weekend event planner

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

This weekend is all about coming out – both figuratively and literally – to play.

Two Pride Month screenings practically open and close this weekend. (As a comic icon who’ll be performing on Saturday would say, not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Sandwiched in-between, we’ll also have the return of a very big art show, an anniversary celebration/Prince tribute going on at a Montrose spot, a taco fest thrown by a legendary Texas magazine, and the Houston Symphony saluting the classic works of a legendary Hollywood composer.

Thursday, June 5

The Woodlands Arts Council presents Jim N. Hill: “Essence: People & Places” opening reception
The Woodlands Arts Council will present its summer exhibition,featuring the work of artist Jim N. Hill. The colorful and expressive collection invites viewers into a world of serene landscapes, cheerful moments, and reflections on the joy of everyday life. Hill’s career spans several decades and continents. His technique combines acrylic, watercolor, collage, and pencil to create textured compositions that are both emotional and imaginative. Through Thursday, August 7. 6 pm.

Discovery Green presents Park After Dark
As the sun goes down, the park lights up, because the park will be keeping the fountains and lights on late every Thursday this month. Discovery Green’s Rocket Dog art cart will be onsite with games and toys for rent. Freshly painted picnic tables double as game boards for guests to bring chess or checkers and challenge a friend. Food trucks and local vendors will be serving up sweet treats and tasty eats all evening. 7 pm.

Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown presents Pride Month: Challengers
Rooftop Cinema Club Houston is rolling out the rainbow carpet for Pride Month with a lineup of films and events. Expect matchmaking, skyline views, and special screenings where 15 percent of ticket proceeds will be donated to Tony’s Place, a local nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The first screening will be Challengers, that hot-and-heavy sports drama starring Zendaya as a tennis prodigy torn between two competitive BFFs (Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist). 10 pm.

Friday, June 6

Lawndale Art Center presents The Big Show 2025 opening reception
The Big Show is an exhibition of new work by artists practicing within a 100-mile radius of Lawndale Art Center. The 2025 edition will be juried by Dr. Phillip A. Townsend, curator of Art & Art Galleries at Black Studies and lecturer in the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. Artists include Mathieu JN Baptiste, Marcus John Guillory, Renata Lucia, RANDY WROSIV and others. Admission is free. Through Saturday, August 2. 7 pm.

Houston Symphony presents "John Williams & Steven Spielberg: Movie Magic"
Spanning 50 years and 29 films, John Williams’ and Steven Spielberg’s legendary partnership has created unparalleled movie magic. This concert will relive the unforgettable music from Jaws, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more in this symphonic celebration of Hollywood’s dynamic duo. This concert will be conducted by Steven Reineke. 7:30 pm (2 and 7:30 pm Saturday; 2 pm Sunday).

Marriott Marquis Houston and Hulu present Summer Poolside Cinema
This summer, movie night gets a rooftop twist at Marriott Marquis Houston.Altitude—the hotel’s open-air rooftop terrace—will transform into a lively outdoor cinema each Friday night, thanks to a new partnership with Hulu. The first movie will be the 2020 sci-fi romcom Palm Springs, starring Andy Samberg. Themed popcorn boxes and other fun touches will round out the experience, making this a can’t-miss series for locals and visitors alike. Guests can also purchase seasonal cocktails and summer bites. Through Friday, September 5. 7:30 pm.

Stageworks Theatre presents Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play
In Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play, spies, murder, love, and other trademarks of Alfred Hitchcock come to life in the style of a 1940s radio broadcast of the master of suspense's earlier films. Featuring The Lodger, Sabotage, and The 39 Steps, Vintage Hitchcock is a triple feature, complete with vintage commercials, that recreates a daring train chase, a serial killer's ominous presence, and a devastating explosion through the magic of live sound effects. Through Sunday, June 22. 7:30 pm (3 pm Sunday).

Saturday, June 7

Texas Monthly presents Taco Fest
At the inaugural Texas Monthly Taco Fest South, visitors will enjoy an evening of live entertainment and some of the best tacos Texas has to offer. Taco Fest is a celebration of the “New Tejano” culinary movement popping off in Texas. Tickets will give folks access to bites from 15 taco joints featured on Texas Monthly’s 50 Best Tacos in Texas list and the accompanying list of honorable mentions, including No. 1 ranked Ana Liz Taqueria from Mission, Texas. 5 pm.

Echoes 3 Year Anniversary Celebration
Expect a lot of purple stuff over at Echoes this weekend. The Montrose hangout marks its third anniversary with a celebration honoring the legacy of Prince on what would have been his birthday. The night will feature Prince-themed music all evening — from deep cuts to dancefloor anthems — along with specialty cocktails, and a nod to the funk and soul that define both the artist and the venue. 4 pm.

