weekend event planner

Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston this weekend

Sip and stroll at the Houston Zoo's 21-and-up Brew Lights.

Photo by Stephanie Adams

This Saturday, art lovers can expect the 29th annual ArtCrawl Houston. Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in the live/work/show spaces of these neighborhood "urban pioneers." Also on Saturday, Levy Park’s first Prelude Family Concert (which was originally scheduled for last month) will be on for a fun, festive time.

With the holidays here, it's time to light it up — check out our guide to the best holiday lights here. Look for lighting events around town, plus art shows, a fab fashion happening, a celebration of the beloved River Oaks Theatre, a wine sale, and more. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, November 18

Brew Lights at Houston Zoo
The Houston Zoo is giving the 21-and-up crowd a chance to see the holiday spectacular in a different light — without kids! Guests will get to enjoy Saint Arnold brews, hard seltzer, and spiked hot chocolate as they stroll through the beloved holiday event. Food and holiday items will also be available for purchase along the TXU Energy Presents Zoo Lights path. Ticket prices are $45 for general admission and include two drink tickets. 5:30 pm.

City Lights at Avenida Houston
Houston First Corporation will kick off the holiday season with a bit of magical wonder at this second annual event. There will be lots of photographic and visual opportunities, from designer decorated trees to elves on skates. Special guests will include Mayor Sylvester Turner and directors from some of the Theater District's performing arts groups (Houston Ballet and Alley Theatre). This event is open to the public and a number of activities are free. 6 pm.

Jewish Family Service of Houston presents JFS Live! A Sparkling Stars Evening
Jewish Family Service Houston presents this evening of glitz, glamour, entertainment, and doing good. 2021 honorees include Sandi and Steven Wolf (Joan Alexander Chesed Award), Aileen Weycer and Jamie Wolf (Shirley and Allen Becker Leadership Award), and H-E-B (Community Investment Award). The event will feature performances by Kodi Lee, winner of Season 14 of America’s Got Talent, an online silent auction, and a live auction. 6 pm.

Friday, November 19

Dolphin Promotions presents Houston Antiques + Art + Design Show
All this weekend, the Houston Antiques + Art + Design Show will feature 45 premier exhibitors from across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America offering fine antique furniture, decorative and fine arts including silver, bronzes, paintings, porcelain, antique and estate jewelry and watches, rugs, books, lighting, maps and prints, cut glass, vintage handbags, and accessories. All objects presented are offered for sale. A HAADS cafe and bar will be hosted by Heirloom Experience. 11 am.

Czech Center Museum Houston presents The Bartered Bride
The Czech Center Museum of Houston will present Bedrich Smetana’s opera, one of the most influential pieces of Czech musical history. Often defined by its quintessential Czech spirit, this comic opera was one of the first Czech-originated musical productions to reach audiences worldwide. This tour is in conjunction with the 4th International Czech Festival. It will feature UNT performers, led by Dr. Thomas Sovik of the UNT College of Music. 7 pm.

ROCO Connections: A Dust in Time
Structured similarly to a Tibetan sand mandala, Huang Ruo’s 60-minute, uninterrupted musical meditation is slowly created live from the central essence point, expanding outward into colored fullness, then to be subtracted back to its origination. The cycle fulfills the spiritual journey of traveling from nothing (emptiness), to something (fullness), and back to nothing (emptiness). The concert will also be livestreamed at ROCO.org, Facebook, and YouTube. 7 pm.

Saturday, November 20

CELEB8TION 8 at 8th Wonder Brewery
8th Wonder Brewery will toast 8 years of award-winning brews and signature Houston vibes with its annual day-long party. More than 20 different beers will be on tap for, including several specialty offerings. Staged at the 8th Wonder Brewery headquarters in EaDo, this will feature live music, delicious food vendors, and more, in the one-acre WonderWorld backyard. There is no cover charge, and all ages are welcome. Noon.

Magpies & Peacocks presents “After Dark in the Park”
Magpies & Peacocks, the nation's only 501(c)3 non-profit design house, turns 10 this year and will be celebrating in a major way with our fundraising event at Discovery Green. This event will feature the premiere of a 10-minute docu-mation short film Interrupted by Blink Studios (L.A. | HTX| Dubai), a live runway show featuring the house’s upcycled zero waste collection, a curated auction, and a marketplace where to shop the runway. 6:30 pm.

