weekend event planner

Here are the top 16 things to do in Houston this weekend

This weekend, people will either be celebrating Juneteenth, or hanging out with their dads. There will also be those who will use the opportunity to do both. (You know there are some Juneteenth Father’s Day brunches happening ‘round here.)

Anyway, we have some early Juneteenth popping off before the big day, along with some events celebrating International Yoga Day, Make Music Day, and the two-year anniversary of ARTECHOUSE Houston.

And, if we missed anything, as a visiting comedian would say, we’re sorry.

Thursday, June 18

Acres Home Chamber Juneteenth Farm-to-Table Brunch
This Juneteenth, the Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development will honor Black American farmers, growers, and artisans through food, community, and storytelling. The Chamber's Farm-to-Table Juneteenth Brunch will feature ingredients sourced directly from local farmers market vendors. Diners can enjoy a seasonal meal prepared with fresh produce and locally sourced ingredients while learning more about the importance of food access, community agriculture, and economic empowerment in Acres Home. 11 am.

BLD PWR Day + Juneteenth Weekend 2026
BLD PWR is activating BLD PWR Day + Juneteenth Weekend 2026, three powerful days of culture, community and celebration going down at Houston-rooted cultural hub The SLAB. Things kick off on Thursday with BLD PWR Day, where director Boots Riley will host a screening of his new film I Love Boosters. The next day is the Juneteenth celebration, featuring a livestream activation with Boosters star Keke Palmer. It all ends on Sunday with a WAGBT Karaoke/The Session R&B Jam. 3 pm (11 am Saturday; 7 pm Sunday).

The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston presents Once Upon My Mother
The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston will host a screening of Once Upon My Mother, the Audience Choice Feature Film winner at this year’s Houston Jewish Film Festival, as part of its Summer Film Series. Inspired by Roland Perez’s bestselling memoir, the French-language film tells the moving story of a devoted mother who refuses to accept the limitations placed on her son after he is born with a disability. 7:30 pm.

Friday, June 19

Nate Bargatze: Big Dumb Eyes Tour
The famously clean comic, actor, and Emmy Awards host (and UFC fan) comes to Houston, as part of his Big Dumb Eyes World Tour. He’ll be at Toyota Center on both Thursday and Friday nights. 7 pm.

Houston Broadway Theatre presents Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a sweeping musical (and adaptation of the 1996 Disney-animated feature) from Disney's legendary composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid) and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked). Based on Victor Hugo's gothic masterpiece and featuring the film's Academy Award-nominated score plus new songs, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a breathtaking tale of love, acceptance, redemption, and hope even in the darkest of times. 7:30 pm (2 & 8 pm Saturday; 1 & 7 pm Sunday).

Houston Symphony presents The Music of Queen
On Friday and Saturday, celebrate one of the greatest bands of all time with this high-energy concert, featuring hit after iconic hit. Backed by the sonic power of the full Houston Symphony, vocalist MiG Ayesa channels Freddie Mercury’s signature sound for an evening of Queen’s greatest hits, including “Bohemian Rhapsody” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” and more. Let’s hope they play “Another One Bites the Dust” and we can get our disco on in the aisles. 7:30 pm.

Performing Arts Houston presents Riverdance 30: The New Generation
Since Riverdance first emerged onto the world stage, its fusion of Irish/international dance and music has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Riverdance will present a production that rejuvenates the original show with new choreography and costumes and state of the art lighting, projection, and motion graphics. And, for the first time, Riverdance welcomes “The New Generation” of performers, all of whom were not born when the show began 30 years ago. 7:30 pm (2 & 7:30 pm Saturday: 1 & 6:30 pm Sunday).

Saturday, June 20

The Cards & More Tour
This nationally traveling expo series brings together collectors, fans, and vendors from across the world of sports cards, Pokémon, comics, anime, memorabilia, and more. It's a free, family-friendly event filled with live entertainment, food trucks, vendor trade parties, raffle giveaways, and more. Both seasoned collectors and curious newcomers will find plenty to enjoy. 10 am (10 am Sunday).

BEWM Coffee presents BRIKS Loves You Canvas Series Drop 006 Launch Party
Austin-based coffee distributor BEWM Coffee will celebrate the launch of its Canvas Series Drop 006, featuring artwork by Houston artist BRIKS Loves You. They’ll be taking over Brasil Café with fresh brewed coffee, exclusive collectibles, giveaways, sticker trading, and plenty of good conversation. Come meet BRIKS, grab the new limited-edition release, and hang out with fellow artists, collectors, coffee lovers, and sticker heads. 9:30 am.

ARTECHOUSE Houston Two-Year Anniversary Weekend featuring Beyond the Light
ARTECHOUSE Houston marks its two-year anniversary with the return of Beyond the Light, one of its most beloved exhibitions. With the universe as its backdrop, this two-day exhibition highlights the importance of light in our pursuit of knowledge, and the evolution of technology that allows us to discover beyond our own experiences. For this special anniversary weekend, Beyond the Light will give longtime fans and first-time visitors the opportunity to experience the exhibition that introduced H-Town to ARTECHOUSE. 10 am.

Hotel Saint Augustine presents Summer Solstice with Vave’ao
Hotel Saint Augustine will host a Polynesian-inspired Summer Solstice Pool Party, in partnership with soon-to-debut beauty brand Vave’ao. Going down at the Saint Augustine Pool, this high-energy, sun-soaked poolside escape featuring traditional lei greetings, live performances, curated tropical bites, and an exclusive first look at a new beauty collection. Tickets for the 21+ event will include pool access and one signature cocktail. 5 pm.

