weekend event planner

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

Memorial Park hosts the 'Biggest Picnic in Texas' to celebrate game-changing land bridge.

Rendering courtesy of Memorial Park Conservancy

This Super Bowl weekend offers plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy the city and region before the big game, starting with Mardi Gras! Galveston and a grand opening of the long-awaited Land Bridge and prairie at Memorial Park.

Outdoor fun aside, look for art openings, compelling stage productions, and a starry-eyed, '90s romantic classic film. Foodie fun and a cheesy bash to toast the Super Bowl add the the gridiron glory. (Planning a big game throwdown? Check out these restaurants for catering and get wine tips from our Wine Guy, Chris Shepherd.)

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, February 9

National Pizza Day at Pizaro’s Pizza

Pizaro’s Pizza is celebrating National Pizza Day with an ode to the “Big Apple.” Customers can stop in and try their menu of unique and mouthwatering pizzas, such as their pepperoni, squared New York pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese blend, pepperoni, cupping pepperoni; add Italian sausage, goat cheese) for $27. Pizaro’s prepares and serves their award-winning Napoletana, New York, and Detroit-style pizzas at its locations in Memorial and in Montrose. 11 am.

The Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, Mexican Cultural and Tourism Institute and Serrano Gallery presents Rolando Rojas: "Fantasia de Luz" opening reception

The Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, Mexican Cultural and Tourism Institute and Serrano Gallery will showcase new work by Mexican visual artist Rolando Rojas. With a growing international presence, Rojas has been an enduring and steadfast presence in the Mexican visual arts scene for decades. Born in Oaxaca, Rojas is inspired by the legends, stories, and myths of the Zapotec culture that have permeated his life in Mexico. Through Tuesday, February 14. 6 pm.

Gwangju Symphony Orchestra in concert with Kenny Broberg

With young conductors and members with passion and love for music, Gwangju Symphony Orchestra has presented outstanding performances with the world's great artists. Kenny Broberg captured the silver medal at the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and a bronze medal at the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition as well as prizes at the Hastings, Sydney, Seattle and New Orleans International Piano Competitions, becoming one of the most decorated and internationally renowned pianists of his generation. 6 pm.

Friday, February 10

The Crack Shack Grand Opening in Katy

Nationally acclaimed brand The Crack Shack, known for its award-winning fried chicken, will celebrate its grand opening in Katy’s LaCenterra Shopping Center. The festivities will include raffles for big prizes (including Zac Brown tickets), live music and gift bags for the first 300 guests. This spot is in perfect proximity to live music, markets and other family-friendly events at The Central Park Green. The coop will be decked out with brand-new, chicken-head art, a pup-friendly patio and a “Lil' Cluckers” menu, so the whole flock can enjoy. 1 pm.

Asia Society Texas presents Summoning Memories: Art Beyond Chinese Traditions opening reception

Join Asia Society Texas to celebrate the opening of its new exhibition, which highlights work by over 30 contemporary artists of Chinese descent who reinterpret traditions in dynamic and innovative ways. To celebrate the exhibition, guest curator Dr. Susan L. Beningson will hold a conversation with featured artists Zheng Chongbin, Zhang Jian-Jun, Wu Chi-Tsung, Kelly Wang, and Bingyi. They will guide the audience through their respective practices and the exhibition’s essential themes. Through Sunday, July 2. 5:30 pm.

Friends of River Oaks Theatre presents Before Sunrise

Friends of River Oaks Theatre will hold a Valentine’s Day weekend screening of the first installment in Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater’s utterly romantic Before trilogy, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as young lovers in Vienna, on the rooftop across from the River Oaks Theatre. But before that, Poetry Buskers by Inprint will have writers creating poetry in front of the audience based on their prompts. There will also be an Open Mic Love Poem reading. 6:30 pm.

