weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Pay homage to an iconic artist at Frida Festival.

With Astros Opening Day happening on Friday, April 5, a couple of restaurants will be getting in the festive, baseball spirit. Over at B&B Butchers Restaurant, you can have lunch or dinner before the game and enjoy a selection of wagyu hot dogs, including The Ballpark Classic and The Carpetbagger Coney. Meanwhile, at B.B. Lemon, chef Emily Trusler will be grilling all afternoon for a pregame party on the patio.

Of course, there are plenty of other fun events going on this weekend:

Thursday, April 4

The Sade Experience at Henke & Pillot
If you've always been a fan of the smooth, soulful stylings of enigmatic R&B legend Sade Adu, there will be a whole night devoted the woman and her music. A band will be on hand to cover some of her great tunes, while DJ Explicit will also be there to spin all things Sade. They will also have paintings of the beautiful vocalist for purchase, $1,000 worth of giveaways and a complimentary drink for the first 100 guests. Cherish the day. 6-10 pm.

Friday, April 5

Ruth Reichl at Blue Willow Bookshop
Any foodie who knows their way around the kitchen should automatically know who Ruth Reichl is. She's a chef, food writer, and was the editor-in-chief for the now-defunct food magazine Gourmet. (The food-and-movies issue from 2004 still holds a special place in our hearts.) She'll be in town discussing her new memoir Save Me the Plums. Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook will join her for the conversation. 7 pm.

Nine at Act Factory
For the next two weekends, Art Factory will present a production of Nine, the Tony-winning Broadway musical that's based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8 1/2. Just like that movie, it's about an Italian filmmaker who struggles with an artistic block as his 40th birthday approaches. (The musical was later turned into an all-star, all-over-the-place movie musical in 2009, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, and an assorted cast.) 8 pm (5 pm Sunday).

Frida Festival 2019
It's that time once again to pay tribute to one of the icons of Latino art with the 14th annual festival of all things Frida Kahlo. Things will start off on the right foot with a group art show at Hardy & Nance Studios. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, Discovery Green will continue the festivities with such things as an outdoor market, food trucks, and, yes, a Frida Kahlo lookalike gathering. 6-9 pm. (2-10 pm Saturday; 11 am to 7 pm Sunday).

Saturday, April 6

Midtown Houston presents Art in the Park
For the 12th year in a row, Midtown Houston will bring together the cultural arts and entertainment community for its annual Art in the Park. More than 100 local and regional artists will be at this community fine arts festival, ready to engage in conversations with attendees or sell their unique items. Guests can enjoy the delicious vegan, gluten free, organic, and non-GMO food provided by the Falacos food truck or settle in for some live music. 10 am.

Screen on the Green: The Princess Bride
Last year, some snobby, cinephile folk on Twitter took umbrage with prestige home-video company Criterion Collection releasing a special-edition DVD/Blu-Ray of The Princess Bride, believing it's not that prestigious enough. (Criterion already released laserdisc editions of the film in 1989 and 1997.) There are plenty of fans who would say Rob Reiner's all-star fairy tale is a timeless classic — and they most likely will be checking out this outdoor screening. 8:30 pm.

Frank The Man The Music at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Who doesn't miss Ol' Blue Eyes? Who wishes Francis Albert Sinatra was still around to hit us with those classic swingin' tunes that made him the musical icon he's still seen as today? Well, Bob Anderson, known as "the world's most greatest singing impressionist," will embody the man for this one-night-only performance, the first stop in a tour that's headed to Broadway. This show will be almost 30 years to the month of the Chairman of the Board's last Houston appearance. 8 pm.

Sunday, April 7

Tacos over Texas at The Original Ninfa's
(Update: Due to weather concerns, this event has been rescheduled for May 19.) The Ninfa Laurenzo Scholarship Fund will host its second Tacos over Texas fundraising event at The Original Ninfa’s, once again bringing together top Houston chefs to share their cooking skills in a taco competition honoring the legacy of “Mama Ninfa” Laurenzo. All guests will enjoy unlimited taco samples along with live music by Mariachi Emperadores de Mexico, Andrea Daniela, and DJ Tony Styles, plus a silent auction with prizes. Noon.

event-planner

Kelly Clarkson Concert Review

Sold-out Houston crowd sings along at Kelly Clarkson's epic rodeo return

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

undefined

A cross between Pat Benatar and Reba, with a dash of Aretha, Kelly Clarkson headlined Saturday afternoon’s RodeoHouston matinee, 22 years since she debuted at NRG Stadium, in front of 70,007.