Alejandro Escovedo with special guest Aaron Lee Tajsan
Alejandro Escovedo is known for being an acclaimed Americana singer/songwriter, born and bred right here in Texas. But we were today years old when we found out he opened for The Sex Pistols. Back when he was in the California punk band The Nuns, they opened up the Pistols’ notorious final concert in San Francisco. He dips back in his past for his latest album, 2024’s Echo Dancing, including new and repurposed versions of songs from his catalog. He’ll be performing those this weekend at The Heights Theater. 8 pm.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presents Jerry Seinfeld
Sometimes, we wonder if Jerry Seinfeld gets flanked by fans, ready to give him the myriad junk food that he and Larry David made famous on their classic sitcom Seinfeld. From Drake’s Coffee Cakes to Junior Mints to Chuckles to Snapple to just plain ol’ cereal, Seinfeld has to be the most junk food-crazy show in television history. Seinfeld continues to give props to junk food – he starred and directed in Netflix’s quasi-Pop Tarts history Unfrosted last year. Let’s see if any Pop-Tarts show up on stage when he does a show in The Woodlands this weekend. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, June 8

Houston Cinema Arts Society presents Pride Month Double Feature
Houston Cinema Arts Society will have a special Pride Month double feature at the historic DeLUXE Theatre. First up is the iconic 1991 documentary Paris Is Burning, which provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. After that, it’s the 2024 doc I’m Your Venus, which follows the unsolved murder of Paris star Venus Xtravaganza. These two films speak to the beauty, power, and resilience of the trans communities, as well as the violence and oppression they face. 4 pm.

Theatre Under The Stars presents Brews & Broadway
Theatre Under The Stars presents Brews & Broadway, a festive, casual event that gives Houston’s theater lovers a place to gather, cheer on their favorite shows, and celebrate the 78th Annual Tony Awards, all while supporting TUTS’ artistic and educational programs. Attendees will enjoy a live screening of the awards, along with theatre-themed games, live performances, themed bites, and giveaways. The event is only for those 21 and older. 6 pm.

Black Magic Social Club presents The Freak Show
You know, we don’t regularly shout-out shows featuring local bands getting their hard-rock/metal/grunge/goth on around these parts. But let’s change that by sharing news about The Freak Show, going down this weekend at Black Magic Social Club. This show is packed with rockers – The Shroons, Vengaza, The Sickens, Damien, and Kings, Queens and Jack – getting hard and heavy with it (the music, that is). This one is definitely for the headbangers. 8 pm.

Photo courtesy of Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld will perform in The Woodlands this weekend.

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Movie Review

28 Years Later revives zombie franchise for new generation

Photo by Miya Mizuno

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later.

The 2000s brought two of the best zombie movies ever made in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Both films, despite being made by different filmmakers, featured intense action with fast-moving zombies, harrowing sequences, and real emotional connections with their main characters. Now the original director and writer — Danny Boyle and Alex Garland — have returned with the first of a possible three sequels, 28 Years Later.

The rage virus from the first two films that turns humans into insatiable monsters has successfully been contained to the United Kingdom, and one group of survivors has managed to band together on a small island off the coast of England. We’re introduced to the group through Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and his son, Spike (Alfie Williams).

Isla is sick with an unknown illness, while Jamie is set to take the 12-year-old Spike on his first trip to the mainland to hunt zombies. That trip not only gives Spike an education as to the different types of feral zombies that now populate England, but also a clue that other people have survived there. When he discovers that one of them may be a doctor, he makes plans to take his mother there in hopes of finding a cure for whatever ails her.

While the first two films were notable for their brisk pace that kept the potency of the stories high, Boyle and Garland almost go in the opposite direction for much of this film. The first 90 minutes are relatively slow, with only a couple of sequences that raise the blood pressure. The final half hour or so go a long way toward filling that void, so it’s clear that the filmmakers were biding their time for the story to come in the sequel. A bit more balance in this film would have served them well, though.

What they do show involves some weird, wild stuff that is objectively upsetting, even for fans of the genre. The zombies have evolved in strange ways, giving them a variety of body shapes and abilities to suit the environment in which they live. These storytelling choices may thrill some and have others scratching their heads. Another human character living on his own (played by Ralph Fiennes), appears to have gone the way of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, with a revelation that is bone-chilling.

Boyle, who’s directed everything from Trainspotting to Slumdog Millionaire, doesn’t have a signature style, and he makes some choices in this film that test your patience. He occasionally employs an odd technique in which the film stutters, for a lack of better term. It’s a bit jarring, especially since it doesn’t seem to improve the storytelling. He also inserts scenes from older films involving medieval warfare that emulate the bow-and-arrow weaponry used by characters in this film, but the exact connection he’s trying to make is unclear.

The young Williams has a lot put on his shoulders in the film, and he proves to be up to the task of carrying the story. He isn’t precocious or annoying, instead reacting almost exactly like you’d expect a boy of his age to do when faced with extreme situations. Taylor-Johnson and Comer are good complements for him, drawing him out with their polar opposite characters. Fiennes makes a huge impression in the final act of the film, while Jack O’Connell makes a very brief appearance, teasing a bigger role to come.

It’s difficult to fully judge 28 Years Later because it’s designed to only give you part of the story; part 2, The Bone Temple, is due in 2026, while a third film will follow if the first two do well. This film has its moments and winds up on the positive side of the ledger, but it’s also a frustrating experience that could have used a more stand-alone story.

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28 Years Later is now playing in theaters.

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