Weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

The weekend is almost here, and we’re ready to hit the town. From a happy hour social hosted by your favorite digital lifestyle platform — CultureMap (duh) — to some amazing concerts and lively family-fun happenings, we’ve put together a list of can’t-miss events so that you won’t have a single dull moment from Thursday straight through to Sunday. Read on for the top 10 best things to do in Houston this weekend.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Get social
Thursday, May 18
Don't miss CultureMap’s summer social for young professionals at River Oaks luxury apartment community, Marq 31. Lifestyle blogger Natalie Harms of It's Not Hou It's Me will give tips on how to host the perfect summer picnic, while several boutiques including Baanou, Kissue, and Stag Provisions will offer up summer essentials for sale. Enjoy refreshing sips by Casamigos Tequila and Saint Arnold Brewing Company, popsicles by Kicpops, and spins by DJ Bizonee. Proceeds benefit Memorial Park Conservancy. (6-8 pm; tickets: $20 per person)
3131 Timmons Ln.

Supermodel alert
Friday, May 19
Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Ashley Graham heads to Barnes and Noble in River Oaks for a signing session of her memoir, A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty and Power Really Look Like. (6 pm; tickets; free entry)
2030 W. Gray St.; 713-522-8571

Whiskey river
Friday, May 19
Sample a large roster of whiskies and fine spirits at the second annual whiskey social. Your ticket also gets you entry to master classes led by brand ambassadors and hors d’oeuvres. (6 pm; tickets: $75 per person)
2401 W. Bellfort Blvd.; 713-899-9321

Fun for kids
Saturday, May 20-Sunday, May 21
The Houston Texans, Texas Children’s Hospital, and Kids Triathlon, Inc. team up to host the 2017 Houston Texans Kids Triathlon at NRG Stadium, featuring interactive triathlon expos and racing fun (6 am; tickets: $50-$60 per person)
8400 Kirby Dr.; 904-448-2114

Discover downtown
Saturday, May 20
Learn about downtown’s public art and architecture from the experts as Architecture Center Houston and AIA Houston host a tour including stops along Market Square Park, Buffalo Bayou, and areas West of Main St. (10 am; tickets: $5 per person for AIA Houston members and $10 per person for nonmembers)
Market Square Park at Travis St. and Congress Ave.; 713-520-0155

Like a boss
Saturday, May 20
Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Lil Keke, Kirko Bangz, Dice Soho, and more hit the stage at the Space City Liftoff concert at jewelry retailer Johnny Dang & Co. (1 pm; tickets: $30-$150 per person)
6224 Richmond Ave.

The right stuff
Saturday, May 20
New Kids on the Block, 90s teen sensations, bring their The Total Package tour to downtown’s Toyota Center. Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men are also on the bill. (7:30 pm; tickets: floor seats (only) are still available for $249.95 per person)
1510 Polk St.; 713-758-7200

Feast for a good cause
Sunday, May 21
Load up on delicious fare, from smoked Gouda grits (with herb butter, crawfish tails, and smoked chorizo; $8.50) to smoked bacon banana waffles ($7.50 for two), at a special fundraiser brunch at El Burro & the Bull restaurant. All proceeds go towards medical expenses for Norma Brooks, of the highly-acclaimed Brooks’ Place Barbecue in Cypress, who recently suffered a stroke and has been diagnosed with cancer. (11 am-3 pm; tickets: free entry)
1010 Prairie St.; 713- 503-2299

Kiddie art fest
Sunday, May 21
Kid-friendly fun, Texas Children’s Art Festival, held at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, presents art-making workshops, a collaborative group art project, interactive games, and live music on the terrace. As well, the first floor of Ima Hogg’s onsite historic house will be open for tours. (1 pm; tickets: free)
6003 Memorial Dr.; 713-800-5345

Nose-to-tail throwdown
Sunday, May 21
At pork-tacular foodie event, Cochon555, five chefs, each given one week to prepare a whole pig, go head-to-head at Hughes Manor in a competition scored by a panel of judges. Sample to eats, plus sips from a handful of winemakers (5 pm; tickets: $125-$200 per person)
2811 Washington Ave.; 201-675-9711

Paul Wall hits the stage at the Space City Liftoff concert.

