weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Pop some bottles at a'Bouzy's birthday bash.

Courtesy photo

This weekend will feature people celebrating in white linen and a rap legend performing at a museum. Or, you can join the masses at a hot champagne spot or take in some Shakespeare.

Here, then, are your best weekend bets.

Thursday, August 1

Washington Night Market at Revolver Houston
When we heard there was this new business called Daisies & Pancakes, we thought, "Wow — another pancake place!" But it turns out it's an online store that sells vintage, wearable art. They're also curating this night market, which will have vendors selling vintage clothing, jewelry, arts and crafts, and much more. A happy-hour networking mixer will pop off from 5-7 pm (complete with drink specials), and Soul Control will provide the music. Let's just hope there are pancakes. 7 pm to midnight.

Friday, August 2

a'Bouzy's 2nd Birthday Party
We can't get enough of a'Bouzy, better known as the spot where it seems they have an unlimited supply of Moet & Chandon. They will definitely be serving bottles of that during their second anniversary party, where guests can enjoy special food pairings with the purchase of each bottle. We're talking Moet and snapper ceviche, Moet and tortilla española, Moet and foie gras, even Moet and a charcuterie board. So, for all you rappers who mention Moet in your songs but have never had it — here's your chance. 11 am to 11 pm.

Ronald L. Jones and Jose Villalobos at Space HL
Space HL will have two art openings on one night. Houston artist Ronald L. Jones will have "On Topic of Race," an open-space investigation that examines the roles we are placed within as individuals with regard to race. As for San Antonio’s Jose Villalobos, he will present his solo exhibit "Gay as an Accessory, Tailored" of new and old works, this show concentrates on the idea that exists that LGBTQ+ individuals are queer by choice, as he recently experienced the same criticism. 6-10 pm.

Houston Shakespeare Festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre
It appears this year’s Houston Shakespeare Festival will use theatrical blood to enhance the dramatic moments on stage during this year’s production of Julius Caesar. Don’t worry — the washable, stain-resistant concoction consists of items you might already have in your home: dish soap, sugar-free chocolate syrup, sesame tahini and non-toxic paint. In addition to that, the UH School of Theatre & Dance will feature the romantic comedy As You Like It. The festival runs through Sunday, August 11. 8:15 pm.

Saturday, August 3

Free Teacher Admission Day at Lone Star Flight Museum
The Lone Star Museum is inviting educators all over the Greater Houston area to take in its awe-inspiring features for a special appreciation day. Among the things to check out: two hangars featuring rare military, commercial and historically important aircraft, the Flight Academy and Texas Aviation Hall of Fame exhibits, and the Aviation Learning Center, complete with flight simulators. Also get information on resources, their field trip program, and much more. Just show your school badge to get in. 9 am to 5 pm.

We Do It for the Love at BauHaus
The DJ/party crew known as Crossroads has found a new venue for We Do It for the Love, their long-running, monthly shindig: BauHaus. Along with Crossroads members Noey Lopez and Sasha Braverman spinning music, the headlining special guest will be JT Donaldson, the Dallas producer/DJ who has lived and created music in some of the country's greatest EDM breeding grounds (Chicago, LA, San Francisco). Jashuwah will also be there doing a warm-up set. 10 pm to 4 am.

Sunday, August 4

Saint Arnold Root Beer Float Day
Saint Arnold is gonna have a Root Beer Float Day! We couldn't be more psyched that the brewing company will be serving root beer floats, along with some special adult variations. Every float purchase will come with a souvenir, root-beer plastic cup. They're also bringing back their "Root Beer Snob" toddler T-shirts and onesies, along with asking for school-supply donations, in partnership with Houston City Council Member Jerry Davis, District B. 11 am to 4 pm.

9 to 5 Movie Party at Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra
Film critic Jason Shawhan recently called 9 to 5 "an exposé of the institutionalized sexism and corruption that still plague us as a society." Yeah, it's that. But this 1980 comedy is also one of the funniest, feminist revenge fantasies ever made, with the legendary triumvirate of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton taking on their egotistical chauvinist of a boss (Dabney Coleman). BTW, your ticket includes a themed pen and a "cup of ambition" mug. 6 pm.

event-planner

Kelly Clarkson Concert Review

Sold-out Houston crowd sings along at Kelly Clarkson's epic rodeo return

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

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A cross between Pat Benatar and Reba, with a dash of Aretha, Kelly Clarkson headlined Saturday afternoon’s RodeoHouston matinee, 22 years since she debuted at NRG Stadium, in front of 70,007.

