weekend event planner

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

Texas' biggest comic/pop culture spectacle is back this weekend.

Photo by Ferni Cabello

This Memorial Day weekend, we reflect on those who lost their lives in service to our country. As we pause and reflect, there's also fun to be had afterwards.

Comic book geeks, sci-fi fans, anime types and cosplayers, and more will descend upon downtown for Comicpalooza — where Captain Kirk/William Shatner himself will beam down.

Some classic funk stars take the stage, Motown gets down at Miller Outdoor Theatre, and a water festival offers a moment of zen. Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, May 25

Center for the Healing of Racism presents Make Some Noise for George Floyd

Center for the Healing of Racism will commemorate the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at this special event. Spoken word artists, poets, singers, or other performing artists are invited to contribute to the ceremony. Performers include spoken word artist Isabella Zavala, an 11th grade student at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School; Alisa and Alejandro Magallon, former members of the Houston Grand Opera chorus; and more. This event takes place at 3412 Crawford St. 6 pm.

4th Wall Theatre Company presents Fairview

At the Frasier family household, party preparations are underway. Beverly is holding on to her sanity by a thread to make sure Grandma’s birthday is perfect, but her sister can’t be bothered to help, her husband doesn’t seem to listen, her brother is M.I.A., her daughter is a teenager, and maybe nothing is what it seems in the first place. Fairview is a searing examination of families, drama, family dramas, and the insidiousness of racism in America. Through Saturday, June 17. 7:30 pm (3 pm Sunday).

Stages presents Sin Muros: A Latinx Theater Festival

The Sin Muros Festival at Stages has been celebrating and lifting up Latinx artists for six years. More than 300 Latinx artists have benefited—both financially and creatively—from participating in the festival. This year, a committee of some of the most influential Latinx voices in Houston has selected four plays by Latinx playwrights, and nominated three individuals who serve the Latinx art community to be celebrated in this weekend-long show. 7:30 pm (7 pm Friday; 9 am Saturday; 11 am Sunday).

Friday, May 26

Memorial Day Weekend at Margaritaville Lake Resort

What better way to usher in the start of summer than spending Memorial Day weekend at Margaritaville Lake Resort at Lake Conroe. The resort has plenty of activities for the entire family, including a chance to meet the Margaritaville Mermaid. Margaritaville Lake Resort’s mermaid will swim ashore at the Splash Pad in Jolly Mon Water Park to delight kids of all ages. 11 am.

Comicpalooza

Comicpalooza features creators, panelists, cosplayers, stars, and spectators coming together for a weekend celebrating anime, comics, gaming, literature, cosplay, and more. Fans can expect to see a bustling exhibition floor with vendors from all over the galaxy, programming covering a multitude of fandoms, special attractions intriguing the curious minds, guest panels, and other geeky entertainment. 3 pm (10 am Saturday and Sunday).

Foto Relevance presents Abelardo Morell: "Liminal Spaces" opening reception

This solo show from contemporary photographer Abelardo Morell, spotlights Morell's "Camera Obscura" works. Morell’s use of the camera obscura technique is inspired by his long fascination with the passage of time and how it can be captured through photographic mechanisms. His classic camera obscura works bring the outside in, creating a new and fleeting environment meant for our eyes only. Through Saturday, July 8. 6 pm.

Miller Outdoor Theatre presents Forever Motown

Direct from New York is the original cast of this soulful show, happening all this weekend at Miller Outdoor Theatre. We’ve got all-star performers, featuring Theo Peoples of both The Four Tops and The Temptations, Glenn Leonard of The Temptations, and Traci Robinson, former lead singer of The Marvelettes, along with an all-star live band. This full-stage production includes all of your favorite hit songs from all the Motown legends and is sure to have the audience dancing in their seats. 8:15 pm.

Saturday, May 27

Crunchloaf Records and Cool Heads Prevail present Beat Cypher

If you like listening to some bad-to-bone beats while perusing through some vinyl LPs, Cool Heads Prevail will host a beat event this weekend featuring a slew of DJs. Scheduled to spin: JREDOU_KO!, Regore, Run CT, wheards, .rael_one, Heavy The Bluebird, Ben Buck, and Pajama Sam. There’s no cover, and since Cool Heads is also a record store, expect a lot of vintage, hot fire coming out of the bins. 4 pm.

Water Lantern Festival

The Water Lantern Festival is a floating lantern event that is all about connections. The night will include food, games, activities, vendors, music and the beauty of thousands of lanterns adorned with letters of love, hope and dreams reflected upon the water. This is a family-friendly event that can be shared by everyone. Friends, families, neighbors, and lots of people that you haven't met can come together to create a peaceful, memorable experience. 5:30 pm.

Flashback Funkfest featuring Morris Day & The Time

People will definitely have a funkin’ good time at this funkalicious fiesta. Flashback Funkfest will feature performances by headliners Morris Day & The Time, as well as Zapp, Ohio Players, Rose Royce, and Atlantic Starr. So, expect a lot of people to get drunk off the Crown Royal they snuck in, talking about all the times they grooved to these tunes back in their younger days. It’s going to be a throwback show where a lot of people might throw their backs out. 5 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Chocolat

Celebrated filmmaker Claire Denis drew on her childhood experiences in 1960s French colonial Africa for her absorbing feature-film debut that introduced themes she’s revisited throughout her career. After many years living in France, a White woman (Mireille Perrier) returns to her hometown in Cameroon and reflects on her relationship with a Black servant (Isaach De Bankolé), with whom she formed a friendship while not fully grasping the racial divides that governed their worlds. 7 pm (5 pm Sunday).

Sunday, May 28

Harvest Green presents Village Farm Tours

The fourth Sunday of each month, visitors can tour the Village Farm at Harvest Green for an up-close look at what it takes to keep a farm running. The Richmond community’s farm educators teach visitors about seasonal produce as they guide them around the farm. Stops will be made to sample produce and visit with Harvest Green’s chickens and Nubian goats. 1:30 pm.

Alley Theatre presents Torera

This play is written by a stunning new voice in the American theatre, Monet Hurst-Mendoza. Bullfighting in Yucatán, Mexico is a world nearly exclusive to men — yet for Elena Ramírez, it is her life's ambition. With the help of her best friend, a matador's son, Elena begins secretly training to compete with the greatest. But when she discovers that her inherent talent can beat even the most accomplished toreros, this young woman must choose between accepting society's limits or breaking boundaries. Through Sunday, June 4. 2:30 and 7:30 pm Sunday.

Lone Star Flight Museum presents The Spot Experience: Eat Where No One Has Before

The Spot Experience brings everyone a dining experience in an unexpected location. Guests can step into Lone Star Flight Museum for an exclusive dining experience in an intimate and unique setting. Enjoy a meal inside a plane hangar, with more than 10 planes around you. Feast on a menu inspired by international tastes, sending you on a worldwide culinary expedition, specially curated by local chefs for this event. Buckle your seat belts because you’re about to travel around the world without even having to pack a bag. 5 pm.

Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

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