independence day 2022

Houston's best 4th of July celebrations, from carnivals and concerts to fireworks and flag-waving fun

Freedom Over Texas is a six-hour celebration.

Photo courtesy of Freedom Over Texas

Fourth of July in Houston this year sees classics such as the Shell Freedom Over Texas six-hour bash return, while Galveston launches new tech-centered celebrations with drones.

Patriotic fans can expect fireworks, parades, carnivals, concerts, and more all over the Greater Houston area.

Enjoy, and stay safe and hydrated as we celebrate the birth of our great nation.

Forest Cove Community Center will have its 53rd Annual Fourth of July Celebration, and the theme is "Freedom, Fun and Family." The parade will start at 10 am, and BBQ will be served at noon. There will also be live music, a dessert contest, and a horseshoe tournament. 9 am.

Kingwood Civic Club will have its annual 4th of July Parade. Float judging will serve as the opening act for the parade, which will kick off at 10 am from Creekwood Middle School on Sandy Forks. The parade will end when all participants reach Kingwood High School. 9 am.

Riata Ranch Park in Cypress will bring back the annual 4th of July Bike Parade, as well as hosting a Cars & Coffee event for the Riata Ranch community. All years, makes and models welcome. No politics, drama, or burnouts. 9 am.

The Woodlands will present a variety of events to celebrate Independence Day, including the South County Fourth of July Parade, Red, Hot & Pool events, and the 25th Annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza. It culminates with one of the largest fireworks displays in the area at 9:30 pm. 9 am.

The City of Bellaire's Celebration of Independence Parade & Festival will feature the main parade, starting at South Rice Ave. and Valerie St., and the Children's Bike Parade, starting at South Rice Ave. and Evergreen St. The parades are followed by the festival at 10 am, featuring food, music from a live band and more. 9:30 am.

Speaking of Bellaire, , the Southwest Management District invites the community to its free, family-friendly LibertyFest from 1 to 9 pm Sunday, July 3 at PlazAmericas mall (7500 Bellaire Blvd.). A fireworks display will be the final attraction of a day featuring on-stage entertainment by musicians, dancers, fashion models, and much more. Look for diverse bites, She Wolf (the Shakira cover act), HPD's mounted patrol, and more.

B.B. Lemon will have a patriotic brunch featuring tunes by DJ Mohawk Steve. Guests can also attend dinner service starting at 3 pm. and enjoy a great view of downtown Houston’s fireworks display from the B&B Butchers parking lot across the street. 11 am.

Lagoonfest Texas will be action-packed, Fourth of July Freedom Fest, with a wave of circus acts who have performed around the world and tribute-band concerts. The concerts will begin at 4 pm, featuring Motley Krue, Poison I.V. and Von Hindenburg. 11 am.

The Rustic is partnering with local breweries to support veterans and collect donations for The Lone Survivor Foundation. Local breweries will donate beer to build the Rustic's "beer can flag." You pick a beer and make a donation. 11 am.

Bobcat Teddy's Ice House will have its holiday Monday party again, with live music by Chris Goodwin and complimentary hot dogs and burgers for all customers (while supplies last). After the celebration, you're only a short Uber drive (or bike ride) to the fireworks display. Noon.

B&B Butchers will be open for dinner service. Guests can enjoy the regular dinner menu plus the TX Wagyu Hot Dog Special – two quarter-pound pound dogs with steak fries and all the toppings for $18. End the evening with a view of the downtown Houston fireworks show from the parking lot. 4 pm.

Missouri City’s Independence Day Festival offers plenty of fun and excitement for the whole family. Attendees can enjoy a variety of free entertainment, carnival games, live musical performances, tasty treats from local vendors, and close out the evening with an amazing fireworks display. 4 pm.

Shell Freedom Over Texas will return to an in-person event filled with six hours of festivities, tradition and live concert stages. There will be performances by Sawyer Brown, Clay Walker, Blanco Brown and others. It will be capped off with a musically choreographed, “Texas-sized” fireworks finale. 4 pm.

The City of Jersey Village will get its America on with its very own 4th of July Parade. Come out and cheer on the parade or stick around for the music (featuring Beatles cover band The Fab 5) and food at Clark Henry Park afterwards. 5:30 pm.

The City of Sugar Land will celebrate Independence Day with patriotic family fun and activities for all ages. There will be a variety of food and beverages, live musical entertainment, community booths, activities, photo opportunities and a dazzling firework display to conclude the celebration. 6 pm.

Over at Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company's Fourth of July party, each ticket secures third-floor rooftop access to watch the fireworks show and enjoy your brews or frozens in your very own color-changing, BuffBrew 4th of July stadium cup. All tasty food, good brews and frozens will be available to purchase a la carte. 7 pm.

CITYCENTRE will have its Independence Day Fireworks Spectacular, where there will be plenty of food, fireworks, and freedom. A 10-minute fireworks display will illuminate the night sky at 9:30 pm. 7 pm.

POST Houston will celebrate the Fourth with the Houston Brass Band on the largest rooftop park in America. The five-acre Skylawn rooftop is the perfect location to view the Downtown fireworks display and experience the band's patriotic sounds. 7:30 pm.

Galveston Island will have a one-of-a-kind drone show. Hundreds of drones will launch right from the beach at the 37th Street Groin (the same location the July 4th celebrations have been hosted in years past.) 9 and 10:30 pm.

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Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer visits Houston in new Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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