It was a true “Ladies Day Out” at RodeoHouston for Clarkson, with roving multigenerational groups of women making the rounds under an only mildly-oppressive Houston sun. Between Clarkson, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Lizzo, the 2026 rodeo concert season has been dominated by strong female artists, with Clarkson the most decorated.

The last time Kelly Clarkson played RodeoHouston in 2004, she shared a Tuesday night bill with Y2K it couple Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, a match made in MTV ratings heaven. Other acts on the rodeo roster that year included John Mayer, George Strait, Reba, Willie Nelson, and — fresh from her first stint with Destiny’s Child — Beyonce shared the stage with Alicia Keys two nights later.

The first American Idol winner in 2002, when daresay that truly meant something, she and Carrie Underwood remain the two most successful of winners of Idol all these years later. Clarkson has a permanent seat at the table in Nashville, winning back-to-back CMA Female Vocalist of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013 and never shying away from a little more twang in her power pop. Right out of the chute, she was repping country style, hard to shake when you’re born and raised near Fort Worth.

Clarkson’s current live act has been honed by various residencies at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, playing in front of thousands of Sin City customers. She’s a part of a rare group of performers like Jennifer Lopez, Cyndi Lauper, and even Dolly Parton herself who can command multiple nights. With her syndicated chat show — where her popular genre-bending “Kellyoke” segments were born — ending later this year, it wouldn’t be shocking to see this working mom jump back into regular touring outside of Clark County, especially considering Saturday’s afternoon drawl.

Clarkson emerged from the cocoon of the rodeo’s revolving star stage just before 4:15 pm in a black, glittery jumpsuit straight from Ozzy’s wardrobe closet with “Favorite Kind of High” from 2023’s divorce record Chemistry, her latest album release. The hard-driving Heart-rock of “Behind These Hazel Eyes” debuted some annoying, intermittent sound skippage but Clarkson’s sold-out crowd filled in any gaps. Her pipes were just too strong.

A nod to the female country legends of rodeo’s past, Clarkson gave Tanya Tucker’s “It’s A Little Too Late” a widescreen Vegas makeover with horns and fiddle. “This isn’t sweat, it’s glow,” Clarkson joked, kicking off the torch song “Because Of You.” The singalong of “Breakaway” could more than likely be heard out in the carnival, the first big “Kellyoke” moment of the afternoon.

For “Walk Away” and “Didn’t I,” the horn section and co-ed backup singers that have made Clarkson’s Vegas shows so bombastic got a workout. Clarkson reeled out her Jason Aldean duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” as a solo. The release was her first country hit and was one of the biggest country duets of the 2010s.

“It’s way more sad this way,” she laughed. “Because I guess he didn’t stay.”

Clarkson threw in 2025’s bar-crawling single "Where Have You Been" in the mix, going rogue from the supplied setlist, accentuating the Queen-esque licks with her own highs. Her post-Idol debut rave-up “Miss Independent” set the table for “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),”

Clarkson sent the crowd out pogo-ing and screaming with “Since U Been Gone,” making her exit in a SUV like a rock star, with plenty of sunshine to spare.

Setlist

Favorite Kind Of High
Behind These Hazel Eyes
My Life Would Suck Without You
It’s A Little Too Late (Tanya Tucker cover)
Because Of You
Breakaway
Heat
Walk Away
Didn’t I
Heartbeat Song
Don’t You Wanna Stay
Where Have You Been
Miss Independent
Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
Since U Been Gone

2004 RodeoHouston Lineup

Mar 2: John Mayer
Mar 3: George Strait
Mar 4: Wynonna Judd
Mar 5: B2K / Bow Wow
Mar 6: Martina McBride
Mar 7: Reba McEntire
Mar 8: Enrique Iglesias
Mar 9: Alan Jackson
Mar 10: Amy Grant / Vince Gill
Mar 11: Clay Walker
Mar 12: Legends in Concert (Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith)
Mar 13: Randy Travis
Mar 14: Bronco / Jennifer Peña
Mar 15: Dierks Bentley / Robert Earl Keen
Mar 16: Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey / Kelly Clarkson
Mar 17: Dierks Bentley / Keith Urban / Kenny Chesney
Mar 18: Alicia Keys / Beyoncé
Mar 19: Pat Green
Mar 20: Brooks & Dunn
Mar 21: Willie Nelson

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

rodeohouston concert review kelly clarkson