weekend event planner

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

Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. will be getting its hula on this weekend.

This weekend is Fathers Day Weekend, and there are many events going down where you and your old man can bond. (If you want to get him liquored up, this bourbon-tasting event is here for you.)

But you and pops can also check out the many Juneteenth events that are happening this weekend, since Juneteenth is now a federal holiday.

Look for the 149th Juneteenth celebration at Emancipation Park, a two-day celebration at Baytown with a performance from Bun B, a big ol' arts market over at the DeLuxe Theater, a musical celebration being put on by the Community Music Center of Houston (CMCH) and Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA) and a screening of Miss Juneteenth at Moonstruck Drive-In.

Plenty of other activities are vying for your attention. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, June 17

Arnaldo Richards' Picos presents Mezcal and Tequila Dinner
We know many of you have driven to House of Pies after an evening of drinking and partying and saw Arnaldo Richards' Picos and thought, what's that place about? Well, now you have the chance with this four-course tequila dinner, in collaboration with Proximo. The authentic Mexican restaurant will serve a four-course meal, each paired with hand-selected tequilas. Admission includes a cocktail hour featuring hand-passed appetizers prior to the seated affair. 6:30 pm.

The Parkway at Regent Square presents Cinematic Throwbacks -- Wigstock: The Movie
This month's Cinematic Throwbacks screening at Regent Square is Wigstock: The Movie, a 1995 documentary spotlighting the pioneering, annual drag music festival that brought a diversity of talent and colorful characters to New York City's East Village in the '80s and '90s. CRAFT Salon will add to the fun and festivities with dazzling wigs for dress-up and selfies with Stevie the Photo Bus. The first 75 guests will receive $50 gift cards from the new luxury ride service Alto. 7 pm.

Friday, June 18

Dinner and a Movie Date at the Houstonian Hotel
The Houstonian Hotel is hosting another popular date night, featuring the 1986 classic Top Gun. Guests can enjoy Houstonian executive chef Neal Cox’s three-course, movie-themed menu with sommelier Dat Le’s pairings while watching the nostalgic, Tom Cruise blockbuster. Special guest and real-life pilot Doug Bartels, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, will be on deck to share entertaining information about the movie and his career. 6 pm.

Prauper Studios presents "From Houston, With Love" opening reception
Prauper Studios presents a 60-day collaborative exhibition featuring over 20 local and globally recognized visual artists from Houston. The exhibit will include works that exemplify Houston culture through the eyes of the featured artists, including Cary Fagan, Donkeeboy, Greg Noire and Shelbi Nicole. In addition to the artists mentioned above, Gremillion & Co. Fine Art, Inc. will contribute works from their extensive list of painters, sculptors and printmakers. Through Sunday, August 15. 6 pm.

Saturday, June 19

Holocaust Museum Houston presents A Conversation With Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
In recognizing the significance of antiracist programming, Holocaust Museum Houston has invited Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars (and one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020), to speak about his 2019 book, How to Be an Antiracist. Kendi’s presentation will be centered on defining what it means to be antiracist and what actions people can take to clearly see all forms of racism. 11 am.

The Super Happy Toy Show and Art Market
The biggest toy event of the year returns, and there's only one toy store that could pull it off: Super Happy Incredible Toys. This time, the show will be two full days for double the fun and double the excitement. Returning to Saint Arnold Brewery on Saturday and Sunday, this all-ages event will showcase some of the best toy vendors and most talented artisans with many opportunities to purchase from both. Taps will be flowing as well, so enjoy Saint Arnold beverages while you shop. 11 am.

East End Backyard Brew Fest
East End Backyard hosts its first annual Backyard Brew Fest, featuring 17 local breweries including Saint Arnold, Great Heights, 11 Below, SpindleTap, Anxo Cider, Austin Eastciders, City Orchard, Bakfish, Eureka Heights, Karbach, and others. Food vendors will include The Urban Flower Company, Mingos Food Truck, Caluma Tacos and AM BBQ. There will also be live music by DJ Marco G, Chris Castaneda Project, Raycheal Winters, Zach Edwards Band, and Los Skamales.

Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. presents BuffBrew Luau
To kick off the summer solstice, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. will be getting its hula on with this Texas-fied luau. Each Pig Out Party Pack includes one pig roast dinner plate with two sides, commemorative BuffBrew Luau glassware and three drink tickets. This open-air outdoor event will feature live music and entertainment, photo ops, a luau costume contest, exclusive limited-release tropical drinks and beer — there will be so much beer! 5 pm.

Sunday, June 20

Emerge Gala at the Ballroom at Bayou Place
The first ever Emerge Gala will take place on World Refugee Day, with a goal to raise funds and awareness for Houston organizations that shine a light on and help the Houston refugee community. The event will kick off with an exhibition and auction during cocktail hour, where paintings and portraits created by local artists will be on display. As the night continues, attendees will enjoy a seated dinner and live music from harpist Sarah Hall. 4 pm.

PMT Productions presents Pop Up: '90s Cabaret
PMT Productions will present the return of its annual pop-up show. The event will feature Houston-area vocalists, accompanied live by The PMT Band and The Monicas, as they present a high-energy, outdoor concert, covering your favorite music from the '90s, including artists like Alanis Morissette, Radiohead, Weezer, Matchbox Twenty, and more. Showing up in '90s gear like JNCO jeans, Cross Colours apparel or anything Marithé + François Girbaud-related is optional. 8 pm.

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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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