weekend event planner

Here are the top 15 things to do in Houston this weekend

Disco legend Gloria Gaynor hosts the Reliant Lights Mayor’s Holiday Spectacular.

Photo courtesy of City of Houston

The holidays are in full swing this weekend, with a cherished annual tradition taking place downtown at City Hall, hosted by the one and only Gloria "I Will Survive" Gaynor.

Meanwhile, several stage shows offer holiday fun — don't miss a Whataburger-themed play, a Texas version of a Christmas Carol, plus a gospel holiday experience. And speaking of holidays and gospel, the Blind Boys of Alabama visit town for what promises to be an unforgettable seasonal concert.

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, December 1

Rothko Chapel presents World AIDS Day Observance

Visitors at the World AIDS Day Observance can show support and stand in solidarity with the millions of people living with and impacted by HIV. Attendees are invited to bring a small memento, photo, or item (no food or drinks) to place on a community altar in remembrance of those who have passed on, and items in celebration of those living with HIV and hope for the future to end this epidemic. Presenters include Vicar Amber Harbolt, artist Titan Capri, and DACAMERA Young Artists Jeongwon An, David Dietz, Hanna Hrybkova, and Lauren Ross. 8:30 am.

Art on the Avenue

Art on the Avenue returns for its 25th anniversary, with more than 500 original artworks from over 250 local artists. The event has grown to be the city’s largest silent art auction, giving back to the thriving arts community of Houston while supporting the affordable housing and community revitalization efforts of local nonprofit organization Avenue. The exclusive, Thursday night preview event will offer art lovers a first look at this year’s exhibition, along with curated art-inspired bites and cocktails. 6 pm (10 am and 6 pm Saturday).

A.D. Players presents A Texas Carol

The whole family is on the way to Mee-Maw Jane's East Texas ranch for what might be her last Christmas. The only problem - when the first group arrives, Mee-Maw is already gone. Now, how to keep that fact (and her body) from the rest of the family and save Christmas? This hysterical and heart-warming story is about all things Christmas and all things Texas that ultimately brings us straight to the true meaning of Christmas. Through Friday, December 23. 7:30 pm (8 pm Friday; 2:30 and 8 pm Saturday; 2:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, December 2

City of Pearland with Big Top Entertainment presents Blitzen's Bazaar

The traditional lighting of the City of Pearland’s Christmas tree will feature H-E-B's Winter Wonderland, a gift market with Big Top Entertainment exhibitors and food trucks, holiday entertainment, light displays, and a fireworks show sponsored by University of Houston Clear Lake - Pearland. The short program will feature a visit from City Council, community leaders, Santa Claus, and Mayor Cole as they come together to light the tree and spread Christmas cheer. 9 am.

Kappa Kappa Gamma Holiday Pilgrimage Home Tour

Design fans and those needing some holiday inspo can check out three beautiful homes in Houston’s iconic Tanglewood neighborhood. The biennial Houston charitable holiday tradition dates back to 1941 and showcases historic homes and elegant holiday décor. Today and Saturday, 10 am-4 pm. $20-$25

16th Annual McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour Holiday Experience

McDonald's Black & Positively Golden presents this free, nationwide concert series, featuring music from artists who are shaping the sound of contemporary gospel. Ring in the holidays at New Light Christian Church with Anthony Hamilton, Donald Lawrence, Jekalyn Carr, Kierra Sheard-Kelly, Samoht, Smokie Norful, comedian NotKarltonBanks, and host Lonnie Hunter. As in previous years, the tour will celebrate McDonald’s continued devotion to Ronald McDonald House Charities. 7 pm.

Alley Theatre presents What-A-Christmas!

Meet Margot, a 30-something Tejana who works at a beloved, whata-sized Texas burger joint. The Christmas Eve overnight shift is her personal tradition - even if that means spending the holiday dealing with grumpy drive-thru customers and an equally grumpy, robotic Santa. But when her dead best friend Jackie Marley drops by to warn her of impending late-night visits by spirits, Margot has no choice but to roll with the punches and confront the very Scrooge she’s become. Through Friday, December 23. 7 pm (2 and 7 pm Sunday).

