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    weekend event planner

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

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Dec 4, 2024 | 6:30 pm

    It’s the first weekend of December, and people are truly going in with the holiday events.

    We got several stage productions popping off, including a working-class retelling of a Christmas classic. Memorial Park will be setting up its holiday lights. Kings Harbor will have a yuletide party. Twin Peaks will be giving out free christmas trees, for Pete’s sake!

    This weekend has non-holiday related happenings, too, like a concert featuring an American Idol winner, a concert featuring a beloved Nickelodeon cartoon, a couple of movie screenings and – believe it or not! – a nostalgia con.

    Thursday, December 5

    Alley Theatre presents The Night Shift Before Christmas
    Here’s a retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol for anyone who’s ever worked at a Whataburger. The Christmas Eve overnight shift is Margot’s personal tradition — even if that means dealing with grumpy drive-thru customers. But when her dead best friend Jackie Marley drops by to warn her of impending late-night visits by spirits, Margot has no choice but to roll with the punches and confront the very Scrooge she’s become. Through Tuesday, December 24. 7 pm (1 & 6:30 pm Sunday).

    Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert
    Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert will feature a live orchestra bringing the show’s musical score to life, in harmony with highlights and favorite moments from the series. Taiko drums and erhu strings will share the spotlight with violins and clarinets, while the series' scenes play out on screen, bringing viewers into the Avatar world to experience memorable moments with Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and more. 7 pm.

    Theatre Under The Stars presents The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical
    Pull out your most appalling holiday fit for The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical. Described as interactive and hysterical, the leaders of Regalia Uniforms are looking to save their beloved company from a takeover by an international conglomerate by making the best ugly Xmas sweater ever. Audiences are invited to come dressed in their ugly Christmas sweaters, sing along, and walk the runway with the cast. Through Tuesday, December 24. 7 pm (7:30 Friday; 1 & 7:30 Saturday; 1 & 7 pm Sunday).

    Friday, December 6

    Buffalo Bayou Partnership presents Cistern Illuminated
    Buffalo Bayou Partnership presents Cistern Illuminated, an immersive light and sound installation in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. The annual tradition transforms the underground, decommissioned drinking water reservoir into a spectacle, showcasing the Cistern’s repeating columns and their uncanny reflections on the surface of the water below. A unique and original soundscape follows the moving lights around the cavernous Cistern. On select dates, the Cistern Illuminated installation will be accompanied by live choral performances. 10 am.

    The Nostalgia Con
    A traveling, throwback throwdown known as The Nostalgia Con will be going on this weekend at George R. Brown Convention Center. Take yourself back to the ‘90s and early 2000s with this three-day convention, filled with top-notch artists, celebrity guests, vendors, and music from that area. Get ready for an enchanted respite from the humdrum of reality, as you and a bunch of millennials/gen-Zers collectively indulge in an unforgettable experience of nostalgia. 1 pm.

    Memorial Park presents Holiday Lights
    Memorial Park’s Holiday Lights, presented by CenterPoint Energy Foundation, will feature new lighting features, including a one-of-a-kind Holiday tree on Bowden Terrace lit against Hines Lake. The outdoor holiday wonderland will be a festive spectacle, with lights and lanterns throughout the half-mile Promenade. Guests are invited to walk the natural surface pedestrian path encircling nine acres of open space, native plantings, and habitat. Through Wednesday, January 8. 5 pm.

    DACAMERA presents Terri Lyne Carrington: “New Standards”
    Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington – an NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy Award winner (as well as the first houseband drummer on The Arsenio Hall Show – has worked tirelessly over the last decade to advocate for inclusivity in jazz. Carrington and her bandmates delve into New Standards Vol. 01, a 2023 Grammy winner for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, shining a light on music from great women composers, including Carla Bley, Cassandra Wilson, Gretchen Parlato, Abbey Lincoln, Eliane Elias, and Marilyn Crispell. 8 pm.

