proceeds will go toward textbooks for individuals studying fire science and technology, the Robert Garner Fire Academy, the Robert Garner Mentorship program and other RGFF Initiatives.

Saint Arnold One Pot Showdown

The Saint Arnold One Pot Showdown features 80 teams competing to create the best "one-pot wonders" using Saint Arnold beers. The outdoor event benefits Kids Meals, an organization that provides healthy meals for preschool aged children living in poverty.

Wonder Bowl BBQ Showcase

8th Wonder Brewery kicks off a week of Wonder Bowl festivities with the BBQ Showcase from noon to 6 pm. Enjoy some of Houston's finest 'cue and wash it down with some fresh brews. Groovy tunes provided by Heapin' Helpin'.

Feline friends perform as the Amazing Acro-cats.

Courtesy photo

Feline friends perform as the Amazing Acro-cats.

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HOWDY, DOCTORS

Grey's Anatomy spins off new medical drama led by Houston-born showrunner

Photo via Meg Marinis/Instagram

Showrunner Meg Marinis poses with actor Kevin McKidd, who recently exited Grey's Anatomy after more than a decade playing Dr. Owen Hunt.

ABC is bringing the Grey's Anatomy universe to Texas with a new one-hour rural medical drama co-created by longtime showrunner Meg Marinis. Marinis was born in Houston and is an alum of both the Kinkaid School and the University of Texas at Austin.

According to an exclusive report from Deadline, which production company Shondaland shared on social media, the untitled series has received a straight-to-series order from ABC and will follow a team at a rural West Texas medical center described as “the last chance for care before miles of nowhere.”

The series marks the first Grey’s Anatomy franchise show set outside the West Coast, and it's the first that's not centered around an existing main character from the original series.

The new drama will be co-created by Shonda Rhimes and Marinis, who has spent nearly two decades working on Grey’s Anatomy. She joined the series during its third season as a production assistant before rising through the ranks to become a researcher, writer, executive producer, and now showrunner.

"This opportunity will bring new characters and stories to life that will embody the same heart, emotion, and connection audiences have loved from Grey’s for more than two decades, all set in my home state of Texas,” Marinis said in a statement announcing the series. "I am so grateful to Shonda Rhimes for creating this dynamic world and feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of it.”

Marinis’ path to running one of television’s biggest franchises started in Austin. In an interview with Shondaland last year, she recounted moving to Los Angeles during her final semester at UT through the university’s UTLA entertainment program, which allows students to complete coursework while interning in the industry. While finishing school, she interned at Universal before landing a production assistant role on Grey’s Anatomy in 2006.

Marinis has also woven Texas experiences into the flagship series itself in recent years. According to Deadline, she personally knew families affected by the Camp Mystic tragedy and rewrote part of a recent Grey’s Anatomy episode after becoming emotional while working on the script.

The West Texas setting is particularly timely, as rural healthcare access remains a growing issue across the state. According to the Texas Hospital Association, more than 20 rural Texas hospitals have closed since 2010, while roughly a quarter of the state’s remaining rural hospitals are considered at risk of closure.

By centering the new series on what ABC describes as “the last chance for care before miles of nowhere,” the franchise could bring national attention to healthcare access challenges facing communities across West Texas and other rural parts of the state.

The new series joins a long lineage of Texas-set television dramas, though not all were actually filmed in the state. Grey’s Anatomy itself is famously set in Seattle while primarily filmed in the Los Angeles area. Friday Night Lights became closely associated with Austin through extensive local filming, while series like Dallas often recreated Texas from California sound stages, with exteriors of Southfork Ranch serving as the Ewings' fictitious home. Walker, Texas Ranger, meanwhile, became one of the best-known examples of a network drama heavily filmed across Texas itself.

Even after more than 20 years on the air, Grey’s Anatomy remains one of television’s most durable franchises. According to ABC, the drama is now the longest-running primetime medical drama in television history and continues to rank among the network’s strongest scripted performers.

Ellen Pompeo, who stars as Dr. Meredith Grey in the original series, is attached as an executive producer, and the new drama is expected to premiere in 2027.

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