weekend event planner
Here are the top 16 things to do in Houston this weekend
Houston's Pride parade takes place Saturday night.
This weekend's events are highlighted by Houston's annual Pride parade, which will draw thousands of colorfully dressed people to the streets of downtown. Sure, the parade is always a blast, but it isn't the only thing going on.
Our roundup highlights a tequila class at one of the city's most beloved restaurants, the star of the best show you haven't binged on Hulu, and a dockside champagne party. Music fans will find concerts in all genres, and film buffs can catch a screening of the cult classic High Fidelity with none other than Rob Gordon himself, actor John Cusack.
Thursday, June 22
Drink & Learn Dinner with Elizabeth Pearce + Laura Papa at Brennan’s
New Orleans-based drink historian Elizabeth Pearce returns to Bayou City to school guests on new drinks paired with dinner, this time highlighting tequila with co-host Laura Papa of Casa San Matias Tequila. Tequila selections will be paired with a special chef’s 4-course menu that includes crawfish & andouille enchiladas, tequila-cured redfish gravlax & crabmeat taquitos with fresh peach salsa, mole braised short rib, and New Orleans-style churro with Brennan’s tres leche. $165 per person, plus tax & gratuity. 6:30 pm.
Holocaust Museum Houston presents Dr. Rebecca Erbelding
Holocaust Museum Houston will host historian Dr. Rebecca Erbelding, author of Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America's Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe, the extraordinary story of the War Refugee Board, a U.S. government effort late in World War II to save the remaining Jews of Europe. She will piece together years of research and newly uncovered archival materials to tell the dramatic story of America’s little-known efforts to save the Jews of Europe. 6:30 pm.
House of Blues presents Ramy Youssef
Egyptian-American actor/director/comedian Ramy Youssef comes to Houston as part of his 2023 stand-up tour. Youssef brings his unique voice and perspective to his storytelling. He created, produces, directs, and stars in the hit Hulu show Ramy, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Peabody Award in 2020. The show is inspired by his own experiences as a first-generation, Egyptian-American Muslim on a spiritual journey in his politically divided, New Jersey neighborhood. 7 pm.
Friday, June 23
Blaffer Art Museum presents John Guzman: "Flesh and Bone" opening reception
The Blaffer Art Museum will present the first solo museum exhibition by artist John Guzman. This exhibition focuses on works produced in the artist’s hometown of San Antonio and the Texas debut of paintings completed during time at the NXTHVN Studio Fellowship Program in New Haven, Connecticut. As a spectator to psychological and physical states growing up in San Antonio's Southside, Guzman's monumental paintings are a byproduct of experiences, recordings, and environmental reflections. Through Sunday, September 24. 6 pm.
The Catastrophic Theatre presents Tamarie's Totally True Revue (Plus Lies Too)
In a time when truth is often stranger than fiction, Tamarie’s chock full of veracity, spouting truths about her show, politics, society, basically the whole stinking world. Tamarie and her mostly fearless, occasionally fearsome crew will snark, sing, and dance their way through truth serums, twisted encounters with Pinocchio and his nose, Mr. Liar Liar Pants on Fire, and Tamarie's psychic high school attendance clerk, Mrs. Jones, who could catch you in any lie (and find stuff you lost too). Through Saturday, August 5. 8 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).
Stages presents Thunder Knocking on the Door
Part family reckoning, part epic love, and all blues, this intoxicating musical fable is filled with humor, heart, and the music of three-time Grammy winner Keb’ Mo’. In a small Alabama town, a mysterious blues guitar-playing stranger arrives at the door of the Dupree family, bringing a challenge for the offspring of his late rival. The stranger’s bargain pits family legacy against a tempting future. But what started as a deal with the devil turns into a love story for the ages. Through Sunday, August 6. 8 pm (2:30 & 8 pm Saturday; 2:30 pm Sunday).
Houston Symphony presents Summer Symphony Nights: Dvořák Symphony No. 9
At this concert, the audience will experience the powerful Lyric for Strings by George Walker, the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Recent Sphinx Junior Division laureate Amaryn Olmeda delivers a vibrant performance of Bruch’s popular Violin Concerto No. 1. The program concludes with Dvořák’s immortal “New World” Symphony, a stirring tribute to America that captures the spirit, individuality, and limitless potential of a blossoming nation. 8:30 pm.