    Saturday, December 7

    AFG/Twin Peaks 11th Annual Christmas Tree Giveaway
    The Twin Peaks Restaurant on Kirby and owners Avalanche Food Group will be brightening the holidays for 250 Houston veterans, military families, teachers, and first responders with the gift of a fresh-cut Christmas tree, stands, lights, and decorations at their 11th Annual Christmas Tree Giveaway. Trees will be distributed on a first come, first served basis: one tree, stand, and trimmings set per vehicle. Participants must present a military, first responder, or teacher ID at the giveaway. 9 am.

    A Tale of Two Bridges presents I Love 11th Neighborhood Festival
    At this free, family-friendly celebration of community and culture, visitors can experience the businesses, art, and spirit that make 11th Street thrive. The day kicks off with a 5K Run hosted by Eureka Heights and Houston Run Clubs. Festival activities begin at noon and include four curated markets featuring unique local goods; 25+ live music performances; the Nuro autonomous vehicle showcase; a toy village with Santa and a fire truck; and more. Noon.

    Archway Gallery presents Robert L. Straight and Eric DePan: "Time for Glass" opening reception
    Archway Gallery artist Robert L. Straight and guest artist Eric DePan believe that it is “Time for Glass” to be brought to the forefront of the Houston art scene. Through this collaborative exhibition, the two artists, a half-century apart in age but have been working with glass together for 15 years, offer a new lens through which to view this material that surrounds us every day. With their innovative approach to fusing, fabricating, and blowing glass, they show us what is possible. Through Thursday, January 2. 5 pm.

    Moody Center for the Arts presents Moody Movie Night: Home
    Folks can enjoy a night under the stars, free popcorn, and a welcoming atmosphere at the Moody's annual outdoor Movie Night. Inspired by the exhibiting artist Do Ho Suh's exploration of place and belonging, the center will screen the animated 2015 movie Home, featuring the voices of Rihanna and Houston-native Jim Parsons. With quirky humor, a multi-layered message of tolerance, and a catchy score, Home is enjoyable for all ages. 6 pm.

    Sunday, November 8

    Kings Harbor presents Holiday at the Harbor
    Kings Harbor Waterfront Village in Kingwood invites guests for Holiday at the Harbor, a free holiday extravaganza that will feature face painting, balloon and caricature artists, a live band, and professional photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus on their sleigh. After visiting with Santa, shop and dine in the harbor and enjoy free goodies from your favorite local businesses, including a coffee bar at Pretty Little Things Boutique, a complimentary queso from Loco Cantina, treats at X Label Boutique, and more. 1 pm.

    Asia Society Texas presents Rent-a-Cat
    In the corner of the city, a young woman named Sayoko lives alone in a traditional, one-story Japanese house. However, she's not really alone; in every part of the house is a cat. Get to know an assortment of quirky characters — and the emotionally supportive cats — of Rent-a-Cat, a film by award-winning Japanese director Naoko Ogigami. This film screening is presented as part of the Japan Foundation New York's nationwide tour. 2 pm.

    Fantasia in concert
    Last Christmas, Fantasia was all over multiplexes, singing her heart out as Celie in The Color Purple, the movie-musical version of the Broadway show, the Steven Spielberg movie and, of course, the Alice Walker novel that started all of this. (Fantasia won an NAACP Image Award for her performance.) Although she hasn’t dropped a new album since Sketchbook in 2019, the third-season winner of American Idol is still out there touring and belting her head off. She'll be joined by special guest K. Michelle. 7 pm.

    Deck the Park
    Photo courtesy of Memorial Park Conservancy

    Memorial Park kicks off its holiday lights display this Friday.

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    Weekend Event Planner

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

    Craig Lindsey
    Jan 28, 2026 | 6:30 pm
    ​Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Water for Elephants
    Photo by Matthew Murphy
    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Water for Elephants.