Saturday, December 3

Ronald McDonald House Houston presents 13th Annual Trafigura Run for the House

Ronald McDonald House Houston hosts the 13th annual race, held over at Sam Houston Park. The run is open to participants of all ages and abilities, and one hundred percent of proceeds will directly benefit Ronald McDonald House Houston, a loving home away from home for families with seriously ill children being treated in the Texas Medical Center. Every dollar raised up to $185,000 will be generously matched by the Trafigura Foundation. 8 am.

Asia Society Texas presents The Great Yōkai Adventure

Asia Society Texas will be hooking families up with a good ol’ adventure this weekend. Participants will embark on a series of quests involving mysterious spirits from Japanese folklore. Visitors can explore the exhibition "Yōkai: Scenes of the Supernatural in Japanese Woodblock Prints," create their own art, see yōkai-themed films, and earn a trading card for each quest completed. Guests who collect enough cards will earn a prize. Costumes are encouraged. This event is ideal for ages 6 and up. 11 am.

Archway Gallery presents "Only the Forest Knows…" opening reception

This collaborative effort combines Andrea Wilkinson’s exquisite sculptural portraits of wild animals with Christie Coker’s textural paintings which are evocative of the environs in which these animals live. For this show, Wilkinson has created sculptures inspired by the wild animals that live among us, for animals are highly adaptive in sharing our forested neighborhoods and yards, while Coker’s artwork is inspired by the beauty found in nature’s offerings. Through Thursday, January 5. 5 pm.

Reliant Lights Mayor’s Holiday Spectacular

Plan to arrive early at Hermann Square at City Hall for the free, beloved holiday event hosted this year by disco/"I Will Survive" legend Gloria Gaynor. Expect live music and dance performances, the lighting of the holiday tree, free photos with Santa in his North Pole-themed booth, dance and music and other festive activities for all ages. Free blinking Santa hats will be dispersed to all attendees, (while supplies last), with food samples and seasonal bites and beverages for sale. 6 pm-8 pm. Free.

Cirque Surréaliste: The Menil Collection’s 35th Anniversary Gala

This special event - occurring only once every five years - draws inspiration from the museum’s world-renowned collection of surrealist art. With the theme of a 20th-century circus, the party’s theme and décor is inspired by Alexander Calder’s Two Acrobats, Fernand Léger’s Julie, The Beautiful Cyclist, and Study for the Grand Parade. This year’s gala also marks the Menil’s 35th anniversary, celebrating Dominique and John de Menil’s distinctive and inclusive vision to make art accessible to all, bringing together supporters of the museum, the arts, and the city. 7 pm.

Sunday, December 4

Foundation for Modern Music presents Avalon International Competition for Composers Concert

Foundation for Modern Music presents this annual competition, which celebrates new, exciting, and original contemporary music rooted in the classical tradition by both young and more-established composers. The competition concert showcases the quality of Houston performing artists and ensembles who relish the challenge of learning and presenting works of great difficulty. Through the competition, the Foundation honors its late artistic director, Robert Avalon, who helped develop and initiate several important new projects - including this competition. 3:30 pm.

Houston Tidelanders A Capella Christmas Show

The Houston Tidelanders are an a capella group with a 75-year history in Houston. This show will feature them singing versions of popular holiday music, both secular and religious. There will be renditions of songs like "Joy to the World," "Little Saint Nick," "Mary Did You Know," "Baby’s First Christmas Lullaby," and "Gesu Bambino," which is a new song that was arranged specifically for the Tidelanders. The quartet S.L.E.D. will also be performing. 6 pm.

Performing Arts Houston presents The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show

The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. Celebrated by The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with lifetime achievement awards, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and winners of five Grammys, they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over 70 years. The living legends of gospel will share the spirit of the season, featuring Houston's Sarah Grace and The Soul. 6:30 pm.

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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