weekend event planner

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

As always, a lot is happening in Houston this weekend. Let’s see what we have this weekend.

Sample a range of craft beers at Eureka Heights during its Pride Month kickoff or at Bayou Heights Bier Garten’s summer party. There are two cons going down: one for the pop-culture nerds and the other for hardcore botanists and horticulturists. The Alley Theatre and Houston Ballet will debut their latest productions. And, for all those feeling Black and proud this time of year, there’s a Juneteenth celebration happening in Third Ward.

Go out and have some fun. You’ve earned it.

Thursday, May 29

Asia Society Texas Center presents "Past, Present, and Couture: Asian Fashion From the HCC Archive"
Asia Society Texas and Houston Community College's Fashion Department will present an exclusive exhibition celebrating fashion through the ages. Attendees will get to explore pieces from the HCC Fashion Archive. The event offers a unique opportunity to experience both modern and traditional fashion, while supporting local artists. Guests can also shop local pop-up boutiques featuring Houston’s top clothing and jewelry designers, while enjoying a reception with light refreshments. 3 pm.

Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce presents Pride Month Kickoff
Get ready to kick off Pride Month in style with an evening of celebration, visibility, and community. The evening will include the launch of this year’s Show Your Pride campaign; the Chamber’s Rainbow Market, where the community can shop local and support LGBTQ+ and allied-owned businesses; drag bingo hosted by the fabulous Dessie Love Blake; and a mixer to promote connection and networking with LGBTQ+ alumni from universities across the region (separate registration is required). 5 pm.

Houston Ballet presents Raymonda
Stanton Welch’s adaptation of Raymonda, inspired by the classic Marius Petipa, finds the lovely young Raymonda and her sisters destined to be betrothed to dukes from various countries, yet her heart already belongs to another. An evil plot by the queen’s trusted advisor may change the destiny of Raymonda and her one true love. The production features Alexander Glazunov’s glorious and sensuous score, alongside a lavish set and costumes by acclaimed Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno. Through Sunday, June 8. 7 pm (7:30 pm Saturday).

Friday, May 30

Dream Con
Dream Con is a three-day entertainment convention uniting a global community of fans passionate about gaming, anime, sports, film, music, and pop culture. Founded by RDCWorld in 2018, Dream Con was born from a desire to create an inclusive and welcoming space for all fans. With a steadfast commitment to diversity and representation, the convention has rapidly grown into a leading platform for showcasing emerging talent, amplifying underrepresented voices in mainstream spaces, and redefining the future of fandom events. Noon.

Botonica Grand Opening
Botonica, a new bar near River Oaks District, officially opens its doors to the public this weekend. The bar aims to deliver an elevated experience inspired by the Latin American diaspora. The cocktail menu is divided into three sections, offering a distinct perspective on Latin cocktail tradition and innovation. 4 pm.

Improv Houston presents Tony Baker
Comedian Tony Baker has appeared on Last Comic Standing, Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution, Comics Unleashed, and other comedy shows. But true fans mostly know him for his Instagram videos where he provides hilarious dialogue for different animals. He’s also a prominent figure on YouTube, appearing on such channels as All Def, KevOnStage Studios, and Cancel Court. 7:30 and 9:45 pm (7 and 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Alley Theatre presents Private Lives
Reimagined in 1930s Argentina, Noël Coward’s comedy explores the consequences of love, desire, and the thin line between affection and animosity. Divorced couple Elyot and Amanda accidentally find themselves honeymooning with their new spouses in adjacent rooms, creating a whirlwind of witty banter, heated confrontations, and the unexpected rekindling of old flames. Through Sunday, June 15. 8 pm (2 and 8 pm Saturday; 2 and 7 pm Sunday).

Saturday, May 31

PlantCon International Houston
The two-day PlantCon Houston is the first all-inclusive plant experience where visitors can experience an immersive weekend featuring workshops, presentations, community building, and more. Attendees can purchase products from internationally known plant exhibitors and partake in workshops from field experts from around the globe. This event is inclusive of all national and international plant organizations and provides them with free spaces to help spread their missions. 10 am.

Bayou Heights Bier Garten’s Summer Bash
The Washington Avenue bar is throwing the ultimate summer kick-off event with its Summer Bash. Houstonians of all ages are invited for an all-day, sun-filled celebration that brings beach vibes to the Bier Garten. There will be live music, ice-cold beers, yard games, giveaways, lifeguards on duty (staff in full beach gear), a classic ice cream truck, sand bucket pong (aka a beachy twist on beer pong), and a pool party outfit contest with prizes for the best looks. 11 am.

River Oaks District presents Fitness in the Park
Are you feeling a bit limber and want to get your yoga on this weekend? Well, River Oaks District will be hosting a complimentary, Equinox-led Fitness in The Park session focusing on Vinyasa Yoga. Houstonians are invited to The Park (greenspace adjacent to Bari) for this open-air class that offers a perfect blend of movement and mindfulness catering to both seasoned yogis and newcomers. 12:30 pm.

Simple Minds in concert
Anyone who grew up in the ‘80s will remember how Simple Minds was a regular presence in top-40 pop. The Scottish rock group rose to prominence with “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” also known as the theme song to John Hughes’ teen classic The Breakfast Club. Simple Minds comes to The Woodlands as part of their biggest live run across the US and Canada in four decades. The band has released 20 albums in their career, most recently Direction of the Heart in 2022. 7 pm.

Sunday, June 1

City Place presents Flower Clouds
City Place’s latest pop-up art exhibition Flower Clouds returns this summer. The installation is presented as a collection of whimsical park benches that colorfully depict more than 25 species of natural vegetation (as well as insects and birds) native to the Texas Gulf Coast region. Each of the unique benches reaches over six feet tall and nearly 10 feet wide and serves as a canvas for the hand-drawn designs created Graphic Rewilding’s signature bold, pop impressionism style. Through Sunday, July 27. 7 am.

Juneteenth Houston presents 3rd Annual Celebrate Freedom Fest
The 3rd Annual Celebrate Freedom Fest brings together seven historic Black communities in Houston to celebrate the richness of the culture, pay homage to the pioneers of Juneteenth, and experience jubilee in a way that is uniquely their own. There will be community performances, performances from The Ensemble Theatre and Houston Grand Opera, and the Crowns of Liberation Parade, led by the Bayou City Brass Band. 1 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Misericordia
After a decade-long absence, Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) returns to his hometown for the funeral of his former boss. Staying with the widow (Catherine Frot), Jérémie begins to insinuate himself into his mentor’s family while starting a surprising — and ultimately beneficial — friendship with a local priest (Jacques Develay). In the quietly carnal world of director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake), violence and eroticism explode with little anticipation, and criminal behavior can seem like a natural extension of physical desire. 5 pm.

Photo courtesy of Simple Minds

Catch Simple Minds in concert in The Woodlands this weekend.

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Movie Review

Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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