    Now that the arctic blast has finished with us, several events that were cancelled last weekend – Gallery Sonja Roesch’s 35th anniversary show, a dual opening at Foltz Fine Art, Asia Society Texas’s Kawaii Market – have been rescheduled for this weekend.

    As for the scheduled events this weekend, there’s an “autoboative” show, a screening of a sci-fi classic with live musical accompaniment, an all-star show for autograph collectors, a fashion competition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the return of Houston's noisiest music festival.

    Thursday, January 29

    Houston Autoboative Show
    It’s the 42nd Houston Auto Show at NRG Park this weekend, which is also combined (for its third year) with the Houston Boat Show. The event showcases a diverse array of vehicles, from electric cars to trucks and sedans. It also offers a fantastic opportunity to get up close and personal with the hottest models on the market and learn from brand experts about each vehicle/vessel without the pressure of being sold to. 11 am (10 am Saturday and Sunday).

    Asia Society Texas presents Offside
    Asia Society Texas will kick off the World Cup with Offside, a 2006 dramedy from Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. (It’s also part of this year’s Festival of Films from Iran.) Set during a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, the film follows a group of young women who attempt to circumvent a ban on women attending sporting events by disguising themselves as men to enter the stadium and watch the game, leading to a series of increasingly absurd situations. 7 pm.

    Performing Arts Houston presents Blade Runner Live
    Ridley Scott’s stylish, 1982 noir classic Blade Runner (aka the 2007 Final Cut) will screen while Vangelis’ synthesizer-led cult score is performed live by The Avex Ensemble. In this futuristic hriller, detective Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) must continue as Replicant Hunter following the escape of four Replicants (including main baddie Rutger Hauer – RIP) from colonies who’ve returned to earth. His mission, however, is complicated when he falls for Rachel (Sean Young), a Replicant based at the Tyrell Corporation. 7:30 pm.

    Friday, January 30

    TRISTAR Houston Collectors Show
    For three days, a lot of stars will be flocking to the NRG Arena in order to give Houstonians their signature. Along with lots of sports memorabilia for sale, the 40th Annual TRISTAR Houston Collectors Show will have tons of celebs signing autographs. Just on Saturday alone, we’ll get Karate Kid/Cobra Kai castmates Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Martin Kove; the cast of The Sandlot, Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Dennis Rodman, former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, former Rockets player Elvin Hayes, and Houston’s own Randy Quaid. 2 pm (10 am Saturday and Sunday).

    The Hobby Center presents Houston Is Inspired - [Jk]creativ: Our Road Home
    Multidisciplinary company [Jk]creativ gives us Our Road Home, an interactive rhythmic production created and directed by native Houston artist Jakari Sherman. Through layered rhythmic storytelling - spoken, rapped, preached, and sung - the work honors the communal labor and ingenuity that built spaces of freedom across time. Inspired by the legacy of Houston’s Freedmen’s Town, the work asks: Once freedom is gained, how do we live in it, preserve it, and pass it on when the pull of bondage lingers near?

    MFAH and HCC present Fashion Fusion X
    Frida Kahlo meets contemporary couture in Fashion Fusion, the 10th edition of the annual fashion competition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Open to aspiring designers in the Fashion Design program at Houston City College, Fusion challenges students to create original garments in response to art on display in the museum’s galleries. This year, the aspiring designers will showcase garments addressing the exhibition, "Frida: The Making of an Icon." 7 pm.

    Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Water for Elephants
    After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train, unsure of where the road will take him. He finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life - and love - beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age. 7:30 pm (2 and 7:30 pm Saturday; 1:30 and 7 pm Sunday).

    Saturday, January 31

    The List One Year Anniversary
    East End creative space The List will be celebrating its first anniversary with a bevy of weekend events, with two going down on Saturday. The day starts off with the return of the Vinyl & Furniture Garden Market, curated by local DJ vet Malcolm Bravo, over at the List Cafe. Bravo and other DJs will be spinning tunes as stores and vendors will be open for business. Later that evening, DJ/TikToker Sheri Koko will be working the turntables, along with some special-guest pals, at Room808. 11 am and 9 pm.

