weekend event planner

Here are the top 15 things to do in Houston this New Year's Eve weekend

Stop Making Sense movie Talking Heads David Byrne

Bust a move like David Byrne at the Stop Making Sense Dance Party.

The final weekend of 2023 sees plenty of fun, with a Talking Heads dance party, Manheim Steamroller, and Bill Bellamy leading the way.

As for New Year's Eve, be sure to check out our guide to 30 NYE events in Houston. Enjoy; and have a safe and happy new year.

Thursday, December 28

Chris Dave and the Drumhedz with special guest Stokley from Mint Condition

Multi-Grammy Award winner Chris Dave and the Drumhedz residency show returns to The Historic Eldorado Ballroom, this time featuring Stokley from Grammy-nominated act, Mint Condition. Dave and the Drumhedz along with Stokely will perform on the same historical stage as music legends James Brown, Ray Charles, B.B. King, and more. Local legend DJ Sun will set the tone with his grooves to welcome the crowd. Standing-room general admission is available for $40 or limited table seating (four people per table) with four tickets for $200, with a VIP upgrade option for all tickets. Special VIP access, including entry to the Hogan Brown Gallery Meet & Greet Afterparty, and bottle service, is also available. Doors open at 7 pm.

Friends of River Oaks Theatre presents Stop Making Sense Dance Party

The greatest concert film of all time, Stop Making Sense brings to the screen Talking Heads at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 1983: David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison, alongside an ecstatic ensemble of supporting musicians. Renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) captures the band at their exhilarating best, in this new and complete 4k restoration. Friends of River Oaks Theatre will have a screening/dance party, complete with a pre-film DJ and post-film Talking Heads karaoke. 7 pm.

Improv Houston presents Bill Bellamy

Using his experiences growing up in Newark, actor/comedian/former MTV VJ/creator of the term “booty call” Bill Bellamy started doing stand-up while he was a student at Rutgers University. Bellamy quickly discovered how much he enjoyed making people laugh, and began honing his skills at small comedy clubs around the country and was soon making waves in the New York clubs like The Improv, The Comic Strip, and at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. 7:30 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis has been one of America’s favorite holiday traditions for over 35 years. Step into the musical revolution of the 1970s with the legendary Davis, a multi-instrumentalist who defied norms to create a rock-infused classical masterpiece, "Fresh Aire." The Grammy Award winner has created a show that features Mannheim Steamroller Christmas classics in the distinctive Mannheim sound. The program includes dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. 8 pm.

Friday, December 29

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet)

Award-winning filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre) makes a masterful return with this timeless, hopeful, and ultimately satisfying love story about the path to happiness of two lonely souls (Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen) and the numerous hurdles they encounter. Reflecting the Finnish auteur’s typically playful, idiosyncratic style and deadpan humor, this tender tragicomedy, set in contemporary Helsinki, is a timely reminder of the potency of moviegoing from one of cinema’s living legends.7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Bad Astronaut Brewing presents The Get Down! Soul Night

Join Bad Astronaut Brewing for a new, soulful monthly that’ll have you moving and grooving while sampling their fine ales. The Boogie Soul DJ crew will be bringing the best in sweet soul music, funky gems, and crusin’ oldies on the last Friday of every month. Formerly Shakin’ All Over, Boogie Soul has been providing grooves to Houston and surrounding cities for more than a minute. It’s free to attend – just bring your dancing shoes. 8 pm.

Goode Co. Armadillo Palace presents Roger Creager

Award-winning country singer and Texas native Roger Creager will be performing at Goode Co. Armadillo Palace this weekend. Audiences will have the chance to listen to songs from across Creager's two-decade-long career, including hits like "Long Way to Mexico," "The Everclear Song," and "Love." Creager, whose musical style is a fusion of honky-tonk, rock, and folk, is known for his high-energy live performances that leave audiences yearning for an encore. 9 pm.

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs presents PacMan Fever Friday

Here is something for all you old-school gamers out there. The first and last Friday of each month is PacMan Fever Friday at Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs. Each month, they turn their showroom into an arcade for these two nights only. (Ages 21 and up only.) There are over 200 new and classic games. $15 per person for unlimited game play, and drinks are available at the adjoining Eighteen Twenty Lounge. 9 pm.

Saturday, December 30

City Girls Who Walk Houston present Walk to Love Lock Bridge

City Girls Who Walk Houston will present a walk to Love Lock Bridge on the final Saturday of the year. Participants can bring a lock to fasten to the bridge in honor, memory, and/or celebration of a special person or event from 2023. All women of all ages are welcome, whether they’ve walked with City Girls or not. Afterwards, everyone is welcome to join for coffee or tea at Blendin. 10 am.

HTX Connect presents Spaces Dance Concert

The Spaces Dance Concert was created as an innovative tool to provide pre-professional dancers an opportunity to connect with professional dance makers to create a concert dance-like experience. The concert will premiere works by Christian Denice, Olivia Morrow, and HTX Connect founder Terrill Mitchell, as well as Emerging Artists choreographer Lenny Arnold. Guest performances include Vitacca Ballet and SoulEscape. 2 and 7 pm.

Golden Girls Pub Crawl

Get ready to embark on an unforgettable night of glitz, glamour, and good times at the Golden Girls Pub Crawl on White Oak. Channel the spirit of your favorite Golden Girl – whether it's Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche, or Rose. Each participating location (including Little Woodrow’s, Christian’s Tailgate and Bobcat Teddy’s) will have featured cocktails and beers with a portion of proceeds benefiting Houston Pets Alive, as well as door prizes every hour on the hour. 5 pm.

Comic Book Club / Meet & Greet: Lane Fobbs’ Black Facts of Texas

Join Gulf Coast Cosmos Comics for a fun-filled evening of comic book fandom! The latest Comic Book Club / Meet & Greet event will feature Lane Fobbs showcasing his latest creation, Black Facts of Texas. Come and immerse yourself in the world of Texas-based historical figures, as Fobbs takes you on an exciting journey through the rich history and culture of the Lone Star State with his graphic novel. From larger-than-life characters to captivating storylines, this event promises to ignite your passion for history and leave you wanting more. 7 pm.

Sunday, December 31

Resolution Run Houston

Start your New Year’s Eve at Fish Plaza in downtown Houston, for the 2nd annual Houston Resolution Run. There will be a nearly half marathon, a 5k run, a 10k run, a family 1 mile run/walk, a wheelchair 5k, and even a virtual Resolution Run. With flexible start times for runners and walkers alike, Houston Resolution Run is perfect for the whole family. 7:30 am.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema presents The Apartment

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will celebrate New Year’s Eve with a very New Year’s Eve movie – Billy Wilder’s 1960 corporate satire. Young upstart C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) will do anything to move up in the world, even loan out his apartment to the higher-ups for their romantic flings and extramarital trysts. All seems relatively fine and dandy until C.C. finds a romance of his own. Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray co-star. 2 pm.

2023 Year in Review: New Year’s Eve Comedy Breakdown

So much happened in 2023. Don't remember what happened? Come watch The Secret’s Group’s Year in Review show, where comics will review and joke about the year's biggest news stories and pop culture happenings. Imagine an episode of SNL's Weekend Update but, instead, it's TSG's year-end update. Tickets to this show include entry to their New Year’s Eve party, which includes a $1000 balloon drop at midnight, a live DJ & specialty cocktails all night long. 7 and 9 pm.

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer visits Houston in new Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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