weekend event planner
Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston on New Year's Eve weekend
Shen Yun leaps into town.
Hard to believe, but 2023 is almost here. Those ready to party on New Year's Eve can check out these parties and events. Folks looking for dining options can find reservations here — and nurse those hangovers at New Year's brunch here.
Other fun includes holiday magic courtesy of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and a funny Cirque romp. Shen Yun leaps into town, and plenty of NYE parties — including a sneaker-themed bash — help you ring in 2023.
Enjoy, stay safe, and have a happy new year. Here are your best bets for New Year's Eve weekend.
Thursday, December 29
Trans-Siberian Orchestra presents The Ghosts of Christmas Eve – the Best of TSO & More
Progressive rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra comes to Houston as part of their 2022 winter tour. They will present a completely updated presentation of the multi-generational holiday tradition. The rock opera features enduring fan favorites like "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," "O’ Come All Ye Faithful," "Good King Joy," "Promises To Keep," and "This Christmas Day." They'll also perform a second set containing more of TSO’s greatest hits and fan-pleasers, including “Wizards In Winter,” “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” and more. 3 pm.
In this comedic, musical, and magic-filled holiday experience, world-acclaimed performers and cirque artists take audiences back in time, immersing them in the spirit of the season and performing Christmas classics through the decades. There will be jaw-dropping magic, big laughs, holiday music, and stunning acrobatic performances. Acts returning for this season’s tour include Rola Bola performer and unicyclist Jonathan Rinney, juggler Christopher Stoinev, and foot juggling duo Ray Rodriguez Lara and Henry D’Boyd Collado Green. 7:30 pm.
Improv Houston presents Ms. Pat
Patricia Williams (aka Ms. Pat) is a comedian, author, podcaster, and actress who brings a raw, in-your-face, and hilarious perspective to her work. She has appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, Netflix’s Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy, TV Guide Network’s Standup in Stilettos, Nickelodeon’s Mom’s Night Out, was just featured in the second season of the Netflix stand-up series Degenerates, and can be seen on the Netflix series The Cabin with Bert Kreischer. 8 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday).
Friday, December 30
Shen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, deeply moving journey. Featuring one of the world’s most ancient and richest dance systems — classical Chinese dance- along with dynamic animated backdrops and all-original orchestral works, Shen Yun opens a portal to a civilization of enchanting beauty and enlightening wisdom. While Shen Yun cannot perform in China today, it’s sharing this precious heritage with the world. 7:30 pm (1 pm Saturday; 2 & 7 pm Sunday).
Quippie (Queer + Hippie) Rise: New Year’s Party
Trade crowded bars for a one-of-a-kind, free-thinking NYE. Groove to conscious creatives, good eats, & love at a sexy venue. Join this 25-and-up night festival for the spiritual baes, the hippie music heads, and the holistic hotties. What should you expect? A ceremonial intention-setting circle, followed by games, light delicious bites, and an open bar to groove the night away. There will also be live tarot card readings, a $100 outfit contest, a champagne toast, live DJs, and oodles more. 8 pm.
The Doo Wop Project in concert
In their epic shows, The Doo Wop Project takes audiences on a journey featuring foundational tunes from the Crests, Belmonts, and Flamingos, through the vocal artistry of Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, and The Four Seasons, all the way to doo-wopified versions of modern hits from Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, and Sam Smith. The Doo Wop Project brings unparalleled authenticity of sound and vocal excellence to recreate, and in some cases entirely reimagine, the greatest music in American pop and rock history. 8:30 pm.
Saturday, December 31
The Annie presents A Rat Pack New Year’s Eve Supper Club
Ring-a-ding in 2023 with this oh-so-swinging shindig at The Annie. This will be an evening with live musical entertainment by The Richard Brown Band featuring their Rat Pack. There will be two seatings: at 6 pm for $250 per person and 9:15 pm for $350 per person. Guests can listen to the greatest hits plus other big band tunes, while enjoying a three-course prix-fixe meal by executive chef Robert Del Grande and chef de cuisine Jose Valencia. Reservations are required. 6 pm.
Agenda Houston presents 5015 NYE Sneaker Gala
Ken Haggerty, founder and CEO of Agenda Houston, the city's premiere destination for collectable sneakers and designer streetwear, has teamed up with The Bar 5015 to host this New Year’s Eve gala. Haggerty, a true sneaker aficionado who was recently named one of Houston's 31 most fascinating and viral celebrities of 2022, will have a special customized sneaker bar and sneaker giveaways from his coveted collection. 8 pm.
Theatre Southwest presents Everybody Loves Opal
In John Patrick’s comedy, Opal, a middle-aged recluse, lives in a tumbledown mansion at the edge of the municipal dump. Opal is an optimist, for no matter how mean her lot - or how mean her "friends" - Opal responds with unfailing kindness and an abiding faith in the goodness of human nature. The December 31 performance is part of Theatre Southwest's annual New Year's gala. The show will officially run Friday, January 6 through Saturday, January 21. 8 pm.
Sunday, January 1
New Year’s Day Hangover Brunch at Urban South HTX
Urban South HTX has got the perfect cure-all day planned for your post-NYE shenanigans, Join them for a hangover brunch, as Gastro Craft cooks up a brunch menu of epic proportions. They will also be serving up Michelada Lager and Mimosa Hard Seltzer. And don’t forget sportsball on the TV, a bounce house for the kiddos, and $12 core pitchers for that extra-large, pick-me-up option. 11 am.
Sunday Funday at Chapman & Kirby
Since Chapman & Kirby has a brunch and day party every Sunday, why not spend New Year’s Day over there? At noon through four, they’ll have all the brunch goodies: chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, steak and eggs, etc. If you can’t make it that early, there’s always the day social and late lunch after that. That’s when they’ll serve up burgers, tacos, and short ribs. There will also be DJs, games on the big screens, and more. Noon.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents The Eternal Daughter
An artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel haunted by its mysterious past. Featuring a towering, deeply moving performance by Tilda Swinton in dual roles, this new film from acclaimed director Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir, The Souvenir Part II) is a brilliant and captivating exploration of parental relationships and the things people leave behind. 5 pm.
