Sparkle and Shine

Channel holiday enchantment during the return of Houston’s City Lights

Magic abounds throughout City Lights.

Photo courtesy of City Lights

The season of holiday enchantment is here, especially in Downtown Houston. Once again, the city is morphing into the most magical destination with 12 uniquely themed villages that bring endless whimsy, dazzling Christmas trees, the joy of ice skating, the delight of countless lights illuminating the scene, and so much more.

It’s all part of City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic, presented by Shell Energy, with mostly free(!) experiences for visitors and residents alike to savor through December 31, 2024 (with some activations continuing into the New Year).

To kick it all off, don’t miss the party on The Plaza at Avenida Houston on Friday, November 22, from 5:30-8:30 pm, featuring a live band, strolling entertainment, holiday crafts, a hot chocolate bar, and more.

Discovery Green ice rink Lace up and skate under the stars at Discovery Green.Photo courtesy of City Lights

What's new in 2024 at City Lights

Peppermint Plaza (Avenida Plaza): Avenida Plaza transforms into Peppermint Plaza with 16 gorgeously festooned Christmas trees displayed in the Grand Holiday Window at the George R. Brown Convention Center. See the trees any day of the week, but swing by on Saturday nights for free musical performances on the Main Stage.

Tinsel Town (Market Square Park): Pup parents, this one’s for you. Fido can get in the festive spirit too with free holiday events in the square, including hot chocolate and "puppychinos" every Friday and Saturday along with pet photos with Santa. Even if you don’t have a furry friend, come on out for the Silent Night discos, Movies Under the Stars, and so much more.

Snow Glow on the Bayou (Allen’s Landing): This spectacular fusion of tech and nature features eye-catching projections of art and light that illuminate a 100-foot water screen over Buffalo Bayou. But the scene-stealing magic doesn’t stop there. Go with the glow during an up-close, holiday-themed boat tour along the Bayou. Boat tours begin on November 22 and continue through December 29.

City Lights Holiday Bus: This year, you can climb aboard a festive, holiday-decorated, double-decker trolley and explore all that downtown has to offer. For a nominal fee, hop on and off at stops including Trebly Park, Lynn Wyatt Square, Avenida Houston/Discovery Green, Market Square Park, and POST HTX. The bus runs Fridays and Saturdays from November 22-December 13, 7-10 pm. A special holiday route commences on December 20-21 and December 27-28, featuring an extra stop at Allen’s Landing for Snow Glow on the Bayou.

Check out these 2024 Holiday Villages

Winter Wonderlawn (POST HTX): It may be Texas, but POST Houston has created the ultimate winter wonderland — even without the snow. Skylawn, the property’s five-acre rooftop garden, is decked out in beautifully illuminated lights and décor. With hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights, it’s truly a sight to behold, especially with Houston’s impressive skyline in the background. At the center of it all is a 25-foot Christmas tree surrounded by multiple holiday-themed activations. A nominal fee applies for access to the POST’s rooftop during the holiday season.

Texas Winer Lights Marriot Marquis Reminder to find some relaxation during the holidays.Photo courtesy of Marriott Marquis

Texas Winter Lights (Marriott Marquis): The Marriott Marquis has decked its rooftop with more than 100,000 lights this year — complete with a nightly snowfall. Float along the 80-degree, Texas-shaped lazy river while getting in on illuminated yard games (life-size Checkers, anyone?), festive cocktails, delicious bites, and virtual rides on Santa’s sleigh. Or come by for one of the themed nights like Monday Night Football, Silent Disco, Game Night, and more. Family movie nights are on Tuesdays and date-night movies are Thursdays. Admission is complimentary for hotel guests, with a nominal admission fee for others.

ICE @ Discovery Green (Discovery Green): Skate your way into plenty of holiday cheer with this annual tradition that continues at Discovery Green. The open-air ice-skating rink gets even more festive with quirky and cool, themed skate nights, and even Sundays with Santa. While there, don’t miss the new ATLAS art installation by the internationally recognized artist Jen Lewin. Also new: Bumper Cars on Ice, which launches right after the holidays from January 6-19, 2025.

Deck the Trees (Alley Theatre): With 19 unique and dazzlingly decorated Christmas trees on display, it’s easy to get in the holiday spirit at Alley Theatre. The only bah-humbugs allowed are in the theater’s performances of Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.

Land of Sweets (Hilton Americas): Get set for the ultimate sugar rush in the lobby of the Hilton Americas. Along with the legendary life-size chocolate display, this year themed “The Night Before Christmas,” experience 80,000 sparkling lights and 14-foot Champagne trees surrounded by more than 10,000 mini lights. You can also schedule Breakfast with Santa on Saturdays and Sundays in December.

