weekend event planner

These are the 15 best things to do in Houston this weekend

This weekend will certainly be an arty one.

Laura Rathe Fine Art will have an exhibition featuring artists who figuratively and literally blur the lines. Flatland Gallery brings food to the table with a West African food art show. Reeves Art + Design presents a showcase of promising new talent. Theater fans can enjoy classics from Shakspeare and Little Orphan Annie. This week’s column also includes a breakfast celebrating local interior designers, a video game theater (yes, video games can be art too!) at City Place, and a screening of absurdist superhero parody The People’s Joker at the MFAH.

So, stick out your chin and grin and check out what’s happening.

Thursday, August 7

Laura Rathe Fine Art Houston presents Marcos Anziani, Matt Devine, and Sydney Yeager: "Line Stories" opening reception
"Line Stories" is an exhibition centering around the power of line, gesture, and movement. Highlighting the work of Marcos Anziani, Sydney Yeager, and Matt Devine, the show explores the larger narratives behind each artist’s use of line. In the work of Anziani, Yeager, and Devine, line is more than a formal gesture; it is a thread that connects memory, identity, and experience. Together, these three artists explore the emotional and structural potential of abstraction. Through Sunday, September 7. 6 pm.

Improv Houston presents Christian Johnson
Clean comic Christian Johnson will be here in Houston to give you some profanity-free laughs. Since starting his standup comedy career, the Charlotte, N.C. native has worked with some of the biggest names in comedy, including Houston’s own Ali Siddiq, Eddie Griffin, Damon Wayans, Damon Wayans Jr., Marlon Wayans, Sinbad, and more. He is known for his viral comedic videos as “Uncle Nathaniel,” which has gained over 2.5 million followers on his social media platforms. 7 pm.

Houston Shakespeare Festival: As You Like It
The search for true love takes Rosalind and Orlando on separate journeys into the enchanting Forest of Arden. In the woods, each seeks refuge and adventure only to discover a world of wit, friendship, transformation, and imagination. Come early for nightly conversations near the concession stand with HSF executive director Sharon Ott or artistic director Jack Young, as they explore Shakespeare’s work, his characters, history and background of the evening’s performance. The production will run in repertory with Henry V. 8:15 pm.

Friday, August 8

International Interior Design Association presents Leaders Breakfast
The International Interior Design Association's Leaders Breakfast is an annual event series hosted by IIDA chapters that celebrate design’s importance in the global marketplace by honoring the people who are both the legacy and future of design. The keynote speaker will be Maggie Jackson, an award-winning author and social critic with a global reach. A former columnist for The Boston Globe and foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, Jackson also has written for The New York Times and other publications. 7 am.

Flatland Gallery presents The Art of Fufu: 5th Anniversary Food Art Show
The Art of Fufu: 5th Anniversary Food & Art Show returns to Flatland Gallery, its inaugural Flatland Gallery home, for its celebration of West African culture, food, and music. Guests can taste authentic fufu samples crafted by local chefs, explore vibrant food‑inspired art pieces, and groove to live Afrobeat music. Whether you’re a foodie, an art lover, or just curious about African culture, this is an event you don’t want to miss. Entry is free, but an RSVP is required. 7 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents The People’s Joker
This reimaging of the “classic coming-of-age story” Joker follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham City to make it big. As mainstream success eludes her, she unites with a team of misfits on a collision course with the city’s fascist caped crusader. Helmed by writer, director, editor, and star Vera Drew using her own life experiences as a basis for the film, The People’s Joker (shown in glorious 35mm!) is a deeply personal journey that is as much documentary as it is parody. MFAH projectionist Baird Campbell will introduce the film. 7 pm.

Stageworks Theatre presents Annie
Little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She finds a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy. Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie is a worldwide phenomenon that was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Through Sunday, August 17. 7:30 pm (3 pm Sunday).

Saturday, August 9

DexaFit Grand Opening
Wind down your summer by kicking off your health goals. DexaFit The Woodlands is hosting its grand opening this weekend, featuring a DJ warm-up, Orangetheory workout, live demonstrations, giveaways, and wellness vendors. RSVP & attend to be eligible for 25 giveaways, discounts and free DEXA scans. All attendees will get 10% with participating vendors in the month of August. 8:30 am.

Burmalicious X Underground Creamery cafeteria pop-up
CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners Suu Khin and Josh DeLeon are teaming up for a one-day only pop-up at PX Cafe in Bellaire. In an Instagram post, Khin promises a menu that includes “rice, curries, and vibrant sides like the kind you'd find at a street food stall in Yangon, a Bangkok night market or a Singapore hawker center.” Tickets, $60, are available at the link above. Seatings at 11 am and 12:30 pm.

