weekend event planner
Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend
The Christmas gifts have been opened. The dinner has been eaten. (The family arguments have been had.) Now, it's time to have some fun on this Yuletide weekend.
May we suggest these happenings:
Thursday, December 26
Spindletop Screening at Bar Boheme
Spindletop is a City of Houston-sponsored film production about the first oil gusher in 1901, which launched Texas into the petroleum age. After months of hard work by a record number of people, the filmmakers will be showing off the latest cut. This event will serve as both a celebration — complete with cocktails served all around — and a test screening, since the filmmakers will also be looking for feedback. All funds raised will be used for festival submissions and marketing for the movie. 5-8 pm.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical at Jones Hall
We all remember watching the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer animated special when we were kiddies, right? Just think back to that Rankin & Bass stop-motion animation, Burl Ives narrating the whole thing as Sam the living snowman, etc. Thanks to the Society for the Performing Arts, the beloved TV classic will be in live-action, stage musical form. The production features favorite characters like Santa, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster and, of course, Rudolph. 7:30 pm (1 pm and 6:30 pm Friday).
Friday, December 27
Melissa Villasenor at Improv Houston
In the always-cluttered lineup that is the Saturday Night Live cast, Melissa Villasenor has stood out by doing eerie, dead-on impersonations of such notable figures as Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Owen Wilson, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even her fellow castmate Kate McKinnon. She's also done voices for such animated shows for Family Guy, Adventure Time, and F is for Family. But she also has jokes to go along with the impressions, as she'll show this weekend at the Improv. 7:30 and 9:45 pm (7 and 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).
Salsa and Bachata Mixer at DD Sky Club
New Midtown nightspot DD Sky Club is looking for those who love dancing to anything Salsa, Bachata, Cumbia, or Reggaeton-related. This weekend, the club will have a Salsa and Bachata mixer for anyone and everyone who loves latin music. There will be two dance lessons to break the ice and meet the attendees, while the DJs will keep the music flowing and the bartenders will be doing the same with the drink specials. General entry is $15, and that includes all dance lessons and the party afterwards. 8:30 pm-2 am.
Saturday, December 28
Trolls Live! at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
If you got kids who can't wait for Trolls World Tour, the follow-up to the 2016 kiddie cartoon Trolls, to drop next April, you might want to take them to this live show. Poppy, Branch, Cooper, Cloud Guy, Smidge, Guy Diamond, Fuzzbert, Biggie, and, of course, Mr. Dinkles (honestly, these are the most arbitrarily named cast of characters we've ever seen) will be in the colorful world of Trolls Village for this interactive performance, jam-packed with music, glitter, humor ,and all kinda Troll-like stuff. 10 am and 2:30 pm (10 am and 6:30 pm Monday).
Archie Bell at The DeLuxe Theater
This weekend, The DeLuxe Theater will host a Houston Soul Music History Exhibition, highlighting some of the city's musical pioneers. But the centerpiece is a documentary short on Archie Bell, the iconic frontman for Archie Bell and the Drells, the group who gave us the classic dance hit "Tighten Up." This doc comes courtesy of DJ/filmmaker/ethnomusicologist Flash Gordon Parks, who will be taking part in a Q&A with Bell (moderated by film/video curator Peter Lucas) immediately after the film. 5 pm.
Sunday, December 29
“2020 Visions: Turn of the Decade Community Dream Nap” at Mystic Lion
Who doesn't like taking a nice nap? How would you like to take a nap with a bunch of other people — at the same time? Mystic Lion and artist/"Southern Naptist Minister" and "Naptician," Emily Sloan, will be hosting this "community dream nap." Pillows and blankets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will close 10 minutes after the start time to avoid unsettling the nap time. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own favorite pillows, blankets, and journal or sketchbooks. 2 pm.
Make Way for Tomorrow at Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra
It seems Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra's Film Club wants you to have a good cry this holiday season. Considered one of American cinema’s purest tearjerkers, Leo McCarey's Depression-era love story from 1937 stars Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore as an elderly couple who must move in with their grown children after the bank takes their home, yet end up separated and subject to their offspring’s selfish whims. All we gotta say is there better be a box of Kleenex in every damn seat — you're gonna need it. 4:15 pm.