Photo courtesy of Johnny Dang & Co.

Paul Wall hits the stage at the Space City Liftoff concert.

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Riley Green review

Country singer Riley Green kicks off RodeoHouston with Toby Keith tribute

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Country singer Riley Green opened RodeoHouston on Monday, March 2.

Looking like a member of the Dutton clan that grew tired of the ranching business and got really into Toby Keith and duck hunting, Riley Green opened the 2026 edition of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Monday, March 2 in front of 59,250 attendees.

The Alabama native and former college football quarterback — because of course he was — strikes a starched jeans balance between the tender, woo-pitchin’ of guys like Merle Haggard and George Jones and the deep, blinding romance of neo-traditionalists Tracy Lawrence and fellow 2026 RodeoHouston performer Tim McGraw, with a cowboy hat resting over his epic flow.

Speaking of the Taylor Sheridan Television Universe (the TSTU), Green will soon be seen on the Sheridan-produced Yellowstone spin-off series Marshals, which premiered on CBS this past weekend, as a troubled former Navy SEAL.

The ACM New Male Artist of the Year for 2020, the 37-year-old didn’t get around to playing RodeoHouston until just last year. When Green isn’t in a recording studio, performing onstage, starting a duck hunting brand, or conspicuously vacationing with his shirt off in a tropical climate near other young country stars, he retreats to his farm or deep into a far-flung swamp on a hunting excursion. That being said, if I ever start a country punk band, I’m going to call it Riley Green’s Forearms, because they seem to attract audiences as much as his music.

Green’s show kicked off just after 9:20 pm with the man himself blowing into a duck call and launching into “Different ‘Round Here,” luckily out of earshot of any ducklings NRG Center potentially bedding down for the night.

“Hell Of A Way To Go” came with a mid-song disclaimer that it was his grandfather who was a fan of Alabama football, lest any alumni in the crowd get things twisted, before switching it to up Texas.

Green honored his mentor, Jamey Johnson, with a widescreen cover of the woolly singer-songwriter’s timeless “In Color”. Green’s earliest work was heavily influenced by Johnson, and the pair have become lasting friends.

He and fellow country star Ella Langley have become inexorably linked since their 2024 chart-topping duet "You Look Like You Love Me” like a nu-country Conway and Loretta. Sadly, there was no convertible riding out onto the rodeo dirt with Langley riding shotgun to jump into the duet, but the female audience members filled in admirably in her stead. "There Was This Girl," his gold-certified debut single, followed it up.

The late Toby Keith got some shine with a medley of his hits, including Green taking a turn at Keith’s 2002 anthem "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," which has earned something of a resurgence due to the USA hockey team singing it at the Winter Olympics.

Green slowed things down and took a break on a stool for “Jesus Saves” and “Don’t Mind If I Do,” showing off his solo acoustic chops.

The smoldering bedroom romp “Worst Way” got the biggest squeals of the night, with tall boys hoisted over cowboy hats, while his 2019 hit, "I Wish Grandpas Never Died" — the triple-platinum tribute to his late grandfathers, Lendon Bonds and Buford Green — brought the waterworks and a sea of smartphone flashlights through the stadium.

Green made his way out of the building with his band’s take on Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight,” jumping into a Ford pickup and into a few thousand fans’ dreams.

Setlist

Different ‘Round Here
Change My Mind
Hell of a Way To Go
In Color (Jamey Johnson cover)
You Look Like You Love Me
There Was This Girl
Toby Keith Tribute Set

I Should’ve Been A Cowboy
Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue

Jesus Saves
Don’t Mind If I Do
Worst Way
I Wish Grandpas Never Died
Bury Me in Dixie / Dixieland Delight

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Country singer Riley Green opened RodeoHouston on Monday, March 2.

rodeohouston concert review