    Burger Bodega present For the Culture
    Chef and restaurateur Abbas Dhanani is taking a break from burgers to pay homage to his Pakistani heritage by partnering with the PX Project for a one-day only pop-up. Working with his mother and his aunt, the four-item menu showcases some favorite childhood dishes, including Nihari, slow-braised, spiced beef stew with naan; Hina Khala's Chicken Biryani, fragrant basmati rice layered with boneless chicken; the Chicken Sixty-Five Po' Boy; and a mango lassi sundae with a cardamom snickerdoodle cookie.

    \u200bBroadway at the Hobby Center presents Water for Elephants
    Photo by Matthew Murphy
    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Water for Elephants.

    Seven Sisters presents Ping Zheng: Soft Interference opening reception
    Soft Interference presents a new series of oil-stick works on paper by Ping Zheng, following her 2024 exhibition Nature’s Canopy at Seven Sisters. In these works, Zheng continues her investigation of landscape as a site of perception and interiority. Through repeated mark-making and shifting chromatic fields, she constructs images that hover between observed nature and remembered experience. Through Saturday, February 28. 2 pm.

    MGEntertainment presents The 5th Annual Harsh Noise Houston
    Believe it or not, there’s a heavy experimental-music scene here in H-Town. This weekend, you have the opportunity to see a lot of the scene’s most valuable players over at Super Happy Fun Land, where the fifth annual Harsh Noise Houston fest will be going down. 13 acts, representing some of the best experimental music, performance art, and noise that Texas has to offer, will be performing, including HauntedPixel, Ether Research, Astrogenic Hallucinating, and Psychosomatic’s sister project Del Norte. 7 pm.

    Rice Cinema presents American Sons
    Film producer and Rice alum Elizabeth Avellán presents American Sons, a documentary using first-hand footage captured by fallen Marine Cpl. Jorge “JV” Villarreal, a native of San Antonio. The film focuses on a brotherhood of U.S. Marines a decade after their Afghanistan deployment, focusing on their struggle with combat trauma, PTSD, and reintegration, especially after losing their friend Villarreal. Avellan and director Andrew James Gonzales will be around for a post-screening Q&A. 7 pm.

    Sunday, February 1

    ReelAbilities Houston presents ReelArt For All
    The ReelAbilities Houston Film & Arts Festival’s ReelArt For All program will feature art and interactive activities, brunchy bites, and more. Guests can see the world through the eyes of artists from Celebration Company, an entrepreneurial employment program for adults with disabilities, and explore the works of featured artist Emmett Kyoshi Wilson. A Chicago-based artist living with Down syndrome, Wilson has created over 150 works, exhibited in five galleries, and even painted the American Flag for the U.S. Embassy in Croatia. 10:30 am.

    Shepherd School of Music presents Inside Look: Modern American Operas
    The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University will present a deconstructed look at two full-length American comic operas: Karim Al-Zand’s 50th anniversary commission A Joint Interest and William Bolcom’s Lucrezia. Aleko Endowed Artist Paul Curran guides audiences through these mischievous and delightfully theatrical worlds. Shepherd School Chamber Players will accompany both contemporary operas from the pit, led by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Bolcom's Lucrezia contains adult content and is not suitable for all audiences. 2 pm.

    Cultural Center Our Texas presents Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
    The World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater is a family-oriented blend of the unique comedy and juggling skills of Gregory Popovich, and the talents of his furry costars. There are more than 30 pets (dogs, cats, horses, birds, etc.) in the show, and each one has been rescued from animal shelters and given a new leash on life. Bad pun aside, this show will be a joy for viewers of all ages. 4 pm.

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