weekend event planner
Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend
Film fans can look for several throwback movies popping up in multiplexes this Labor Day weekend. At Edwards Marq*E and Edwards Greenway Grand Palace, three of Quentin Tarantino's most iconic works — Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2 — will be screening in the RPX auditorium from Friday through Wednesday.
And between Friday and Thursday, AMC theaters will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Matrix by showing it in their Dolby Cinemas, complete with state-of-the-art Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio.
Of course, there's plenty more happening this Labor Day weekend.
Thursday, August 29
Cultural Taste of Houston at Lynn Eusan Park
The University of Houston Council for Cultural Activities's Cultural Taste of Houston provides students, staff, faculty, and visitors the opportunity to experience the richness of flavors and sounds from the city of Houston. Attendees will be able to enjoy a variety of food from Houston's best restaurants for only $1 per sample and also get a free shirt. You will also get pop-up shirts and live performances. 11 am to 3 pm.
Garrison Brothers Pairing Dinner at Doris Metropolitan
Enjoy a sumptuous dinner while learning about the wide, wild world of bourbon. Doris Metropolitan will host a special pairing dinner where Garrison Brothers Distillery will be passing out samples of fine bourbon whiskey. Founder Dan Garrison will share the story of how Garrison Brothers became the first legal bourbon distillery outside of Kentucky. And if you're not feeling the whiskey, there will also be Texas wine on deck. 6:30 pm.
Friday, August 30
BrewMasters Craft Beer Festival at Galveston Island Convention Center
Now in its tenth year, the BrewMasters Craft Beer Festival is an immersive, multi-day event where craft beer fans flock to Galveston Island in the pursuit of hoppiness and a craft beer experience unlike any other. With hundreds of craft beers, rare “Taste it First” selections, beer education seminars, and a Brew-B-Que to boot, the three-day event offers endless opportunities to meet and learn from the men and women behind the craft. 7 pm (2 pm Saturday; 11:30 am Sunday).
Mo Amer at Improv Houston
Comedian Mo Amer may be of Palestinian descent, but he's a Houston boy through and through. His family fled Kuwait during the Gulf War and settled in H-Town, where he attended Piney Point Elementary. These days, he's been killing it on the stand-up scene. He dropped his first Netflix special The Vagabond last year, and he's also a co-star on Ramy Youssef's acclaimed Hulu show Ramy. Welcome Amer home by checking out his three-night stint at the Improv. 7:30 pm and 9:45 pm (7 pm and 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).
Saturday, August 31
Free Chicken Sandwiches at Killen's Burgers
Chances are you're kinda over this whole chicken-sandwich war between Popeyes and Chick-Fil-A. (We at CultureMap recently had a taste test — and they were both ... a'ight.) If you're tired of waiting in line at a Popeyes, only to have them say they're all out when you get to the counter, Killen's Burgers in Pearland will be offering a free chicken sandwich — regular or Nashville hot — with purchase to the first 1,000 customers. It's one per customer, and you must be there to get it. 11 am.
Tree House Happy Hour at Discovery Green
When we first saw Discovery Green will be holding a "Tree House Happy Hour" at the Grove, our first thought was, "When did Discovery Green get a treehouse — and is it like the treehouse from that Ludacris video?" It turns out it'll be the final, summer happy-hour event at its upstairs, second-floor patio, which is usually reserved for private events. The Grove invites the downtown crowd and anyone checking out a certain boy-band concert this weekend to swing by beforehand and enjoy the view. 4-7 pm.
Sunday, September 1
Poison Girl Quinceañera Party
Montrose watering hole Poison Girl will be celebrating 15 years of business this weekend. So, how have they decided to celebrate it? Why, they're gonna have a quinceañera, of course. We don't know if this means women will be decked out in ornate dresses and beating on a piñata at some point, but there will be mariachis, an employee talent show, drink specials, and performances from such artists as Ruiners, Young Mammals, Platinum Trophy, Bodyfat, and Laser Kittenz. 3 pm.
Biz Markie at Alley Kat Bar & Lounge
Keep it real: Back in middle school, you couldn't stop singing "Just a Friend," the hilariously tone-deaf, she-done-'em-wrong rap classic from the one-and-only Biz Markie, huh? Well, for those who long for those good ol' days when hip-hop was simple and you could understand what the hell rappers were talking about, the Clown Prince of Hip Hop will be the headlining performer at a day party Midtown hangout Alley Kat Bar & Lounge will be throwing this weekend. 4-10 pm.
