weekend event planner

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

Bust those moves at Red Bull Dance Your Style Houston.

Red Bull Dance Your Style/Facebook

In a blink, it's officially rodeo season and also, March. Those heading to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo — hopefully rocking looks like these — can catch a host of concerts, over-the-top food, and another Takeover by our own hip-hop legend Bun B.

Meanwhile, a beloved local destination celebrates Texas independence, while they Alley stages a cowboy show that's not to be missed. Got moves? Show 'em off at a dance contest, or get decked out with your adorable pets at the arboretum. Feeling artsy? Head to the MFAH or take in some Sunday jazz in the park.

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, March 2

McDonald’s All American Games Pep Rally

McDonald’s and adidas are partnering with a local McDonald’s restaurant and artist David Maldonado to celebrate the McDonald’s All American Games, taking place in Houston later this March. The event will reveal a custom mural inspired by the legacy of the McDonald’s All American Games, on the exterior of the McDonald’s at 4005 Elgin. The free community event will also feature exclusive merch, additional giveaways, family-friendly interactive activities, and the chance to score BOGO deals throughout the day. 1 pm.

Goode Company Armadillo Palace presents Texas Independence Day Dinner

In honor of Texas Independence Day, the Goode Company culinary team, led by chef/owner Levi Goode, will prepare a backyard feast worthy of the celebration. The seated, family-style meal will celebrate authentic Texas culture, community and cuisine with live music from Rio Tripiano, live-fire cooking, cocktails, artisanal Texas wines, and more. The coursed menu carefully prepared by the team over live fire will reflect the rich, indigenous ingredients of our state. 6:30 pm.

Kimbra and Tei Shi in concert

Kimbra will be doing a show at White Oak Music Hall this weekend. But can we talk about her opener, Colombian-Canadian vocalist Tei Shi, for a minute? One of today's most powerful independent voices, Tei Shi is an artist who comes with a phenomenal voice and heart-touching songs. Her music embodies messages of empowerment, truth, love, life, and dealing with the everyday struggles that anyone can relate to. She'll also be dropping a new project this spring. 8 pm.

Friday, March 3

Ncredible Entertainment presents Nick Cannon’s Next Superstar Tour 2023

Nick Cannon comes to Houston as part of his Next Superstar Tour 2023, a celebratory, empowerment journey for the rising stars of music’s next generation. The tour will feature three stages of new talent discovery, including a BMAC x Ncredible Next Superstar Grant, a Next Superstar Educational Seminar, and a Next Superstar show with headlining talent performing. The tour will also feature performances by Symba, 24kGoldn, Justina Valentine, Hitman Holla, JD McCrary, Traetwothree, Klondike Blonde, DW Flame, and Pop Money. 5:30 pm.

DACAMERA presents Christian McBride and New Jawn

Eight-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride is a force of nature. Powered by a relentless energy and a boundless love of swing, McBride’s path has described a continuous positive arc since his arrival on the scene. With a career now blazing into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today. Drawing from the lexicon of his hometown, McBride calls his pianoless quartet The New Jawn. 8 pm.

Reeves Art + Design presents Mark Flood: "A Guide for Nude Investors" opening reception

Known for his use of irreverent humor, political commentary, and a variety of mediums, Mark Flood's work provokes audiences to question the established art world and cultural norms. This exhibition retraces 10 years of the artist's sputtering attempts to incorporate digital printing into his art. His work is not for the faint of heart, but for those who crave a thought-provoking experience. Whether you love it or hate it, one thing is for certain: Mark Flood's art will leave a lasting impression. Through Saturday, March 25. 6 pm.

Alley Theatre presents Cowboy Bob

You wouldn’t look twice at Peggy Jo. She's a good daughter, always tips, plays by the rules. But when she dons a fake beard, sunglasses, and a ten-gallon hat, she becomes “Cowboy Bob,” the slickest bank robber Texas has ever known. Equal parts Riot Grrrl rage and Texas twang, this world premiere musical, loosely based on actual events (and co-authored by Galveston’s own Molly Beach Murphy), invites audiences to join the heist, take life by the reins, and let it ride. Through Sunday, March 26. 8 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).

Saturday, March 4

First Saturday Arts Market

First Saturday Arts Market, Houston’s original monthly outdoor art market, will celebrate 19 years this weekend. Visitors will find over three dozen friendly artists offering art in a variety of popular mediums. Insect lovers will even feel included with two options: watercolor-painted specimens by Paul Atwell and professionally preserved insects, mounted and framed by Ruben Salazar. This month, the food truck will be Dibi Rapide, serving Senegalese food, the West African-themed truck influenced by North African, French, and Portuguese cuisine. 11 am.

Hands-on Houston: Suncatchers

Design your own suncatcher, inspired by the upcoming exhibition TG: Transitions in Kiln-Glass. Learn how to cut various shapes from clear acrylic to create your composition. Play with layering your shapes and colors, like the exhibiting artists do with kiln glass. Experiment with how your acrylic is affected by the light. Add your finished suncatcher to a window ledge to experience how the spring sun brings your composition to life. This activity will take place indoors and is on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. 11 am.

