white linen night is back

13 hottest White Linen Night events in the Heights, from pub crawls to pup parties

White Linen Night is back and promises to be packed.

White Linen Nights/Facebook and Monica Kressman

One of Houston's most popular weekend events in arguably the city's buzziest 'hoods is back. White Linen Night returns to the Heights and promises to be white-hot. Taking over a small strip in the Heights, the party starts early and goes late, with folks donning their coolest white looks as they sip, shop, and shake it on Saturday, August 6.

Founded in 2006 (post-Katrina) by New Orleans transplants Chris and Kay Thayer, the night draws thousands of Heights locals and revelers from all over town. The smart play is to ride share in, as street and neighborhood parking on even a regular Saturday is a challenge — let alone White Linen Night.

With that in mind, we've rounded up a list of best White Linen Night events, listed by start time. Dress cool, drink responsibly (if applicable), and expect a jam-packed night.

Houston Young Professionals will host its official — and appropriately titled — White Linen Night Pub Crawl in The Heights. Open to the public, the event takes place in the pavilion between Tacos a Go-Go and Christian's Tailgate. Party band Mango Punch headlines, with a DJ spinning tunes. Participating watering holes include Bobcat Teddy's, Christian's Tailgate, Little Woodrow's, Onion Creek, Permission Whiskey and Public House. 11 am.

Heights Antiques on Yale, LLC will have a White Linen Night in the Heights sale and party. Shoppers can look for a 20-to-50-percent off sale on storewide items, as well as a sidewalk sale and a complimentary buffet. 10 am.

Moonshine Deck will throw a White Linen bash, complete with a selfie booth and backdrop, white linen-inspired cocktails and more. Bryan Rhymez, DJ Nonstopp and DJ Ebonix will be on hand providing the grooves. 11 am.

Benny Thunders, the self-pour wine/craft beer tavern, will have both a grand opening and a White Linen soiree. Artista Elisabet will be around to show off her murals, which celebrates the beauty and diversity of Houston. Noon.

Little Woodrow's Heights will get florescent with its shindig, also known as the White Linen Glow Party. Come light up the night at the biggest party in the Heights. They will have DJ sets all day and night, drink specials and more. Noon.

Tikila's White Linen jam will include a live set from Yacht Rock USA. That's right — listen to covers of Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald classics white rocking your white threads. There will also be a photo booth and drink specials all night. Noon.

Heights Bier Garten's White Linen gathering will include live performances from Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws and Mykawa. In the middle of those sets, there will be a best-dressed contest. 4 pm.

Railway Heights Market will have its first-annual Doggy White Linen Party, presented by dog park Sit Bar. Expect live music, doggie adoption, and drinks and shopping, while supporting your local Houston businesses. Fur babies and their white-clad parents are invited to come party. 4 pm.

BB's Tex-Orleans (Houston Heights) will be turning all the way up for its White Linen night. Amin Safari will be on the main stage providing live music, and you can get a Saint Arnold H-Town Pils with any full-size po' boy. 5 pm.

Casa Ramirez FOLKART Gallery will get hella artistic for its White Linen get-together. Jesus and Maria Lozano of BOSSA ll will provide the music, while Lizbeth Ortiz and other local artists will provide the artwork. 5 pm.

Cedar Creek Bar & Grill promises a rockin' White Linen party, complete with food and drink specials, swag, dancing, and more. DJ Dayta will get the party going and warm you up for The Moment HTX to rock all through the night. 6 pm.

Onion Creek Cafe will also be rocking hard for its White Linen festivities. We're talking about a parking-lot party, complete with an air-conditioned VIP tent. Shotgun Sally will be on the main stage and DJ Fredster will drop the all-night beats. 6 pm.

La Coqueta and dance school Two to Tango will host their first White Linen party. Celebrate art, culture, and community in the Heights — and, maybe, learn how to get your tango on. 7 pm.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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