Consulate General of India, Houston presents 12th International Day of Yoga 2026
The Consulate General of India, Houston will be hosting their International Day of Yoga event at Midtown Park, for a public gathering of yoga, peace and mindfulness. The celebration will continue at George Bush Park with a yoga session and 5K walk. All of these events are free and open to the public and everyone is welcome to come practice, from long-time practitioners, first-timers, elders, families and kids. 6 pm. (7 am Sunday).

A$AP Rocky in concert
The rapper/actor's 42-city, Don’t Be Dumb World Tour makes its stop in Houston this weekend. Named for his first full-length album in eight years, the rapper is coming off strong acting performances in Highest 2 Lowest and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You as well as a high-energy appearance on Saturday Night Live. He also served as co-chair of the 2025 Met Gala. 8:30 pm.

$\u200b"Beyond the Light" at Artechouse$

Photo by Tarra Gaines

"Beyond the Light" returns to ARTECHOUSE.

Sunday, June 21

Fresh Arts presents Make Music Day Houston
Houston comes alive with sound as Make Music Day Houston returns for a citywide celebration led by Fresh Arts. Part of a global event spanning 120 countries, this year’s festivities embrace the spirit of the FIFA World Cup with world-inspired music, community pride and the unifying energy of sport. Falling on Father’s Day, the event also features family-friendly, all-ages performances and interactive experiences. Noon.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Hew Locke: "Passages" opening day
Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke combines found materials and imagery to create theatrical tableaux that address iconographies of empire, history and collective memory. Starting this weekend, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will present the most comprehensive survey to date devoted to the work of this artist. Spanning the 1990s through to the present, "Passages" showcases the spectrum of Locke’s practice, with over 40 pieces that examine the histories of colonialism across five continents. Through Sunday, September 13. 12.30 pm.

Czech That Film Texas presents iDENTITY: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story
Auctioneer/Czech-American Nicholas Lowry travels from New York to Prague to explore what has shaped and defined Czech national identity. His journey across the Czech Republic takes him to iconic landmarks of graphic design, including Zlín, Litomyšl, Brno, and Plzeň. Through uncovering Czech identity, Nicholas also gains a deeper connection to his own roots—his great-uncle founded the Primeros factory in Prague, which played a significant role in the history of Czech graphic design. 7:15 pm.

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welcome home, wes

Wes Anderson's Houston homecoming supports historic theater restoration

A fancy, eccentric-looking crowd showed up for the Wes Anderson Homecoming Soirée, held on Friday, July 17, at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts’s Zilkha Hall.

Fans of the Houston-born, Oscar-winning auteur paid hundreds of dollars to attend this benefit event. Guys dressed up like characters from The Royal Tenenbaums. Others wore red skull caps and low-top Adidas, like the characters from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Some people working the event even wore “Lobby Boy” hats, looking like the bellboy character from The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The people gathered for two reasons: 1) to get a chance to see Anderson in person; and 2) to raise money to renovate and restore the Garden Oaks Theater, a project spearheaded by local nonprofit Arthouse Houston. Top-tier “Founders Experience” ticketholders got a chance to meet Anderson onstage for pics. The St. John's School alum also received a proclamation from Mayor John Whitmire declaring it “Wes Anderson Day.”

After that, he and actor/fellow SJS alum Michael Maggart (who has appeared in several Anderson films) held a half-hour discussion where they reminisced about making Rushmore here in Houston, Anderson’s days working at the Bookstop on W. Alabama (now a Trader Joe’s), and how he and frequent collaborator Owen Wilson used to sneak into the River Oaks Theatre. (It involved pretending to lose a pair of glasses.)

Of course, the conversation shifted to Anderson coming back home to support the Garden Oaks project. “I always say you can't build an old building,” Anderson said. “First of all, I mean, a beautiful old place has history, and has people's experiences tied into it, and it has stories involved in it. And I think an old cinema — these things are kind of endangered all over the world, and it's not just an architectural thing. It's not even just a community thing. It's a sort of delivery system for something that’s, to me, deeply important to our country.

“It’s one thing we can access these things on all these devices,” he continued. “It's a different thing when you go to a place that's designed to help you share the experience of a movie together. It's such a powerful art form. And, anyway, for me, it's worth making a bit of an effort to try to save a place like the Garden Oaks.”

After the convo, he introduced the quintet of films he curated for the event. (Unfortunately the DCP file for his 2007 short Hotel Chevalier had some technical difficulties and was cut short.) “We wanted to do a screening here, and I don't have a new movie to show,” he said. “I don't have something hot off the presses. So, I thought I'd put together a little something that just was different from what anybody else will see. So it's a sort of mixture… This is just for Texas, this little collection.”

He eventually left the stage, leaving Arthouse Houston co-founder/director Maureen McNamara and Houston Public Media host Ernie Manouse to auction off perks & gifts and encourage the audience in helping revive another legendary, local movie palace. Among other items, attendees bid for treasures such as a special John Waters backstage VIP experience at his upcoming Christmas Show, dinner with John Cameron Mitchell, and a rare set of photo portraits of a young Anderson and friends, circa Bottle Rocket. Others paid $5,000 for select seats in the future theater and $5,000 to restore one foot of the venue's neon sign.

Photo by Alan Nguyen

Mayor John Whitmire declared Friday as Wes Anderson day in the director's honor.

So far, the effort has raised approximately $1.3 million of the $4 million required to begin the renovation project. The organization needs to raise $4 million by July 30 for the project to move forward. Those interested in securing naming rights will find more information here.

“River Oaks has 245 seats,” McNamara informed the crowd. “The Garden has over 700, and that is a place that we don't have in Houston. We have a need for that, for premieres, for performances in your life, for music, for a dynamic learning & exhibition space… So, we're building new on the shoulders of our history. I hope you guys will join us, and we need people to join us in a big way today.”

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