weekend event planner

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

A lot of fun stuff is happening Houston over the next few days.

We have a women’s summit that’ll have more than 40 celebrity speakers, the grand opening of a new Japanese restaurant, the live return of a couple alt-rock icons, a groovy fest over in Tomball, and a special performance from the one-and-only Pull Out King!

Thursday, September 11

Osprey Women’s Summit
The two-day Osprey Women’s Summit celebrates powerhouse women and unlocks next-level opportunities for growth, connection and joy. Featuring more than 40 celebrity speakers, Olympians, entertainers, innovators and industry leaders, the summit blends keynote speeches, panel discussions, live podcasts, sports clinics, entertainment, and hands-on workshops across immersive zones devoted to sports and entertainment, finance and STEM, wellness and beauty, and AI and innovation. 8 am.

Feges BBQ presents Pizza on the Patio
On the second Thursday of each month, join Feges BBQ in Spring Branch for hand-tossed pies, fired fresh to order in their Gozney pizza oven. They’re serving both classic pies like cheese and pepperoni, plus barbecue-focused pizza specials. Watch the kids play at this family-friendly event, and don’t forget about half-off select wines for the adults. 5 pm.

CultureMap Houston presents The Tailgate
CultureMap Houston has got a party going on this weekend with The Tailgate, an all-out celebration of Houston sports and the fans that cheer for them. The party takes tailgating to a new level — in signature CultureMap style. Attendee can savor sports-inspired bites from favorite restaurants, sip on premium cocktails, bid on memorabilia from Texas sports legends, and enjoy plenty of game day fun. Guests can choose a VIP option for early access and exclusive experiences, including a meet-and-greet with two former Houston pro athletes. 7 pm.

Friday, September 12

Handies Douzo Grand Opening
Spring Branch Japanese restaurant Handies Douzo will be celebrating its grand opening with 50-percent off crudos all weekend long. Named after the food it serves and the Japanese phrase for “here you are,” this spot specializes in a chef-driven menu of hand rolls, sashimi, and crudos. On Friday at 7 pm, a local dance troupe will perform a traditional Lion Dance that is free and open to the public, followed by a sake ceremony led by sake sommelier Donna Ma and sponsored by Dassai Blue Sake. 4 pm.

Buffalo Bayou Partnership presents Underground Sounds: Les Cenelles - Echo Chamber: Resistance and Reverb
Les Cenelles is an ensemble exploring the Creole diaspora, honoring its cultural ancestors and preserving the plurality of its experiences through a contemporary lens. Echo Chamber: Resistance and Reverb is a sound performance exploring the theme of water rights and activism, immersing audiences in a soundscape that resonates within Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, inspired by movements from Flint to the Gulf of Mexico’s water infrastructure in New Orleans and Houston. 6:30 pm (5:30 pm Saturday and Sunday).

River Oaks Theatre presents The American Southwest
Narrated by Indigenous environmentalist Quannah Chasinghorse, The American Southwest showcases the region’s abundant wildlife, confronts the ecological impacts of dams and river depletion, and boldly advocates for increased water and wildlife conservation. The film highlights the region’s deep cultural history and the need to better manage the river for both wildlife and society to thrive. Filmmaker Ben Masters and American Rivers Southwest regional director Matt Rice will have a Q&A after the showing. 7 pm.

Nine Inch Nails in concert
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross could spend the rest of their lives composing film music and picking up awards for it. They’ve already won Oscars for their work on The Social Network and the Pixar movie Soul. But they still have to come out of their home studios and rock the world as as industrial rock legends Nine Inch Nails (aka their original day job). They have released 14 albums in their career, most recently Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts in 2020. And they’ll be in Houston as part of their Peel It Back tour. 8 pm.

Saturday, September 13

The Blue Bird Circle presents the Couture Boutique
Formerly known as the Trunk Show, join the Blue Bird Circle (BBC) to shop for a great cause and make a difference with every purchase. The Circle is proud to offer a curated selection of couture and designer apparel, accessories, and jewelry, featuring iconic brands including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, and many more, all at prices that won’t break the bank. Every purchase supports groundbreaking neurological research at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. 10 am.

City of Tomball presents GroovFest
GroovFest 2025 is Tomball’s celebration of retro fun and nostalgia. Attendees can groove to live music performances and snap photos with vintage vehicles and interactive photo booths. Kids will get to participate in family-friendly activities, including face painting, a bubble station, stilt walkers, and a dedicated play zone. A variety of local vendors will offer unique crafts, products, and festival fare. 11 am.

Buttermilk Baby First Anniversary
Buttermilk Baby is marking its first anniversary with an afternoon full of giveaways, sweet treats, and family-friendly activities. Attendees can enjoy free balloons for kids, complimentary samples of Carvel ice cream cake, and a chance to win Buttermilk Baby for a year. And throughout this month, Buttermilk Baby will offer a limited-time Birthday Cake Shake, made with birthday cake batter–flavored ice cream, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and comes with a party blower — available in 12oz ($8.99) and 16oz ($10.00) sizes. 3 pm.

The Silos at Sawyer Yards presents Art Affair
The Silos at Sawyer Yards will celebrate the opening of The Artist’s Palette, a tenant exhibition exploring how artists use color to express what words cannot. From bold strokes to subtle tones, each corridor of the Silos tells a story through hues, blues of memory, reds of passion, golds of hope, and quiet grays of reflection. Art Affair will be an evening of art, live music, and curated food and drink tastings. Visitors can shop the exhibition, meet the artists, and immerse themselves in a colorful experience where emotion and expression take center stage. 5 pm.

Sunday, September 14

A.D. Players presents Season Kickoff Party
The A.D. Players at the George Theater will present a season kickoff party to launch their 59th Season of Exploration. Attendees will get a special preview of the 2025-2026 season, meet members of the creative team, and enjoy an afternoon filled with acting, music, laughter, connection, and light refreshments. 2:30 pm.

Disney Concerts presents Descendants / Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour
Disney Concerts will present Descendants / Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour, an interactive live concert experience. The arena tour will celebrate the high-energy music from Disney’s Descendants and Zombies franchises, inspiring families and fans of all ages to dance, sing, and engage with their favorite stars. The concerts will mark a nostalgic return to tours like Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana and High School Musical. 7 pm.

Performing Arts Houston presents Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
Jeff Goldblum is the weirdest yet coolest actor to ever walk the face of this planet. He’s given memorably quirky performances in so many movies: The Big Chill, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Wicked (and the upcoming Wicked for Good). But the dude plays a little jazz, too. The charismatic entertainer and his band, the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, will present an evening of music, a little trivia, and a whole lot of fun. 7:30 pm.

Photo courtesy of Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails will play at Toyota Center on September 12.

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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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