weekend event planner

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

Good grief! There’s a bunch of cool stuff happening this weekend!

There are not one, but two home tours that’ll be taking place on the same day. A local jazz star returns to salute his hometown. MasterChef veterans will be making mouths water. A couple of art galleries will premiere fascinating exhibits. And Reese Witherspoon’s lifestyle brand will be popping up all weekend long.

So, get out there and have some good ol’ Houston fun. As a visiting, gangsta rap icon would say, you know how we do it.

Thursday, October 16

Draper James: The Decade Tour
Draper James is popping up across the South to celebrate 10 years of signature Southern charm—and Houston is next. The lifestyle brand, founded by actress/producer Reese Witherspoon, will take over Hotel Granduca for a weekend of sweet tea sips and exclusive shopping experiences straight from Nashville. It all starts on Thursday with a PJ party, cocktails, and complimentary onsite monogramming. 4 pm (10 am Friday and Saturday; 9 am Sunday).

Sawyer Yards presents "Step Into the Light" opening reception
"Step Into the Light" is a response to the darker, more morose side of remembrance and death. The exhibition focuses on the lighter side of the passing of loved ones, their memory, and the light that shines in each person and living being. There are lights emitted from the inner to the outer. Perhaps one considers the life of light itself, or the light which is often described as being “at the end of the tunnel.” Through Saturday, December 6. 6 pm.

Alley Theatre presents The Da Vinci Code
Symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu race to solve a deadly puzzle that could change history. Following the clues hidden in ancient symbols and imagery, they uncover secrets that lead them on a dangerous quest. Based on the smash hit novel by Dan Brown (later adapted into a movie starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard), the play takes audiences on a journey across Europe to the Louvre, Westminster Abbey, and Rosslyn Chapel. 7:30 pm (8 pm Friday; 2 and 8 pm Saturday; 2 pm Sunday).

Friday, October 17

Reeves Art + Design presents Julianna Bray: "Good Enough to Eat" opening reception
"Good Enough to Eat" is a ceramic exhibition featuring the colorful, vibrant work of local artist Julianna Bray. Her work showcases sculptural art that is intended to capture those joyful nostalgic moments, providing a playful escape from the stresses of everyday life. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic communications from the University of Houston and nearly two decades as an Emmy-winning broadcast designer, she expertly blends her humor with clean, precise designs. Through Saturday, November 1. 6 pm.

MasterChef All-Stars Live!
MasterChef All-Stars Live! comes to Houston, bringing chefs straight from the kitchen of the iconic, Gordon Ramsay-led competitive-cooking show. This stage show delivers the MasterChef experience by featuring head-to-head battles, challenges, and culinary creations. The chefs will also talk about what it’s like to cook in America’s famous kitchen, the toughest judges, and cooking tips and tricks. 7:30 pm.

DACAMERA presents Walter Smith III Quartet
For his recent Blue Note Records release three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not, saxophonist Walter Smith III pays homage to his hometown. In the DACAMERA jazz series kickoff, the supergroup of brothers in arms (Jason Moran, piano; Reuben Rogers, bass; Kendrick Scott, drums) celebrates the Bayou City with evocative songs like "610 Loop," "Lone Star," "Cezanne," and "Montrose Nocturne." 8 pm.

Ice Cube in concert
Do you know there are people out there who have no idea that Ice Cube started his career as one of the coldest MCs to ever get on a mic? In fairness, starring in family-friendly movies like Are We There Yet? may have dulled his edge over the years. Cube is currently on the road, ready to school all these novices. He’ll be in Houston this weekend, as part of his "Truth to Power - Four Decades of Attitude" tour. Cube's first domestic headlining tour in over a decade will highlight his 40-year career, as well as his latest album, 2024's Man Down. 8 pm.

Saturday, October 18

The Flat presents Montrose Community Day
Montrose hangout The Flat completes its weeklong, 20th anniversary celebration by hosting Montrose Community Day with Art League Houston, bringing together artists and creatives, including Jackson Allers, Phthalo, John O’Dowd, and special guest Garth Trinidad, alongside music from DJ Sun and friends. The evening continues with Sora from Chris Ryo and Giovani, a special-edition set from Doc Guava, and a finale featuring Sun, Malcolm Bravo, Giovani, Amanda Robinson. 10 am.

AIA Houston presents 2025 Home Tour
Eight architect-designed houses representing the finest in new residential architecture will be featured in the 2025 Annual AIA Houston Home Tour. The two-day, self-guided event offers a unique opportunity to go inside a range of high-quality homes designed by local, licensed architects. AIA architects will be present at each house to answer questions and provide visitors with inspiration. All the homes on the tour are located within the Houston metropolitan area, designed by AIA architects, and completed within the last five years. Noon.

East End District presents 27th Annual Eastwood Home Tour
The 27th Annual Eastwood Home Tour is themed “The Power of the Porch,” celebrating Houston’s largest intact collection of Arts & Crafts, Prairie, and American Foursquare architecture and the power that architecture can have to bring neighbors together. The annual home tour not only showcases some of Eastwood’s architectural gems, it also raises funds for the Eastwood Civic Association to continue advocating for a stronger, more connected community. Noon.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Mountains
Mountains is an experimental live-cinema performance that explores the cyclical nature of human experience. Houston-based artists Stephan Hillerbrand and Mary Magsamen physically control a scroll of backlit paper while Kirk Lynn narrates, manipulating time by slowing, speeding, pausing, or reversing the story as it unfolds. Presented in conjunction with nothing is precious, everything is game, FotoFest’s midcareer survey of the collaborative work of Hillerbrand and Magsamen. 7 pm.

Sunday, October 19

Wings Over Houston Airshow
Returning for its 41st year, the CAF Wings Over Houston Airshow will include hours of aerial performances, displays of vintage aviation, interactive areas for children and adults, and opportunities for guests to give back to the community. Headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the two-day event is dedicated to showcasing vintage World War II aircraft, including the only two airworthy B-29 Super Fortress bombers in the world, along with the thrills of modern aviation. 10 am (10 am Saturday).

Cactus Music presents Peanuts: The Music of Vince Guaraldi Listening Party
Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Peanuts gang and the timeless Vince Guaraldi music that weaves its way through every movie and TV special. There will be a costume contest for best Peanuts character, commemorative stickers for attendees, and a free poster with purchase of at least two featured titles. Free Saint Arnold beer and slices of Star Pizza will also be available. 1 pm.

Color Factory presents Trick or Treat Night
Color Factory will be celebrating all the colors and creatures of the season with the return of their Halloween trick-or-treat experience. Dress in your most gourd-geous costume and get your candy bags ready, there will be treats available to collect at every corner. All tickets (starting at $29) include admission to Color Factory’s popular Haunted Hues exhibit through the end of October. Seek, find, and uncover which indulgent candies delight these suspicious shades - discover them all and win a prize. 4 pm.

Photo courtesy of Ice Cube

Ice Cube will perform at the Toyota Center on October 17.

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.

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Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

movies girl scout cookie film