weekend event planner
Here are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend
Dig into Chris Shepherd's (right) star-studded food fest.
This weekend, we fully expect most of the city to shut it down when our Houston Astros take on the New York Yankees in Games 3 and 4 of the American League Conference Series on Saturday and Sunday. (Check out CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler's best food and drink options here.)
Otherwise, this weekend offers a beastly affair onstage, a lively cultural celebration, and one of the hottest food festivals on the calendar each year. Gorgeous homes unlock their doors for visitors to tour, Thursday is a total drag, and two comic legends come to town for some serious silliness.
Enjoy; here are you best bets for the weekend.
Thursday, October 20
Houston Audubon presents Avian Affair
Houston Audubon will celebrate the connection between art and nature at its annual fundraising dinner. The evening includes a seated dinner, a silent auction featuring works from local artists, a visit from art cars, a raptor experience, stilt walkers, and more colorful fun, all in the name of raising awareness and funds to protect local habitat for birds and wildlife and create equitable opportunities for people to enjoy nature-based experiences. The evening keynote will be delivered by nationally-acclaimed artist Dixie Friend Gay, who is best known for her numerous public art commissions. 6 pm.
Moores Opera Center presents La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast)
Merging film and opera, Jean Cocteau’s classic 1946 film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (as Jean Marais as the saddest monster ever put on film) comes to life anew with a beautiful and arresting score by Philip Glass. The Moores Opera Center will be the first university opera program to produce this seminal work by two of the most important artists of modern times. Michael Riesman, music director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, joins the University of Houston as guest conductor for this special production. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Night Of The Living Drag
It’s that time again to watch all your favorite RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni get spooky with it. The 11th annual show features “Boogieman” (aka Yvie Oddly) in their return from the Inferno to hunt the Souls of Seven Sinful Queens. The event will also include Aquaria the Sloth, Asia O’Hara the Envying, Bosco the Lusting, DeJa Skye the Greedy, Kim Chi the Glutton, Lady Camden the Proud, Rosé the Vain, and Vanessa Vanjie the Wrathful, in one of the deadliest spectacles of drag to tour the world. 8 pm.
Friday, October 21
Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation presents Power of Literacy Luncheon
This 7th annual luncheon will be hosted by the Ladies for Literacy Guild of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation and chaired by Gina Saour and Carolyn Mohenzadehs. Jeannie Gaffigan, actress, producer, writer, philanthropist, mother of five, and all-around comedic force, will serve as the featured speaker. Gaffigan, the wife and writing/producing partner of Jim Gaffigan, wrote the New York Times bestseller When Life Gives You Pears, a memoir chronicling her diagnosis, surgery, and recovery from a pear-sized brain tumor. 10:30 am.
If you are crazy/insane for some BBQ, you will be in heaven this weekend. Your favorite BBQ spots will be all over this three-day fest, making some succulent food with more than 40 of the brightest stars in the culinary world, including Tom Colicchio, Andrew Zimmern, Brooke Williamson, Aaron Franklin, and Dawn Burrell. Of course, there will be beer, wine and other delicious refreshments. Money raised will go toward Southern Smoke Foundation’s crisis relief efforts for food and beverage workers. 7 pm (1 pm Saturday; 4 pm Sunday).
The Secret Group presents Varials
Philadelphia metalcore quintet Varials will be in Houston this weekend, performing tunes from Scars for You to Remember, their just-released album. Here, the band cranks the knobs to 11 from start to finish. The utterly ferocious tracks will leave you exhausted, in a heap on the floor, clutching your chest, and gasping for breath. It's really that good and that intense. With rapid fire riffing, guttural screams that could double as the soundtrack to your worst night terrors, and thunderous percussive thrust, the band clamps down on the jugular and never lets go. 7 pm.
Steve Martin and Martin Short: You Won't Believe What They Look Like Today!
Comedy legends (and men who actually work with Selena Gomez!) Steve Martin and Martin Short will come to Sugar Land with their show, You Won't Believe What They Look Like Today!. In this special performance, Martin and Short recall their iconic careers, creative influences and most memorable encounters, uniquely presented through a blend of stand-up, musical numbers and conversations about their lives in show business. Martin and Short will also be joined on stage by Jeff Babko, Alison Brown, and The Fair Weather Friends. 8 pm.
Saturday, October 22
The Houston Autism Speaks Walk, held over at Lynn Eusan Park, is back to promote acceptance and raise funds for people with autism. This year, the Walk will be held in person to bring the community together to fuel the organization’s mission and help people with autism reach their full potential. Activities include a face painter, a balloon artist, yard games, kindness chalk and wall, sensory-friendly activities, and more. 8 am.
Since its inception in 2009, this festival has become one of the largest, free cultural events hosted at Discovery Green, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to its cultural presentation and culinary experience. It showcases the best of Korean food, music, performing arts, and culture. Featuring vendors and performers from all over the world, the festival reaches a broad array of Houstonians, including foodies, K-Pop fans, families, and regular Houstonians hoping to experience Korean culture in the heart of Houston. 11 am.
Eight architect-designed houses representing the finest in new residential architecture will be featured in the annual, two-day tour. (Read our full story here.) Open to the public, all of the homes on the self-guided, two-day tour are located within the Houston metropolitan area, designed by an AIA architect, and completed within the last five years. The criteria used to select homes for the tour include design excellence, quality and craftsmanship, innovative design solutions and use of materials, and sustainability of design. Noon.
Heidi Vaughan Fine Art presents Transcending opening reception
This exhibition features the work of 11 Texas artists curated by Susan Budge and Heidi Vaughan. The exhibition, which coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, has at its core the notion of transcending cancer and other personal challenges through art. Artists in the exhibition are Budge, Thedra Cullar-Ledford, Richard Fluhr, Linda Hofheinz, Sharon Kopriva, Charmaine Locke, Michelle O’Michael, McKay Otto, Susan Plum, James Surls, and George Tobolowsky. Through Saturday, November 26. 5 pm.
Sunday, October 23
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Philip Guston Now" opening day
Over his 50-year career, Philip Guston (1913-1980) shifted from figuration to abstraction and back again. This exhibition, the first retrospective of the influential artist’s work in nearly two decades, features paintings, prints, and drawings - both well-known and rarely seen - from public and private collections. The exhibition shows his willingness to engage explicitly with social injustice and to excavate the anxieties of personal conviction from his earliest works through to his last. Through Monday, January 16. 12:30 pm.
Undies for Everyone presents Bingo and Briefs
Undies for Everyone presents a night of fun and food, all to support underserved children with new undies. The event will honor Cyndy Garza Roberts, UFE board member, for her 40 years of service to the Houston community. Guests can purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win United Airlines tickets (need not be present to win). They can also play "Heads and Tails" for a chance to win a pizza oven or a weekend getaway at Lost Pines Resort. 6 pm.
Jamie Salinas is a paranormal investigator and an award-winning magician who will present a spooky night of mystery as he attempts to communicate with The Other Side. He will investigate one of the most haunted places in Texas, La Carafe, which has a rich history, being built in the late 1800s, and is a known hotspot for paranormal activity. Salinas will show some haunted artifacts from his collection. The evening begins with a meet-and-greet social hour downstairs at the bar hosted by Scott Wells, who will entertain guests with spooky magic. 7 pm.