Heights Crawfish Festival

The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce Crawfish Festival is back this weekend. Come out, support your community and shop local. There will be vendor booths, a Kids World, live music by Step Rideau and The Zydeco Outlaws, an Idol of the Heights contest, cold beer and the best crawfish in the Heights. There are also Crawfish Festival Plates and Bucks. If you buy four plates, you get one free. And if you buy 50 tickets, you get 10 free (good for beer, hot dogs, sausage on a stick). 11 am.

Red Bull Dance Your Style Houston Audition

POST will host Red Bull Dance Your Style, a global all-styles street dance event series. From hip hop to house, dancers participating in Red Bull Dance Your Style’s Houston audition will need to “wow” the crowd and judges. Dancers will be tested on their freestyle skills through unpredictable mainstream tracks, ranging from recent global hits to classic beats. Only two winners will move on to the Red Bull Dance Your Style Memphis Qualifier later this month. 2 pm.

Sunday, March 5

New Beginnings Spring Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

This free, family-friendly festival welcomes spring with celebratory traditions from across the Middle East and Asia. This also marks the opening of the New Galleries for Art of the Islamic Worlds and anticipates Nowruz, the renewal of spring that has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years. Immerse your senses in the sounds and flavors of the regions as you enjoy music, dance, poetry, art activities, and food from local vendors. 1 pm.

Houston Arboretum presents Pup Crawl & Pet Expo

The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center invites all interested humans to bring their favorite furry friends to a “pup” crawl, located on the Arboretum grounds. After four special Saint Arnold beer stops along the Arboretum trails, guests will interact with local pet vendors at the Pet Expo and walk away with a commemorative glass. Proceeds support the conservation and education programs of the Houston Arboretum and BARC, the City of Houston’s animal shelter and adoption center. Pet adoptions will also be available onsite. 3 pm.

Jazzy Sundays in the Parks

Discovery Green Conservancy, Buffalo Bayou Park Partnership, and Emancipation Park Conservancy are bringing residents weekly free jazz concerts in March, April, and May, made possible by the Kinder Foundation. The free concert lineup is designed to celebrate the legacy and evolution of jazz in Houston. Local and regional musicians representing the best in jazz and its related forms such as gospel, blues zydeco and more will perform. Things kick off at Emancipation Park with Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper. 5 pm.

weekend events weekend

Movie Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doesn't match the first movie's enthusiasm

Blumhouse

Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Blumhouse Productions first made their name with the Paranormal Activity series, establishing themselves as a leader in the horror genre thanks to their relatively cheap yet effective movies. In recent years, they’ve added on “soft” horror films like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s to draw in a younger audience, with both films becoming so successful that each was quickly given a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 finds Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) still recovering from the events of the first film, with Abby particularly missing her “friends.” Those friends just so happen to be the souls of murdered children who inhabit animatronic characters at the long-defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, children who were abducted and killed by William Afton (Matthew Lillard).

A new threat emerges at another Freddy Fazbear’s location in the form of Charlotte, another murdered child who inhabits a creepy large marionette. Mike, distracted by a possible romance with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), fails to keep track of Abby, who makes her way to the old pizzeria and inadvertently unleashes Charlotte and her minions on the surrounding town.

Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon (who also created the video game on which the series is based), the film tries to mix together goofy elements with intense scenes. One particular sequence, in which the security guard for Freddy Fazbear’s lets a group of ghost hunters onto the property, toes the line between soft and hard horror. That and a few others show the potential that the filmmakers had if they had stuck to their guns.

Unfortunately, more often than not they either soft-pedal things that would normally be horrific, or can’t figure out how to properly stage scenes. The sight of animatronic robots wreaking havoc is one that is simultaneously frightening and laughable, and the filmmakers never seem to find the right balance in tone. Every step in the direction of making a truly scary horror film is undercut by another in which the robots fail to live up to their promise.

It doesn’t help that Cawthon gives the cast some extremely wooden dialogue, lines that none of the actors can elevate. What may work in a video game format comes off as stilted when said by actors in a live-action film. The story also loses momentum quickly after the first half hour or so, with Cawthon seemingly content to just have characters move from place to place with no sense of connection between any of the scenes.

Hutcherson (The Hunger Games series), after being the true lead of the first film, is given very little to do in this film, and his effort is equal to his character’s arc. The same goes for Lail, whose character seems to be shoehorned into the story. Rubio is called upon to carry the load for a lot of the movie, and the teenager is not quite up to the task. A brief appearance by Skeet Ulrich seems to be a blatant appeal to Scream fans, but he and Lillard only underscore how limited this film is compared to that franchise.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first film, but not by much. The filmmakers do a decent job of making the new marionette character into a great villain, but they fail to capitalize on its inherent creepiness. Instead, they fall back on less effective elements, ensuring that the film will be forgettable for anyone other than hardcore Freddy fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on December 5.

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