weekend event planner

Here are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

UH's Houston Shakespeare Festival returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre this weekend.

Photo courtesy of University of Houston’s School of Theatre & Dance

This weekend marks major national news from some hometown icons, as our Queen Beyoncé drops her highly anticipated new album Renaissance, and our hip-hop icon Bun B showcases his Trill Burgers on a Good Morning America faceoff.

Meanwhile, families can enjoy a Disney singalong treat or free outdoor Shakespeare, while kids young and old can celebrate bro culture with the internet's masters of over-the-top stunts (who happen to be mostly made up of Aggies). A hilarious Canadian comic comes to town, a brewery celebrates X-Mas in July, and a famed international movie composer takes the stage.

Enjoy, here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, July 28

Disney Concerts presents Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert Tour
The Oscar-winning Disney film comes to life in a concert event, featuring the entire, feature-length film and an on-stage band celebrating all hit songs from the beloved soundtrack. The soundtrack features eight original songs (including that dang song about Bruno!) by Academy Award-nominated, Tony and Grammy-winning songwriter/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, with an original score by Academy Award-nominated composer Germaine Franco. 7:30 pm.

The Secret Group presents Alingon Mitra
SNL rising star Sarah Sherman was supposed to perform at the Secret Group on this evening. Unfortunately, she had to postpone her Texas dates. Thankfully, the Group found someone to step in: New York stand-up/comedy writer Alingon Mitra. He has written for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and was also staffed on Adam Ruins Everything. He has also done stand-up on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Conan, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. 8 pm.

University of Houston presents Houston Shakespeare Festival: King Lear
The Houston Shakespeare Festival (HSF) returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre this summer with performances of King Lear and Cymbeline, through Saturday August 6. Lear, the more serious of the two plays, presents the story of an aging king. In dividing his estate, he disowns the wrong child. Family loyalty, betrayal, and madness set the stage for the grand tragedy of this play — the first, Houston Shakespeare Festival production of this enthralling masterpiece in over 20 years. 8:15 pm.

Friday, July 29

Both Sides of the Blade at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
In the latest from French filmmaker Claire Denis (who won Best Director at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival for this film), Juliette Binoche stars as a woman who finds her life spiraling out of control when she becomes involved in a passionate love triangle with her longtime partner (Vincent Lindon) and his best friend (Grégoire Colin), who is also her former lover. And don't forget to stay for the credits! 7 pm (2 pm Saturday; 5 pm Sunday).

Dude Perfect: That's Happy
Dude Perfect comes to Houston as part of their That's Happy tour. Fans will see the Dudes compete in even bigger battles, tell their totally LOL stories, and get a little messy in the process. The tour will feature some of the most popular segments from their award-winning “Overtime” series, like Cool not Cool and Wheel Unfortunate with Ned Forrester, and new fan-favorite segments like Get Crafty and Top 10 are in the works as well. 7 pm.

Russian Cultural Center - Our Texas presents “The Airy Vernissage” opening reception
Natalia Arnett (Urban) found her passion in watercolors when she was 42 years old. After she moved to Houston, she discovered an old present from her mother – the box of watercolors. The perfect rainy day outside inspired Natalia to open that box and create her first still-life painting. Natalia believes that inspiration can be found anywhere, and even the most ordinary subject can become an inspiration. Through Wednesday, August 31. 7 pm.

713 Music Hall presents Kurtis Conner
Canadian comic Kurtis Conner is embarking on his most ambitious solo tour yet. A sell-out performer, podcaster, and global YouTube sensation, Conner is bringing his freshest, funniest material yet to the stage. After studying comedy writing and performance in Toronto, Conner quickly found an audience on Vine, later migrating to YouTube and growing that audience to over 3.7 million subscribers worldwide. 8 pm.

Saturday, July 30

The Energy Corridor District presents Market at Grisby
The Energy Corridor District is hosting its first-ever Market at Grisby. The event will feature a signature artisan market presented by the Your Neighborhood Farmers Market Association, live music with Josie Arias, gift card giveaways to one of the five Grisby restaurants, and so much more. The market will feature some jewelry, artisan crafts, handcrafted soaps and oils, etc. Parking will be available across from Watson's House of Ales and in other Grisby parking lots. 10:30 am.

Saison Doug Release - Doggie Day at Lone Pint
Join Lone Pint Brewery for the release of its Saison Doug Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale, which will also honor our four-legged friends. Come out for a day of live music (Ryan Pinnick and Sugar Ball Express will be performing), pet-friendly vendors, and beer. Tropicalia Bistro and Rolling Smoke BBQ will be the food trucks on hand, and part of the Farmhouse Ale proceeds will be donated to the Boston Terrier Rescue Group of Greater Houston. Noon.

14 Pews presents The Tin Drum
Oskar is born in Germany in 1924 with an advanced intellect. Repulsed by the hypocrisy of adults and the irresponsibility of society, he refuses to grow older after his third birthday. Volker Schlöndorff’s visionary 1979 adaptation of Nobel laureate Günter Grass’s acclaimed novel, characterized by surreal imagery, arresting eroticism, and clear-eyed satire, earned the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film. 7 pm.

Oluwah Akinyemi presents Death, Love, & Meditation
Nigerian-born Houston artist Oluwah Akinyemi will be the latest artist showing off his work at MythoFutuRiddim this weekend. But he'll also be doing a live set sharing the influences and inspirations behind his latest project, which he calls "an original soundtrack of the existential conflicts and victories of humanity." The artist talk will also include the presentation of favorites from previous projects "Phases" and "Vitality." 7 pm.

Sunday, July 31

BuffBrew 11th Annual X-Mas in July
It's time to break out the ugly X-Mas tanks and get this X-Mas in July party started. Join the herd on the third-floor rooftop for Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company's annual mid-year, holiday spectacular. A rooftop ticket includes access to try icy cold treats and special release brews to beat the heat, your own, very merry commemorative glass, a sleighin' live DJ, winter-wonderland photo ops, and more. Noon.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Materials of Empire: Colonial Narratives 1700-1860" closing day
This is the last day for this exhibition, which explores objects from the Rienzi Collection that shed light on the links between Europe, Africa, the Americas, and India—- objects that reveal as well as conceal, and places them within the context of entangled legacies and experiences of empire. Exploration, war, scientific expeditions, and religious missions feature prominently in the history of Europe, and these factors fueled an age of discovery in which ships transported explorers, merchants, and migrants from Europe to far-reaching destinations. 12:30 pm.

A.R. Rahman in concert
A two-time Academy Award winner and five-time nominee, A.R. Rahman is mostly known as the man who has redefined contemporary Indian music. Rahman has sold more than 150 million copies of his work, comprising of music from more than 100 film soundtracks and albums across over half a dozen languages, including landmark scores such as Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Vandemataram, Jodhaa Akbar, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, and countless more. 7 pm.

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In Memoriam

Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

As with many local legends, it's hard to tease out what specifically made Ely's time in Austin so great; Austin treasures its live music staples, so being around and staying authentic from the early days is often the most important thing an artist can do.

Ely got his local start at One Knight Tavern, which later became Stubb's BBQ — the artist and the famous venue share a hometown of Lubbock. He alternated nights with emerging guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughn. He built his own recording studio in Dripping Springs, and kept close relationships with other Texas musicians. Later in his career, Ely brought fans into the live music experience, publishing excerpts from his journal and musings on the road in Bonfire of Roadmaps (2010), and was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022. Austin blues icon Marcia Ball was among Ely's friends who played the induction show.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings. [...]"

Read the full story at KVUE.com. CultureMap has added two paragraphs of context about the Austin portion of Ely's career.

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