Weekend Event Planner

Here are the top 11 things to in Houston this weekend

This weekend's events are full of fun for anyone with eclectic tastes and income levels. Whether enjoying a $3,000 per couple dinner featuring the world's best cognac at The Federal Grill, brunching for a cause at Izakaya, catching a performance of the incomparable Andrea Bocelli, or taking in a free talk about the Astrodome, you're sure to have a great time in the city. And if you missed the annual Dickens on the Strand in Galveston last weekend because of the heavy rains, organizers have added another weekend of activities.

These are 11 events to add to your calendar, but be sure to check out our CultureMap Events Calendar for more events happening around the city.

Thursday, December 8

Architecture Center Houston presents The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston Astrodome book talk

For the last 50 years, the Houston Astrodome has been regarded as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" locally and around the nation. Authors Robert C. Trumphour and Kenneth Womack discuss their book that explores how the Astrodome has played a role in Houston's development and also its emotional connection to the city.

Louis XIII Experience

The Federal Grill hosts an opportunity for diners to splurge with a meal featuring Louis XIII, the world's most famous cognac, with brand ambassador Matthew Springate. At $3,000 per couple, the three-course tasting menu is steep, but the opportunity to taste other Remy Martin spirits during the dinner, a bottle of Louis XIII for each couple and a special pair of the brand's signature fleur de lis cufflinks is priceless.

Friday, December 9

43rd Annual Dickens on The Strand Festival

Due to the record breaking rainfall of last weekend, Galveston Historical Foundation is adding an unprecedented second weekend of the 43rd Annual Dickens on The Strand Festival on Friday night and Saturday. First weekend ticket holders will have their admissions honored the second weekend. The annual holiday Galveston street festival, based on 19th-century Victorian London, features parades, non-stop entertainment on seven stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and a host of other entertainers.

East End Table

The Historic Fire Station #2 in East End is the backdrop for a meal prepared by Chef German Mosquera as a part of the East End Foundation's East End Table. This dining experience aims to highlight local creative talent and notable chefs while enjoying a meal in unexpected settings. Proceeds benefit the East End Cultural District.

Couture for a Cause

Salon A Studio combines fashion and fundraising at this Couture for a Cause. Designer Viktor Luna from Project Runway season nine and Project Runway: All Stars season one winner Mondo Guerra will be on hand to show their fashion looks and help Out for Education celebrate nearly two decades of supporting higher education.

Josh Garrels in Concert

Independent singer/songwriter Josh Garrels performs at the recently refurbished Heights Theater s a part of his "The Light Came Down Christmas" tour. Garrels' music ranged from punk to hip hop, indie-funk, and Christian as he gives his listeners a look into his life through his personal lyrics.

Saturday, December 10

Towers to Trees

Discovery Green, The Houston Center, Hermann Square and other points of distinction in downtown will be visited on AIA Houston's Tower and Trees tour. This tour will explore the changing scenery of downtown Houston and give attendees the opportunity to see the city from a different point of view.

Saint Arnold Pub Crawl

Join revelers for the Saint Arnold Pub Crawl as it kicks off at Under the Volcano and continues to five other popular bars. Get your punch card stamped at each stop, grab a drink, and have a fun day crawling from bar to bar with other beer and cocktail lovers.

6th Annual Ho Ho Ho Down

Help out a good cause and hear some great music from Buxton, Blue Healer, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, and special DJ sets from Houston rapper Fat Tony. A portion of this year's proceeds will benefit the music program at Northside High School (formerly Jefferson Davis High).

Sunday, December 11

Izakaya Second Sunday Charity Brunch

Diners at the December Sunday Charity Brunch at Izakaya can savor a special $8 cocktail; $5 from each one sold will be donated to Texas Children's Hospital. Brunch for a good cause and a bring new, unwrapped toy that will be distributed to children at the hospital.

Andrea Bocelli in concert with Houston Symphony, Katherine McPhee, and Ana Maria Martinez

The renowned Italian tenor presents a stunning new production based on his latest album Cinema, which includes epic theme songs from films such as Scent of a Woman, The Godfather, Love Story, and Life is Beautiful. This special performance also features Bocelli’s beloved repertoire of soaring arias and crossover hits. Guest artists include former American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee and soprano Ana Maria Martinez.

