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

Feuding couple fights for survival in dark comedy Over Your Dead Body

Photo courtesy of IFC Films

Jason Segel and Samara Weaving on Over Your Dead Body.

When dysfunctional couples are depicted in movies, about the worst that typically happens is an acrimonious divorce. But in the new comedy/thriller Over Your Dead Body, the husband-and-wife have already gone way past that point by the time they’re introduced to the audience, with their plans leaning toward murder.

Dan (Jason Segel) is a low-level filmmaker relegated to directing pop-up ads, while Lisa (Samara Weaving) is an actor making do in small theater productions. The film finds them heading toward a rare getaway to a remote lake cabin, but it’s clear from the start that the married couple has been at odds for months, if not years. As the film begins, Dan clumsily drops hints at an alibi for his planned murder of Lisa to his ailing dad (Paul Guilfoyle) and others.

His shoddy planning was already sussed out by Lisa, who turns the tables on him when he tries to attack her, revealing a plan of her own. The situation naturally heightens their shared enmity of each other, but their blind hatred turns out to reveal the presence of Pete (Timothy Olyphant) and Todd (Keith Jardine), two escapees from a nearby prison who were helped by guard Allegra (Juliette Lewis). What was once a shared murder plan turns into a fight for survival, forcing Dan and Lisa to work together.

Directed by Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island) and written by former SNL writers Nick Kocher and Briand McElhaney, the film aims to mine comedy out of darkness. Dan and Lisa’s ire for each other is palpable, and their interactions early in the film are uncomfortable. As the film turns increasingly violent with the introduction of other unsavory characters, most of the humor is derived from the creative ways people are attacked and the ultraviolence that results from them going after each other.

It’s a little tough to get fully invested in the story when the filmmakers throw the audience directly into the plot with almost zero setup. There’s not even a cursory montage of Dan and Lisa being in love, so it’s hard to care a lot about their current hate for each other. Likewise, the presence of the prison guard and escapees is completely random, and the three of them aren’t utilized well in the story despite having a couple of well-known actors portraying them.

The saving grace of the film, though, is the twists and turns it takes in the final act. Everyone on screen is put through the wringer, with each of them suffering multiple injuries or worse. The mayhem becomes so chaotic that it’s almost impossible to tell what’s going to happen next, which slightly makes up for the fact that the story as a whole is lackluster. Even though the audience knows they’re being manipulated, the sequences are entertaining enough to overcome that fact.

The cast as a whole is solid. Segel (How I Met Your Mother, Shrinking) uses his comic sensibility to keep the proceedings light. Weaving (Ready or Not) has done multiple movies in this vein, so she knows how to navigate the comedy/thriller waters. Olyphant feels a little out of place, but he has a presence that elevates his part. Lewis goes a little too manic in her part, and Jardine ably embodies the dumb brute.

The comedy history of Taccone, Segel, and Weaving keeps Over Your Dead Body as a positive experience even when the story doesn’t quite measure up. The film never becomes fully predictable, giving the audience a great dose of pandemonium that lifts it up despite its other faults.

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Over Your Dead Body is now playing in theaters.

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