River Oaks Theatre 83rd Birthday Celebration Outdoor Screening
The doors may be closed for now, pending new property owner Kimco Realty’s potential tenant. But that won’t stop its support group Friends of River Oaks Theatre from celebrating out back, behind the theater. The free event will feature clips of theater fans’ favorite films projected from Mister McKinney’s Houston History bus. Folks can come as they are, wear a birthday hat (or any crazy hat), or in costume. 7:40 pm.

Sunday, November 21

Houston Museum of Natural Science presents "Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs"
This all-new multisensory museum experience will allow guests a window into the life and accomplishments of Ramses II, more commonly known as Ramses the Great. Visitors will come face-to-face with over 181 priceless artifacts, including Egyptian treasures and one-of-a-kind relics, many representing the exceptional pharaoh himself. This is set to the stage of remarkable Egyptian landmarks through never-before-seen drone footage, acquired through unprecedented access to many of Egypt’s most iconic locations. On display through February 8. 9 am.

The Annual Camerata Retail Wine Sale
Every year, the neighborhood wine bar Camerata joins up with Houston wine distributors for one massive retail sale just before the holidays, and every year, people do indeed wine about it. (See what we did there?) This Sunday, more than 50 different wines from ten area distributors will be available for free sips and purchasing at retail prices in the Paulie’s parking lot next to Camerata. Noon.

Main Street Theater presents A Little House Christmas
Remember the TV show Little House on the Prairie, starring Michael Landon and all those kids he had? Midtown Arts and Theatre Center Houston (MATCH) will be taking you back with this stage show. A Little House Christmas features the beloved Ingalls family, who have captured the hearts of children for generations, sharing their struggles and joys of pioneer life. Audiences can join Mary and Laura in this holiday classic about family, friendship, and the Christmas spirit. Runs through Saturday, December 18. 12:30 and 3:30 pm.

event-planner

Concert News

Jack Johnson rides into Houston on surf-themed 2026 tour

Photo by Tahnei Roy

Jack Johnson will play at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas on August 30, 2026.

Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, known his for laidback surf-rock music, will embark on the SURFILMUSIC Tour in 2026, which will include a stop at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Friday, August 28.

The expansive 43-date North American tour, which starts on June 19 in Gilford, New Hampshire, will have three separate legs.

The three Texas dates — The Woodlands on August 28, Austin on August 29, and Dallas on August 30 — will be part of the second leg, where Johnson will be joined by Lake Street Dive.

The tour is Johnson’s first since 2022 and will celebrate a new era of music, film, and environmental connection rooted in his 20+ year career.

Johnson is touring in support of a forthcoming soundtrack, scored by Johnson and Hermanos Gutiérrez for a new documentary, SURFILMUSIC, that chronicles Johnson’s evolution from surfer to filmmaker to musician.

The film, which will be released in 2026, weaves through the making of his iconic surf films Thicker Than Water (1999) and The September Sessions (2000), which paved the way for his music career.

It celebrates the lifelong friendships and ocean-driven community that shaped Johnson’s path, and features many of the surfers who appeared in the original films, including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, and the Malloy Brothers.

Johnson released his first album, Brushfire Fairytales, in 2001, and he has gone on to put out eight other albums, most recently Meet the Moonlight in 2022.

Fans can register for the Jack Johnson presale at jackjohnsonmusic.com, now through Sunday, November 9. The presale begins Monday, November 10, 2025 at 10 am local time and runs through general on-sale date of Friday, November 14.

Jack Johnson SURFILMUSIC 2026 Tour Dates

June 19 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
June 20 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
June 21 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
June 24 – Saratoga, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 26 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 27 – Philadelphia, PA – Highmark Mann Center
June 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
June 30 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
July 1 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC
July 3 – Burgettstown, PA – Pavilion at Star Lake
July 4 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
July 5 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
July 7 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
July 8 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
July 10 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
July 11 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
July 12 – Shakopee, MN – Minnesota Quarry Amphitheater
August 18 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
August 19 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 21 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
August 22 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park
August 23 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
August 25 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
August 26 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater
August 28 – The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 29 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
August 30 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
September 1 – Riverside, MO – MORTON Amphitheater
September 2 – Greenwood Village, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
September 3 – Greenwood Village, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
September 4 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
September 6 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic
September 26 – George, WA – The Gorge Amphitheatre
September 27 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
September 28 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
September 30–October 1 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre
October 3 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
October 4 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
October 6 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
October 9 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
October 10– Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
October 11– Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl

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