FLUX School of Art and Reeves Art + Design present FLUX SHOW 2025
FLUX School of Art and Reeves Art + Design invite you to this annual showcase of emerging talent. This one-day exhibition presents a curated selection of paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media works that reflect FLUX’s unique blend of traditional technique and cultural exploration. Guests will enjoy mystery art blind boxes featuring exclusive student pieces, opportunities to meet the artists, and complimentary snacks and refreshments. Noon.

Regina Spektor in concert
Anti-folk singer/songwriter/pianist Regina Spektor has released eight albums in her career, most recently Home, Before and After in 2022. Her 2002 self-released album, Songs, received an official release on Warner Music in 2024. Let’s hope Houstonians will have a nice, good time enjoying the music of Spektor this weekend – and we won’t have any problems like the drama she received at a recent Portland show. 8 pm.

The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Shawn Barker’s uncanny resemblance to the original Man In Black revitalizes the true character and spirit of Johnny Cash himself, one of America’s greatest musical icons. The show features Barker in character as Cash, walking the audience through each era of Cash’s life and music, including hits like "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk The Line," "A Boy Named Sue," "Hurt" and "Ring of Fire," complete with a full backing band. 8 pm.

Sunday, Aug. 10

City Place presents Video Game Theater
Experience non-stop action as a high-tech video game theater rolls into City Place for an epic day of gaming fun! Featuring the latest consoles and top games (Super Mario Bros., Call of Duty, NBA 2K, etc.), the complimentary activation from Gulf Coast Gamers is perfect for players of all ages and skill levels. Bring your friends, challenge your skills, and dive into the ultimate gaming adventure—completely free. Noon.

Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown presents The Parent Trap Movie and Drag Show
While Lindsay Lohan will be back on multiplex screens this weekend with the legacyquel Freakier Friday, Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown will screen the 1998 Disney remake that launched her career, during an evening that can only be described as “summer camp.” Kick off the evening with a drag show that’s high drama, high fashion, and just the right amount of mischievous chaos. Then, settle in for the movie – complete with a fencing match, some Oreos and peanut butter, and the dream of getting your parents back together. 6:15 pm.

Joy Yvonne Jones presents Cleopatra
Cleopatra is a cinematic play that fuses live performance with pre-recorded film elements to tell the story of a modern Black queen navigating power, love, and legacy. With a powerful blend of classical language and contemporary poetry, the production offers a fresh, resonant take on Cleopatra’s journey through a distinctly Black lens.The event is part of a two-stage recording process: a closed-set performance designed for clean cinematic capture, followed by the live performance in front of a studio audience. 7 pm.

Photo by Michael Ma

Join Suu Khin for a cafeteria pop-up on Saturday.

weekend events event-planner

weekend event planner

Here are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

Steve Aoki/Facebook

See Steve Aoki in concert at NOHO in EaDo.

This weekend, it’ll be a brand new year. Although some may be partied out after New Year's Eve, some cool stuff will be happening.

Welcome 2026 with a festive brunch. Music from Nat King Cole and Steve Aoki will be played on Friday night. Saturday begins with a matcha pop-up and ends with a salute to goth/darkwave at Wonky Power. And, on Sunday, you can get in a fun run/walk and see the Thin White Duke on the big screen.

Thursday, January 1

The Union Kitchen presents New Year’s Day Brunch
The Union Kitchen is kicking off 2026 with a celebratory New Year’s Day brunch at all Houston-area locations. Customers will enjoy festive brunch sips, including $2.50 mimosas, $4 Bloody Marys, and $4 bellinis. Additionally, in true Southern tradition, the restaurant will offer cabbage, black-eyed peas, and cornbread — the classic good-luck trio for prosperity in the year ahead. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are encouraged. 10 am.

EZ’s Liquor Lounge presents New Year’s Day Hangover Brunch
For those who know they’ll be party-hopping this New Year’s Eve, here's a place to go and deal with that gnarly hangover the day after. The annual Hangover Brunch will feature fried chicken, biscuits, champagne specials, and caviar at cost. 11 am.

MKT Bar presents New Year's Day Brunch
While some people are known to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day – for good luck and prosperity for the year ahead – head over to MKT Bar (located inside Phoenicia Specialty Foods' location downtown) and get their famous chicken and waffles for half-off. The Danielle Reich and Bruce Saunders Quintet will also be on the premises, performing some eclectic, jazz/pop numbers. Noon.

Friday, January 2

Punch Line Houston presents Sam Jay
Stand-up comic Sam Jay will be doing a two-night stint at Punch Line Houston this weekend. The Emmy-nominated former Saturday Night Live writer has been seen on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay, a weekly late-night series on which she served as host and executive producer, as well as Bust Down, the Peacock sitcom she co-created and co-starred in. Recently, she did her solo show Sam Jay: We the People at the Edinburgh Festival and New York’s Lincoln Center Theater. 7 and 9:15 pm.