Jingle Town (Lynn Wyatt Square): This green space in the heart of Houston’s downtown Theater District becomes a destination for holiday fun with all the photo opps. Choose from life-size photo frames to interactive musical Christmas trees to a Santa’s reindeer installation, all produced by LeMonde Studios. Plus, don’t miss live music every Saturday.

Sugar Plum Plaza (Fish Plaza, Wortham Theater): Also setting a magical scene is this beautiful plaza. This year’s whimsical setting includes life-size gift boxes scattered across the plaza along with a Santa’s Sleigh display — also produced by LeMonde Studios.

Twinkle Town (Trebly Park): Starting November 22, the park becomes home to Texas’ largest mistletoe ball. Just like in Tinsel Town at Market Square Park, you can bring the pup for free hot cocoa and puppychinos, plus pics with Santa Paws. Definitely put December 12 on your calendar for the Ugly Sweater Holiday Jam. Wear your ugliest holiday sweater, grab food and drinks from Tout Suite, and enjoy an evening of dueling pianos.

City Hall-iday Lights Houston The city is officially illuminated on December 7 at City Hall.Photo courtesy of City Lights

City Hall-iday Lights (City Hall): Another must-attend to jumpstart the holiday magic is the Reliant Lights Mayor’s Holiday Spectacular – 105 years at City Hall. On December 7 from 6-8 pm, Mayor John Whitmire and Reliant will officially illuminate the city landmark to the tune of live music, fireworks, photos with Santa, and the annual lighting of the holiday tree.

Make your own magic and chart your holiday course at City Lights here.

breakfast with santa christmas carol downtown houston holidays light displays mistletoe ball peppermint plaza promoted sugar plum plaza texas winter lights

Movie Review

Robert Pattinson plays infamous host who catches predators in Primetime

Photo courtesy of A24

Robert Pattinson in Primetime.

Robert Pattinson is among a select group of actors with multiple high-profile roles in 2026, having already starred in The Drama and The Odyssey, with Dune: Part Three yet to come. But the one that may earn him an Oscar nomination — if not win — is Primetime, in which he stars as Chris Hansen, the former host of the Dateline NBC show To Catch a Predator.

The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim and written by Ajon Singh, plops viewers right in the middle of the short-lived run (2004-2007) of the program, which aimed to expose men for trying to have sex with teenagers. Hansen is obsessed with making the show successful, which means enticing as many child predators as they can and recruiting young-looking adult actors to serve as decoys for sting operations.

Helping him in his pursuit is producer Andie Bender (Merrit Wever), who has her own ambitions; recruiter Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Maher), who perhaps enjoys trapping predators a bit too much; and decoys Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisondo) and Del (Phoebe Bridgers), who have to muster all the improv skills they can when the men show up. As the story proceeds, each participant weighs their own level of comfort with the controversial practices of the show as a whole.

Depending on the audience, the film can play as a serious drama, a comedy, a horror, or a combination of all three. It seems like Oppenheim wants to confront the audience with the uncomfortable feeling of not having anyone for whom to root. You certainly can’t feel bad for the predators, who actively engage with someone they believe to be a child. But the process of getting men on the show, as well as the treatment of the decoys, is itself unsavory and difficult to defend.

At the center is a protagonist whose persona is interesting as a character, but less appealing as an actual person. As Hansen pushes everyone around him to do all they can for the sake of the show, his hubris puts him right in line with your standard antihero. But the idea of a man obsessed with his job who all but ignores his family and cheats on his wife is ultimately not that compelling and plays like the cliché it is.

If the film was supposed to be an exposé on what Hansen and the show as a whole got wrong in the pursuit of justice, it fails to bring about any strong feelings on either side. The one area where it does succeed is in its depictions of the two decoys, and Oppenheim might have been better served by showcasing them more. The film does shift toward being more of a story about Dan than Hansen, but not enough to make a big impact.

Oppenheim has seemingly devised the film as an acting showcase, and in that regard it works well. Pattinson is all-in with his performance, going to great lengths to demonstrate Hansen’s passion for the show. He has many fantastic line readings, including a one-word utterance late in the film that brings the house down. Wever and Gisondo are just as good, and Bridgers — making her acting debut — steals several of the scenes she’s in.

The impact To Catch a Predator had on society despite the small number of episodes (20) it had is something worth exploring, as the documentary Predators did in 2025. But Primetime doesn’t get to the heart of the matter in a way that makes for necessary viewing, leaving it as a testament to the skills of its actors and not much else.

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Primetime opens in theaters on September 25.

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Sparkle and Shine

Channel holiday enchantment during the return of Houston’s City Lights

Movie Review

Robert Pattinson plays infamous host who catches predators in Primetime

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