weekend event planner

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

People will be getting hella proud of the city this weekend. All over H-Town, folks will be celebrating 713 Day with everything from food and drink specials to full-fledged parties (stay tuned: our picks are coming soon).

But, of course, there are other things popping off in Houston this weekend. The Dude Perfect gang will be in town to do some sports-related trickery. Many local artists will show off their work at several group exhibits. GreenStreet will throw a game day block party. And Kesha will be performing live – and that’s on period!

So, shall we dance?

Thursday, July 10

Dude Perfect: Hero World Tour
Dude Perfect will present an exciting blend of sports, comedy, and incredible stunts on their Hero World Tour. The group, featuring members Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert and twins Coby and Cory Cotton, entertains with trick shots, challenges, and audience participation. Fans get to enjoy behind-the-scenes stories and exclusive content that give a fun peek into the group’s creative journey. 7 pm.

Kesha in concert
Pop singer Kesha is known for a lot of things: suing producer Dr. Luke for sexual assault, battery, and emotional abuse; getting hug-rejected by Jerry Seinfeld; appearing on the cover of Black-music magazine Vibe as “hip-hop’s guilty pleasure.” She’ll be coming to The Woodlands as part of The T**s Out Tour in support of her new album, . (yes, Period is the name!). She'll be joined by special guest Scissor Sisters and opening act Slayyyter. 7 pm.

Lone Star Lyric presents Séance on a Wet Afternoon
Séance on a Wet Afternoon is a psychological thriller in which Myra, a mentally unstable medium, convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and achieve renown for her abilities. Myra’s plan to achieve fame in the psychic community is perfect until… Lone Star Lyric presents the three-night regional premiere of the opera, followed by a reception with composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. 7:30 pm.

Friday, July 11

David Shelton Gallery presents “Emerging From Where?” opening reception
When we last spoke to artist Robert Leroy Hodge, he said he’d be taking a break from showing off his own artwork and curating shows featuring the artwork of others. He’s already assembled this exhibit, featuring 11 dynamic artists who push the boundaries of form, identity, and narrative. Artists include Saj Baldwin, Crystal Coulter, Xavier Gilmore, Morgan Newton, Jake Otto, and Anthony Rundblade. Through Saturday, August 16. 6 pm.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft presents "In Residence: 18th Edition" opening reception
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s annual exhibition celebrating the Center’s Artist Residency Program features works in clay, copper, and found objects by HCCC’s 2024-2025 resident artists, including Prerata Bradley, Stephanie Bursese, Gbenga Komolafe, Gabo Martinez, Preetika Rajgariah, Jamie Sterling Pitt, Adam Whitney. Visitors can enjoy refreshments as they explore the exhibition, and visit with current resident artists Atisha Fordyce, Nela Garzón, Macon Reed, and Dongyi Wu. 6 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Shall We Dance?
Shohei Sugiyama (Koji Yakusho) has a high-paying job, an exquisite home, and a caring wife and daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day while commuting on the train he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a window and eventually decides to find her. His search leads him headfirst into the world of competitive ballroom dancing. This 1996 crowd-pleaser from Japan is presented in a new 4K restoration of the original film, available uncut for the first time in North America. 7 pm (5 pm Sunday).

Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston and Laura Moreno present Crabs in a Bucket
This Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Winner for Best Writing will have its Houston premiere this weekend. Inspired by Mexico-born, Houston-bred playwright Bernardo Cubría’s experiences in the Latinx theater community, this satire focuses on the impact of “crab mentality.” Bitter crabs Amargo and Pootz spend their days talking about the crabs that got out and the losers who haven’t. When a new crab arrives filled with optimism and hope for change, can it help them achieve their dream of getting the shuck out? Through Saturday, July 19. 8 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Saturday, July 12

Cactus Music presents Rick Mitchell with Dr. Robert Morgan and the HSPVA Jazz Combo
Former Houston Chronicle music critic Rick Mitchell will sign copies and read from his book Jazz in the New Millennium: Live and Well, Revised Edition. The book includes 84 profiles of the leading 21st-century jazz musicians, including several from Houston. Mitchell will be joined by Dr. Robert Morgan, retired director of the HSPVA jazz program, and the HSPVA student jazz combo (under the direction of James Westfall). They will discuss the role Houston-bred musicians have played in the creative renaissance of jazz in the current century. 1 pm.

GreenStreet Game Day Block Party
GreenStreet will be throwing down with a Game Day Block Party, in honor of the Silver Boot Series between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. Come and enjoy a block party that’s all about team spirit, Texas pride, and full-throttle fun. Expect live grooves from a band and a DJ, a mechanical bull, a bedazzler station, food, drinks, and something called “good trouble.” You’ll also get free parking and free shuttles to the game with your RSVP. 2 pm.

Archway Gallery presents 17th Annual Juried Exhibition opening reception
Archway Gallery will present the opening of their 17th annual showcase of Houston's artistic voices. Prizes are awarded at the discretion of the juror and include cash awards for first, second, and third place winners. The first-place winner also receives guest artist privileges for one month at Archway Gallery. The exhibition is juried by Project Row Houses founder Rick Lowe and benefits Brave Little Company. Through Thursday, July 31. 5 pm.