Join other revelers at the 6th Annual Saint Arnold Pub Crawl.

Photo courtesy of Saint Arnold Brewing Co.

Join other revelers at the 6th Annual Saint Arnold Pub Crawl.

event-planner

welcome home, wes

Wes Anderson's Houston homecoming supports historic theater restoration

A fancy, eccentric-looking crowd showed up for the Wes Anderson Homecoming Soirée, held on Friday, July 17, at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts’s Zilkha Hall.

Fans of the Houston-born, Oscar-winning auteur paid hundreds of dollars to attend this benefit event. Guys dressed up like characters from The Royal Tenenbaums. Others wore red skull caps and low-top Adidas, like the characters from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Some people working the event even wore “Lobby Boy” hats, looking like the bellboy character from The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The people gathered for two reasons: 1) to get a chance to see Anderson in person; and 2) to raise money to renovate and restore the Garden Oaks Theater, a project spearheaded by local nonprofit Arthouse Houston. Top-tier “Founders Experience” ticketholders got a chance to meet Anderson onstage for pics. The St. John's School alum also received a proclamation from Mayor John Whitmire declaring it “Wes Anderson Day.”

After that, he and actor/fellow SJS alum Michael Maggart (who has appeared in several Anderson films) held a half-hour discussion where they reminisced about making Rushmore here in Houston, Anderson’s days working at the Bookstop on W. Alabama (now a Trader Joe’s), and how he and frequent collaborator Owen Wilson used to sneak into the River Oaks Theatre. (It involved pretending to lose a pair of glasses.)

Of course, the conversation shifted to Anderson coming back home to support the Garden Oaks project. “I always say you can't build an old building,” Anderson said. “First of all, I mean, a beautiful old place has history, and has people's experiences tied into it, and it has stories involved in it. And I think an old cinema — these things are kind of endangered all over the world, and it's not just an architectural thing. It's not even just a community thing. It's a sort of delivery system for something that’s, to me, deeply important to our country.

“It’s one thing we can access these things on all these devices,” he continued. “It's a different thing when you go to a place that's designed to help you share the experience of a movie together. It's such a powerful art form. And, anyway, for me, it's worth making a bit of an effort to try to save a place like the Garden Oaks.”

After the convo, he introduced the quintet of films he curated for the event. (Unfortunately the DCP file for his 2007 short Hotel Chevalier had some technical difficulties and was cut short.) “We wanted to do a screening here, and I don't have a new movie to show,” he said. “I don't have something hot off the presses. So, I thought I'd put together a little something that just was different from what anybody else will see. So it's a sort of mixture… This is just for Texas, this little collection.”

He eventually left the stage, leaving Arthouse Houston co-founder/director Maureen McNamara and Houston Public Media host Ernie Manouse to auction off perks & gifts and encourage the audience in helping revive another legendary, local movie palace. Among other items, attendees bid for treasures such as a special John Waters backstage VIP experience at his upcoming Christmas Show, dinner with John Cameron Mitchell, and a rare set of photo portraits of a young Anderson and friends, circa Bottle Rocket. Others paid $5,000 for select seats in the future theater and $5,000 to restore one foot of the venue's neon sign.

Photo by Alan Nguyen

Mayor John Whitmire declared Friday as Wes Anderson day in the director's honor.

So far, the effort has raised approximately $1.3 million of the $4 million required to begin the renovation project. The organization needs to raise $4 million by July 30 for the project to move forward. Those interested in securing naming rights will find more information here.

“River Oaks has 245 seats,” McNamara informed the crowd. “The Garden has over 700, and that is a place that we don't have in Houston. We have a need for that, for premieres, for performances in your life, for music, for a dynamic learning & exhibition space… So, we're building new on the shoulders of our history. I hope you guys will join us, and we need people to join us in a big way today.”

wes anderson garden oaks rushmore houston fundraisers