Houston Symphony presents "A Nat King Cole New Year"
The Jones Center for the Performing Arts will have an “Unforgettable” start to 2026 as Byron Stripling, Denzal Sinclaire, and the Houston Symphony Big Band perform the timeless hits of Nat King Cole, along with well-known songs by other jazz legends. The program will include songs like “Mona Lisa,” “Nature Boy,” “When I Fall in Love,” “Just One of Those Things,” and more. (We wonder if we’ll get Cole’s “The Christmas Song” one last time.) 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Theatre Southwest presents Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie’s legendary, literary masterwork will be brought to the stage at Theatre Southwest. On a train traveling through Europe, a wealthy American tycoon is found dead in his compartment, the door locked from the inside. Enter world-famous detective Hercule Poirot, who must navigate a train full of suspects and solve the murder before the killer strikes again. Through Saturday, January 17. 8 pm (3 pm Sunday).

NOTO Houston presents Steve Aoki
Did you know that DJ/producer Steve Aoki invented the trend known as “caking”? That’s when he throws a huge cake out into the crowd while playing Autoerotique’s “Turn Up the Volume,” a song whose video features people getting splattered by exploding cakes. We bring this up because Aoki will be doing a late-night DJ set at NOTO Houston, and there’s a very good chance people in the crowd will get hit with a very delicious dessert. Stay in the back to avoid getting icing on your outfit. 10 pm.

Saturday, January 3

Kazzan Ramen & Bar and Tomo Matcha Pop-Up
Houston’s ramen scene is getting a green tea glow-up. Kazzan Ramen & Bar is teaming up with Tomo Matcha for a one-day pop-up this weekend. For the collaboration, guests who dine in at Kazzan Ramen will receive 20% off Tomo matcha, and customers who purchase a matcha drink will enjoy 20% off their meal. If you can’t make it, Tomo will also do a Sunday-afternoon pop-up at GLO Pilates. 11 am.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Resurrection
Bi Gan (whose Long Day’s Journey into Night screened at MFAH in 2018) directs this ambitious, 160-minute, sci-fi detective movie starring Chinese superstar Jackson Yee (Better Days) and actress Shu Qi (The Assassin). In a future where humanity has surrendered its ability to dream in exchange for immortality, an outcast finds illusion, nightmarish visions, and beauty in an intoxicating world of his own making. 2 pm.

Archway Gallery presents June Woest: "Weather Inside Out" opening reception
Archway Gallery will present an exhibit of new work by June Woest that captures the interplay between photography, sculpture, and AI. "Weather Inside Out" explores Woest’s experiences with the unpredictable nature of the weather by challenging the notion that we are helpless against it. Her works are an invitation to embrace change and find comfort in the unpredictable.Through Thursday, February 5. 5 pm.

Wonky Power presents Dia de los Darks
The first Dia de los Darks of the year kicks off this weekend, bringing a night powered by darkwave, goth, rock en español, and cumbia. Scheduled to perform are El Turko Sonidero, DJ Fredster and guitar-playing masked man Orpheus Von Doom. Expect haunting beats, immersive visual installations lighting up the night. A night market will be open late with art, fashion, and local vendors — giving attendees that dark underground vibe. 8 pm.

Sunday, January 4

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents Saint Arnold Social Fun Walk/Run
Saint Arnold Fun Runs are back for 2026. Close out the first weekend of 2026 by getting some exercise, taking a social run/walk, and purging yourself of everything 2025-related. Participants get a guided and marked, 3.5(ish)-mile run/walk with beer pacers, three tasty brews from Saint Arnold, a Saint Arnold pint glass, and a Texas tamale breakfast. Rain or shine. 8 am.

Cousins Maine Lobster at Car Spa
Get your car shining and your cravings satisfied all in one stop as Cousins Maine Lobster rolls its truck over to Car Spa this weekend. Whether you're cleaning up your ride or just passing through, swing by and sample such delicacies as Maine, Connecticut, and garlic butter lobster rolls, lobster tacos and quesadillas, lobster tots and lobster tails, lobster grilled cheese, creamy lobster bisque, clam chowder, whoopie pies, and more. 11 am.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema LaCenterra presents The Man Who Fell to Earth
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s “Art Decade: Films of David Bowie 1973-1983” series begins with this 1976 sci-fi curio. The story of an alien (Bowie, of course) on an elaborate rescue mission provides the launching pad for Nicolas Roeg’s examination of alienation in contemporary life. The film’s hallucinatory vision was obscured in the American theatrical release, which deleted nearly 20 minutes of crucial scenes and details. This screening is of Roeg’s full, uncut version. Noon.

Steve Aoki in concert

Steve Aoki/Facebook

See Steve Aoki in concert at NOHO in EaDo.

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