It was a true “Ladies Day Out” at RodeoHouston for Clarkson, with roving multigenerational groups of women making the rounds under an only mildly-oppressive Houston sun. Between Clarkson, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Lizzo, the 2026 rodeo concert season has been dominated by strong female artists, with Clarkson the most decorated.

The last time Kelly Clarkson played RodeoHouston in 2004, she shared a Tuesday night bill with Y2K it couple Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, a match made in MTV ratings heaven. Other acts on the rodeo roster that year included John Mayer, George Strait, Reba, Willie Nelson, and — fresh from her first stint with Destiny’s Child — Beyonce shared the stage with Alicia Keys two nights later.

The first American Idol winner in 2002, when daresay that truly meant something, she and Carrie Underwood remain the two most successful of winners of Idol all these years later. Clarkson has a permanent seat at the table in Nashville, winning back-to-back CMA Female Vocalist of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013 and never shying away from a little more twang in her power pop. Right out of the chute, she was repping country style, hard to shake when you’re born and raised near Fort Worth.

Clarkson’s current live act has been honed by various residencies at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, playing in front of thousands of Sin City customers. She’s a part of a rare group of performers like Jennifer Lopez, Cyndi Lauper, and even Dolly Parton herself who can command multiple nights. With her syndicated chat show — where her popular genre-bending “Kellyoke” segments were born — ending later this year, it wouldn’t be shocking to see this working mom jump back into regular touring outside of Clark County, especially considering Saturday’s afternoon drawl.

Clarkson emerged from the cocoon of the rodeo’s revolving star stage just before 4:15 pm in a black, glittery jumpsuit straight from Ozzy’s wardrobe closet with “Favorite Kind of High” from 2023’s divorce record Chemistry, her latest album release. The hard-driving Heart-rock of “Behind These Hazel Eyes” debuted some annoying, intermittent sound skippage but Clarkson’s sold-out crowd filled in any gaps. Her pipes were just too strong.

A nod to the female country legends of rodeo’s past, Clarkson gave Tanya Tucker’s “It’s A Little Too Late” a widescreen Vegas makeover with horns and fiddle. “This isn’t sweat, it’s glow,” Clarkson joked, kicking off the torch song “Because Of You.” The singalong of “Breakaway” could more than likely be heard out in the carnival, the first big “Kellyoke” moment of the afternoon.

For “Walk Away” and “Didn’t I,” the horn section and co-ed backup singers that have made Clarkson’s Vegas shows so bombastic got a workout. Clarkson reeled out her Jason Aldean duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” as a solo. The release was her first country hit and was one of the biggest country duets of the 2010s.

“It’s way more sad this way,” she laughed. “Because I guess he didn’t stay.”

Clarkson threw in 2025’s bar-crawling single "Where Have You Been" in the mix, going rogue from the supplied setlist, accentuating the Queen-esque licks with her own highs. Her post-Idol debut rave-up “Miss Independent” set the table for “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),”

Clarkson sent the crowd out pogo-ing and screaming with “Since U Been Gone,” making her exit in a SUV like a rock star, with plenty of sunshine to spare.

Setlist

Favorite Kind Of High
Behind These Hazel Eyes
My Life Would Suck Without You
It’s A Little Too Late (Tanya Tucker cover)
Because Of You
Breakaway
Heat
Walk Away
Didn’t I
Heartbeat Song
Don’t You Wanna Stay
Where Have You Been
Miss Independent
Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
Since U Been Gone

2004 RodeoHouston Lineup

Mar 2: John Mayer
Mar 3: George Strait
Mar 4: Wynonna Judd
Mar 5: B2K / Bow Wow
Mar 6: Martina McBride
Mar 7: Reba McEntire
Mar 8: Enrique Iglesias
Mar 9: Alan Jackson
Mar 10: Amy Grant / Vince Gill
Mar 11: Clay Walker
Mar 12: Legends in Concert (Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith)
Mar 13: Randy Travis
Mar 14: Bronco / Jennifer Peña
Mar 15: Dierks Bentley / Robert Earl Keen
Mar 16: Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey / Kelly Clarkson
Mar 17: Dierks Bentley / Keith Urban / Kenny Chesney
Mar 18: Alicia Keys / Beyoncé
Mar 19: Pat Green
Mar 20: Brooks & Dunn
Mar 21: Willie Nelson

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

rodeohouston concert review kelly clarkson