Saturday, June 24
District C Council Member Abbie Kamin, Houston LGBT Chamber, and Levy Park present Families With Pride
In honor of Pride Month, District C Council Member Abbie Kamin is again spearheading a family-friendly celebration that features fun and interactive educational activities, including the Colors of Pride Ribbon Wall (where kids can write notes of what pride means to them), Houston Public Library’s big games and activities, Pride Storytime, hands-on art projects, and face painting. Residents are also encouraged to dress up their fur babies for Houston’s Second Annual Proud Puppy Parade, which will take place at the Levy Park Dog Park. 9 am.
Ace in the Hole Dockside Champagne Party at Pier 6
Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House is an official stop of the Texas Outlaw Challenge, a Seabrook tradition focused on celebrating high-end performance boating. The waterfront dining destination will once again host festivities with its Outlaw Challenge Champagne Party, sponsored by Veuve, Armand De Brignac, Ketel One, and Don Julio. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Traveling by boat? Docking is available at Pier 6’s marina. 4 pm.
Empire State Jazz Festival
The Empire State Jazz Festival welcomes a new wave of jazz sounds to Houston. Nationally known for its combination of top bands and inviting venues, the Empire State Jazz Cafe hosts this incredible festival packed with hours of live, smooth jazz performances. This year’s lineup includes a special appearance of many chart topping musicians from around the country. Come relax, enjoy scenic downtown views at Discovery Green, and don’t miss this family-friendly event. Noon.
Thorn & Moon Magickal Market presents Summer Solstice Festival: Potions & Brews
Thorn & Moon presents the Potions & Brews Bazaar Summer Solstice Festival. Thorn and Moon Market is a carefully curated, ever-changing, recurring event, with featured special guests, DJs/performers, local artists and artisan vendors, many of the occult variety, and of a beautifully haunting, dark aesthetic. This is a social event and meetup for those in the pagan and Dark underground community, for like-minded people, or anyone interested in a unique new perspective or meeting interesting new people. 6 pm.
F.L.O.W. Foundation presents Art Under the Hammer
Held at Sabine Street Studios in Sawyer Yards, this event will auction works by local artists including Anne Mabry, Don Fogg, and Kari Breitigami. The evening also includes light bites, drinks, and music by DJ Mike Harvey. Proceeds benefit the foundation’s work to subsidize the cost of lymphedema treatment supplies. Tickets, $28, are available online. 6:45 pm.
Houston Pride Parade
One of the city's most fun annual parties, thousands will line the streets of downtown to celebrate inclusion. Approximately 200 entries are expected to display their interpretation of this year's theme — "All We Need Is Love." Free to attend, the parade route runs from Lamar to Smith to Walker to Milam. A VIP package ($100) includes grandstand seating, an open bar, and light bites. 7:30 pm.
Sunday, June 25
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows" opening day
Born in Johannesburg in 1955, William Kentridge has dedicated much of his career to exploring the social and political conditions of his home country. Featuring his world-renowned charcoal drawings and animated films, this exhibit uses the paradoxes of light and shadow to directly engage with the aftermath of colonialism, the recording and memory of historical narratives, and how the artist’s studio can disrupt the certainties of long-held belief systems. Through Sunday, September 10. 12:30 pm.
Cactus Music presents Leonard “Lowdown” Brown
Born into a musical family near Chicago, Leonard "Lowdown" Brown spent his formative years steeped in the Jubilee style of Gospel music, later transitioning into secular music, specifically, blues. A true stylist, Brown's distinctive fretwork and inimitable vocals have captivated Gulf Coast area fans in a career spanning four plus decades. Brown has opened for, accompanied or recorded with such luminaries as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Sister Sledge, Solomon Burke, and Z.Z. Hill. 3 pm.
An Evening with John Cusack
Actor John Cusack will host a screening of one of his most popular movies, High Fidelity, followed by a live conversation about his career and the making of the film, as well as a Q&A. While we’re sure a lot of people will have questions about such beloved Cusack films as Fidelity and Say Anything… , we’re hoping some folks will also ask him about the ‘80s films he did with much-missed director Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer). 7:30 pm.