Alley Theatre presents Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd
Miss Marple, Agatha Christie's iconic sleuth, takes center stage in The Mirror Crack'd, a gripping, glamorous mystery based on Christie’s 1962 novel, making its U.S. premiere. When the filming of a star-studded movie in a quaint village leads to a chilling murder, everyone becomes a suspect. Miss Marple untangles a web of jealousy, ambition, and hidden truths. Can you solve who is behind it all? 8 pm. Through Sunday, August 17. (2 and 7:30 pm Sunday).

Sunday, July 13

Improv Houston presents Pete Holmes
Close the weekend out on an hilarious note by checking out Pete Holmes, during his final night of his three-night stint at Improv Houston. Perhaps the only aspiring youth pastor-turned-comedian-turned-talk-show-host-turned sitcom star in existence, Holmes was the creator and star of HBO's Judd Apatow-produced Crashing and TBS' Conan O'Brien-produced The Pete Holmes Show. Along with having comedy specials available on HBO and Netflix, he also hosts the long-running You Made It Weird podcast. 7:30 pm. (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday).

Mei Semones in concert with Lionmilk
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Mei Semones will be performing at Asia Society Texas this weekend, in support of her recently released debut album, Animaru (the Japanese pronunciation of the word “animal”). With sophisticated declarations of non-romantic love — love of life, love of family, love of music and her guitar — Animaru exemplifies Mei’s enchantingly wide range as a songwriter and musician, including some of the most challenging and most straightforward songs she has ever written. 7:30 pm.

Smart Financial Centre presents Disney '80s-'90s Celebration in Concert
Disney '80s-'90s Celebration in Concert features the best Disney and Pixar hits from two iconic decades. Broadway-star vocalists flashback through a defining generation of music, with show-stopping performances, rock-concert lighting and larger-than-life animation. Guests can go from "Zero to Hero" until they're seeing it "I 2 I" with fan-favorite moments from Hercules, A Goofy Movie, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, Newsies, Aladdin, Tarzan, The Lion King, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, The Disney Afternoon, and more. 7:30 pm.

Photo courtesy of Kesha

Kesha performs in The Woodlands on Thursday.

event-planner weekend events

Movie Review

Cookie Queens goes behind the scenes of Girl Scout Cookie season

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Girl Scouts in Cookie Queens.

Few people are strong enough to resist the lure of Girl Scout cookie season every year, with the cookies’ limited availability and unique flavors a strong incentive to indulge. But only the girls and their families who have sold the cookies know the joys and stresses of trying to get people to buy them, a process that is detailed in the new documentary, Cookie Queens.

The film by documentarian Alysa Nahmias uses the stories of four different girls to represent the nationwide ritual for the Girl Scouts. They include 12-year-old Olive in Charlotte, North Carolina, a longtime top seller; 8-year-old Shannon Elizabeth in El Paso, Texas, who wants to earn the reward of going to camp; 5-year-old Ara in San Diego, California, whose goal is modest compared to most other girls; and 9-year-old Nikki in Chino, California, who has to compete with her older sisters in the cookie-selling bonanza.

The girls represent a cross-section of both ages and backgrounds, with some girls coming from wealthy families and some girls dealing with more limited means. And how much money your family has makes a big difference, as not only does someone richer have more freedom with their time and supplies, but all scouts are required to reimburse the organization for every box they take in, regardless of whether they’re able to sell it or not.

That caveat makes the journeys of the four featured girls feel wildly different. It’s clear from the start that Olive and Nikki’s families don’t give a second thought to the personal economics of selling cookies, with each girl taking in thousands of boxes at the beginning of the six-week selling season. With both Olive and Nikki rightfully confident that they’ll have no problem offloading their supply, their stories turn to how selling is personally affecting them, with each trying to reconcile the fun of doing it with the pressure they feel from their family members.

Shannon Elizabeth’s story is more harrowing, as her parents feel a strong desire to help her accomplish her lofty goal, but worry that the cost might literally be too high for the family as a whole. More than once, the parents are shown fretting that they won’t have the money to pay back what they owe should they fall significantly short in their sales. Their selling approach, which includes walking through an empty swap meet and standing outside a chain restaurant at night, only adds to their stress.

The most fun story to watch is that of Ara, whose innocence is matched by her confidence. Her parents teach her how much money they’ll owe with her small goal of 55 boxes, but right away she takes on more responsibility than expected. She’s shown making sales pitches and tallying the total number of boxes she’s sold with little-to-no help from either her mom or dad. With her high voice, glasses, and a monitor on her arm to manage her diabetes, she becomes the cute and sympathetic part of the film.

There are times that the film starts to feel more than a little manipulative, however. While many of the moments documented come off as organic, some of them seem like Nahmias is actively guiding the participants in order to get a better story. This is especially evident with Shannon Elizabeth and her family, whose early struggles turn into a miraculous feel-good story by the end, a turnaround that seems implausible at best. Everything with them might have been aboveboard, but Nahmias and her team edit the family’s journey in a way that pushes a bit too hard for emotion.

Cookie Queens, which was produced by a company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, helps to give insight into the business of selling Girl Scout cookies for those who’ve only been on the purchasing end of the transaction. The dedication of each girl toward selling their allotted supply proves fun and interesting, even if the filmmaker tries to gild the lily on occasion.

---

Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

movies girl scout cookie film