Stages presents Cullud Wattah

After appearing at The Public to widespread acclaim, this emotional play makes one of its first appearances outside of New York at Stages. Winner of the 2021 Smith Blackburn Prize, the play follows three generations of Black women living through the current water crisis in Flint, Michigan. This family drama shares the stories of people navigating life through a set of obstacles that feel so inhumane and the hideous choices that people living on the margins of poverty are forced to make. Through Friday, March 31. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Saturday, February 11

Memorial Park Kinder Land Bridge & Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie Grand Opening Celebration

Memorial Park Conservancy invites Houstonians for a free event celebrating the official grand opening of Memorial Park’s transformational Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie. This event welcomes the community to experience this new ,100-acre space. The family-friendly extravaganza will feature picnic baskets full of free provisions provided by H-E-B, as well as additional food and drink for purchase; live music; body art and face painting; self-guided tours of the Land Bridge and Prairie project and more. 10 am.

Sesame Street Live: Make Your Magic

When magician extraordinaire Justin visits Sesame Street to put on a magic show for the whole neighborhood, Elmo wants to be a part of the big event. But there’s one problem … Elmo can’t do magic. That’s when Elmo teams up with Abby and Justin, embarking on an amazing journey where Elmo will discover the “power of yet” — the lesson that one must persevere no matter what stands between them and their dream. 10 am, 1:30 & 5 pm (10:30 am and 2 pm Sunday).

Eureka Heights Queso Bowl

Somebody pull out the Lactaid – it’s queso season once again at Eureka Heights! For its third year, the craft-beer playhouse has gathered teams from around the neighborhood to see who can make the best queso. (Team registration is now closed, BTW.) For those who just want to get their queso on, it’s free to attend. All you have to do is show up. You will be the trusty judges and the decider of the Queso Bowl Champion. 2 pm.

Cactus Music presents Junebird

Houston-area indie rock band Junebird was formed by Steve Tagliere and Jason Bonilla in 2021. Introduced to each other by their teenage sons, Steve and Jason met and realized they shared similar, broad-ranging musical tastes. A friendship was formed, and a band was created. They released their first album in June 2022, with all instruments played by Steve and Jason. They have several shows set in early 2023 and are currently working on a full-band, follow-up album. 3 pm.

Sunday, February 12

“Super Bowl Big Cheese Special” at Twisted Grilled Cheese

Twisted Grilled Cheese, the Black-owned, gourmet sandwich bar and cutting-edge haven for everything cheese, will be offering a "Super Bowl Big Cheese Special" at both its locations on Washington Avenue and Katy Freeway. That includes four of their gourmet smokehouse brisket sandwiches, eight chicken wings, eight chicken tenders, and eight mac & cheese balls for just $85. They’ll also be offering their savory halal Philly cheesesteak and halal buffalo chicken for just $10 each for dine-in or to-go. 11 am.

The Divine Darlings presents The Burly Soirée: Love In All Forms

You know we gotta see how The Divine Darlings will be spending this Valentine’s Day weekend. This month's show will feature performances that celebrate “love In all forms,” whether it’s romantic, platonic or self-love. Reina La Rouge, former Moonlight Doll and executive producer of The Neon Rouge Cabaret Show, will headline, alongside performances from Divine Darlings Holly GoSpankMe, Sadie Mercedes, and Zucifer Morningstar, as well as Lady AnnaBelle, the Soirée’s host and producer. 2 pm.

Mardi Gras! Galveston presents Fiesta Gras!

Mardi Gras! Galveston will be kicking off this weekend, but the Fiesta Gras! happening on Sunday caught our eye. In a showcase of the event's diversity, Fiesta Gras! blends a Louisiana get-down with a Gulf Coast, Texas-Mexican party. The annual, Hispanic heritage celebration features live performances from Grupo Secretto, Kazzabe, and more. Expect some dandy and entertaining mariachis, themed parades, vendors, and exclusive meet-and-greet balcony parties. Noon.

Movie Review

Timothée Chalamet cements star status in new movie Marty Supreme

Courtesy

Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also earned an Oscar nomination for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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