weekend event planner

Here are the 14 best things to do in Houston this Labor Day weekend

This Labor Day weekend in Houston will be a musical one.

Jeezy will be at the Hobby Center getting crunk with a full orchestra. Studly pop stars Rob Thomas and The Weeknd will be getting all the ladies hot and bothered. Houstonians can even take in some new-jack jams over at If It Don’t Feel Like 90’s RnB.

This weekend also features a Paws at the Park event at River Oaks District, Dandelion Cafe celebrating its ninth anniversary with delicious specials, an HMAAC exhibit spotlighting art from incarcerated women, and a good ol’ Biergarten Bash at Karbach Brewing.

So, go out and have some fun.

Thursday, August 28

River Oaks District presents Paws at the Park
At Paws at the Park, visitors can treat their dogs to a day out filled with shopping, dining, and tail-wagging fun. Get a complimentary dog portrait with any purchase from a participating pet-friendly store or restaurant patio. Stop by the Puppuccino Station for a sweet whipped cream treat, explore a curated selection of pet pop-ups, and unlock exclusive perks by shopping and dining with a dog. Don’t forget about the tail-wagging “Yappy Hour” over at Bari Ristorante. 5 pm.

University of Houston-Downtown presents "Katrina 20 Years Later: Shipwrecked: How We Go on After the Unthinkable"
Angela Blanchard, who led Neighborhood Centers, Inc. (now BakerRipley) at the time of Hurricane Katrina and most recently served as Houston’s chief resilience and recovery officer, will present “Shipwrecked: How We Go on After the Unthinkable” as part of the UHD Fall 2025 President’s Lecture Series. The event will be a tribute to the human spirit as we understand how New Orleanians — as well as people who have suffered from disasters from around the globe — survived, recovered, and healed. 6 pm.

FLATS and Houston Cinema Arts Society presents Admit One: Analog Film Showcase
Admit One is a celebration of analog filmmaking and photography, featuring captivating works created on Super 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and VHS formats. This year’s third annual program highlights filmmakers from across Texas. The event also features a curated photography exhibition from Jessi Bowman and Únies González. This collection brings together cinematic images from Houston-based photographers, each piece offering a unique visual narrative. 7 pm.

Friday, August 29

Dandelion Cafe 9th Anniversary
Dandelion Cafe celebrates nine years of breakfast smiles, brunch laughs, and coffee chats with a one-day birthday feature. Stop by either the Bellaire or Heights locations for $9 chicken and waffles and $9 mimosa pitchers in flavors like classic orange, hibiscus honey, vanilla lavender, and more. It’s a sweet-and-savory thank you to the community that’s kept them a Houston favorite since day one. 7 am.

Houston Museum of African American Culture presents Beyond the Walls opening reception
In 2023, HMAAC, with sponsorship from the California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA), partnered with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Women’s Empowerment Center (HCWEC) to launch an arts program for incarcerated women. Beyond the Walls represents the voices, visions, and dedication of every resident who has participated. The works on display reflect a wide range of explorations—drawing, clay, watercolor, charcoal, collage, acrylics, and most recently, landscape painting. Through Monday, December 15. 6 pm.

Thunderclap Productions presents The Chosen Ones
Thunderclap Productions presents the world premiere of The Chosen Ones, a new musical by Aaron Alon. Recommended for older teens and adults, the show follows a group of LGBTQ+ teens in a conversion therapy summer camp, led by an “ex-gay” minister. The Chosen Ones is a timely story of living authentically and finding your chosen family, even when the world tells you not to. Through Saturday, September 6. 7:30 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).

Jeezy presents…TM:101 LIVE with Color of Noize Orchestra
This weekend, a Dirty South favorite will be getting his Leopold on. Hip-hop icon Jeezy (or Young Jeezy – whichever you prefer) commemorates the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 by reimagining it with a full symphony orchestra. The fusion of hip-hop and classical music pays tribute to the legacy of an album that redefined a genre and inspired a generation. 8 pm.

Saturday, August 30

Punch Line Houston presents BT Kingsley
Comedian BT Kingsley is making his presence and versatile talents known on both big and small screens and on comedy stages around the world. While you may have seen him in commercials for Ford, Skittles, Sprite, TikTok, Liberty Mutual, and Xfinity, Black-comedy fans know him for his wild, crowd-work skills. Just go over to YouTube to see how hilarious and off-the-cuff he gets when he’s in front of an audience. 7 and 9:15 pm (7 pm Sunday).

Rob Thomas in concert
Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty frontman and the guy whose vocals on Santana’s Grammy-winning hit “Smooth” made it an anthem for mimosa-sipping moms everywhere, comes to Sugar Land’s Smart Financial Centre in support of All Night Days, his latest album. He will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first solo album, …Something To Be. Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of middle-aged parents partying all night long. 7:30 pm.

Group Acorde presents REpurpose
In REpurpose, Group Acorde premieres A cave in the moon in a first-time collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Jasmine Hearn. Created and presented at The Houston Met Dance, this new work has its entire set built with recyclable materials by Allison Miller and an original sound score by Thomas Helton. A dance to remember and imagine, A cave in the moon is a duet that travels time with choreography by Jasmine Hearn that melds ballet, improvisation, and dances of the familiar to bridge personal herstories between sistering sirens. 8 pm (5 pm Sunday).

If It Don't Feel Like 90s RnB Houston Edition
That monthly throwback kickback known as If It Don’t Feel Like 90’s RnB will be doing a special show this weekend, to coincide with Marsai Martin’s Sai Summer Cookout over at Texas Southern University. Local soulster Keith Jacobs and entrepreneur/connector Dessie Brown, Jr. will handle the hosting duties, while the Ken Chatman Project and special guest DJ Chris Major will come with Clinton-era R&B jams that’ll take you back to those good ol’ days when dressing like a whole Crayola box was the height of urban streetwear. 9 pm.

Sunday, August 31

Karbach Brewing Co. presents Biergarten Bash
Karbach Brewing Co. is throwing the ultimate end-of-summer party that’s also free and family-friendly. Think yard games, hot dog eating contests, local vendors, live mural painting, a petting zoo, and more. And it’s all happening right in the Biergarten. But, of course, there’s also the sweet, sweet suds that’ll be flowing out of that place. Since fall is right around the corner, you know they’ll have this spicy, seasonal ale on tap. 11 am.

Brasserie 19 presents Le Brunch de Funk and Le Club du Dimanche
Brasserie 19 is giving Houstonians not one, but two très chic Sunday happenings this weekend. It starts with Le Brunch de Funk, a high-energy brunch with cocktails by Diageo, specials from chef Michael Hoffman, and DJ G-Funk spinning vinyl. Later on in the evening is Le Club du Dimanche, a dinner escape featuring Thomas Cokinos on the piano and dinner vibes sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. 12:30 and 7 pm.

The Weeknd in concert
The Weeknd is currently on his After Hours Til Dawn tour, which will be making a two-night stop at NRG Stadium this weekend. But the big news is that the Canadian pop giant is currently raising $1 million in financing, using his music catalog as collateral. It’s one of the largest deals of its kind for a musical artist. And you know what? More power to him. Whatever he’s planning to do with all that dough, let’s hope he steers away from movie and TV projects. 7 pm (7 pm Saturday).

Photo courtesy of River Oaks District

River Oaks District presents Paws at the Park.

event-planner

Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

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