weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

Things get trill at Axelrad.

We've somehow arrived to the end of 2021, so expect celebrations from Thursday through Friday (find them all here). Aside from those New Year's Eve bashes, look for some fun standup comedy, a party just for kids, dinosaurs in downtown, an epic house music party, and a trill music show.

Stay safe this weekend and have the happiest New Year. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, December 30

La Orquesta Salmerum at Sambuca Houston
Kick off the weekend with dinner and salsa vibes from the 12-piece orchestra, complete with a full complement of horns and Latin rhythm section. This musician ensemble is the best at their craft and are recognized internationally, as they have been asked to accompany some of the biggest names in salsa when they come to Texas. This is definitely for all the people who want to close out the New Year on a spicy, sexy note. 7 pm.

Improv Houston presents Steve Treviño
Steve Treviño is fast becoming one of the country’s hottest comics and the new voice for the 21st century Mexican American. Finding his way from a Hispanic upbringing in a small South Texas town to living his dream in Hollywood has infused Treviño’s comedy with a “Tex-Mex” sensibility. As a performer, he has a uniquely American voice that transcends anything about ethnicity, making him universally relatable. 10:15 pm (7:30 and 10 pm Friday).

Friday, December 31

Children’s Museum Houston’s Rockin’ New Year’s Bash
Kids finally don’t have to stay up until midnight to celebrate the New Year. This daytime bash is the city’s longest-running, New Year’s Eve celebration just for them. This end-of-year party will ring in the New Year at the stroke of 11 am, noon and 1 pm with ball drops, just like in Times Square. Musical talents will spotlight this celebration, complete with countdowns, ball drops and a DJ dance after-party. 11 am.

“KISS ME @ Midnight” New Year’s Eve Dinner Party Affair
KISS, Houston’s newest vibe dining hotspot, is inviting guests to ring in 2022 with this swinging party. The sleek new social dining experience in Washington Heights is accepting reservations for its NYE celebration, featuring a decadent prix fixe menu (curated by Chef Ossume Collins), champagne, vibe beats, and some very cool photo ops to capture and share those ‘countdown to 2022’ moments. 5 pm.

New Year's Eve at Margaritaville Lake Resort
Looking for a fun and festive place to dine on New Year’s Eve? Head to Margaritaville Lake Resort for a lineup of tasty options at several of the resort’s tropical-inspired restaurants. LandShark Bar & Grill will have a full menu, along with live music from Dan Golvach. Meanwhile, License to Chill Bar & Café is offering an exclusive four-course, prix fixe menu for guests that would like an elevated, NYE dining experience. 5 pm.

Saturday, January 1

Dino and Dragon Stroll at George R. Brown Convention Center
This Saturday and Sunday, Dino and Dragon Stroll is the only North American tour that lets spectators get up-close to life-like and life-size dinosaurs and dragons. Nowhere else can you encounter colossal-sized dinosaurs ranging from babies to the huge Brachiosaurus standing 20 feet tall and 36 feet long, the massive Mamenchisaurus standing over 2 stories high and 60 feet long, and the gigantic Apatosaurus that is 24 ft. tall and 65 feet long, just to name a few. 10 am.

Praia Urbana New Year's Day 2022
After great success at its new location, Praia Urbana ("urban beach" in Portuguese), the longest-running and largest outdoor house music and techno festival in Texas, returns to Bauhaus on New Year's Day as your first daytime party of 2022. Begin the new year with headliners Mark Knight, Junior Sanchez, David Berrie, and Scotty Boy, as well as more than 20 of Urbana's favorite local and regional artists. 2 pm.

Still Trill at Axelrad
If you want to start the New Year by checking out live music for a worthy cause, Axelrad Beer Garden and Trills the Season has got this show, which benefits Houston Food Bank. BNG (Brew Nosaprise Grinch), Tony Badd, Free Radicals, Frank Synato and Shrey Day will be giving the live performances, while Comp One, Hiram and Ichihara Valdez will be providing DJ sets. The whole day's events will be outside and distanced. 4 pm.

Sunday, January 2

The Menil Collection presents "Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s" closing day
The Menil Collection is about to wrap up the first show to focus on the experimental and prolific work of French American artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002), featuring numerous works from European collections displayed in the United States for the first time. This exhibit brings together major paintings, assemblages, and sculptures from this prolific chapter in the artist’s career, as well as extensive film and photographic documentation from the Menil Collection Archives. 11 am.

The Riot Comedy Show presents Current with Patrick Eady and Chad Alexander
The Riot over at Rudyard's British Pub presents this new, Sunday comedy show (produced by comedians Brian Gendron & Drew Jordan), where current events, trends and topics are open to jokes. Patrick Eady and Chad Alexander will host this contemporary showcase of up-to-date jokes and the witty comedians who wrote them. 8 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

Anne Hathaway's busy 2026 continues with meta-thriller Verity

Photo by Alisha Wetherill

Anne Hathaway in Verity.

Anne Hathaway has been inescapable for movie fans in 2026, starring in no fewer than five different movies across multiple genres, including Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, and The End of Oak Street. The actor (who’s pregnant and about to take a well-earned break) is wrapping up her supremely busy year with the psychological thriller, Verity.

Hathaway plays the title character, Verity Crawford, a hugely successful author who writes beach read thrillers, often from the perspective of the villain. An unpublicized car accident renders her immobile and mute, and her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and agents make the decision to recruit someone to ghostwrite her next book in order to continue her legacy.

The person hired for the job is Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), an aspiring author whose books mostly get ignored. She’s eager to take on the project, but the reality of Verity’s situation throws her for a loop. When she discovers a secret file that seems to be Verity admitting to some very bad things, Lowen starts to spin even more, imagining situations that may not actually be happening.

Directed by Michael Showalter and adapted by Nick Antosca from the book by Colleen Hoover, the film initially has a nice rhythm to it, setting up the three main characters well and building up tension. Though current day Verity can’t speak or move, the film gets to the heart of her through old interviews Lowen watches to get to know her mind better. Using that footage and other small moments at the house, a type of rivalry develops between the two characters.

Strangely, though, Showalter and Antosca fail to capitalize on the early momentum. The story stagnates about halfway through the movie and never delivers on what it seems to be promising. Whether they’re too true to Hoover’s original story or change things too much is difficult to tell for those who haven’t read the book, but either way, the result is a big tease with not much in the way of a payoff.

What’s most disappointing about the film is its inability to decide on a tone. There are some points where it feels like over-the-top, campy fun, and others where it seems like the filmmakers are going for a straight-up horror vibe. The down-the-middle approach that they land on serves neither the story nor the characters well. Moments that should be full of suspense or could get laughs often fall flat because of the indecisiveness of the filmmakers.

Due to her character’s affliction, Hathaway is reduced to a supporting role in the film, but she gets by on presence alone and still has a few scenes where she demonstrates her star power. Johnson delivers a good performance despite her typical lack of emotion. Like many of her roles, it’s her body that seems to get more attention than her acting. Hartnett is on a roll thanks to recent roles in Oppenheimer and Trap, and he puts in solid work here, as well.

Verity has the bones of a tense thriller, but it’s filled in with a bunch of questionable story beats that don’t prove as satisfying as the premise. The meta-plot of the authors of thrillers becoming involved in a thriller themselves should have been juicy and full of great twists, but ultimately it’s as catatonic as Verity herself.

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Verity is now playing in theaters.

movies film

weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

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Anne Hathaway's busy 2026 continues with meta-thriller Verity

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