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    weekend event planner

    Here are the top 15 things to do in Houston this weekend

    Craig Lindsey
    Sep 29, 2022 | 6:00 am
    LadyGang

    Wildly popular podcasters LadyGang step into town this weekend.

    LadyGang.com

    Could that weird sensation we're feeling be...breeze? Yes, Houston is finally cooling, which means outdoor fun, outdoor dining (check out our patio guide here), and more.

    This weekend sees cool art shows, cool music — including a Selena tribute — and boozy fun at a few events. Barbie fans can catch the Malibu truck in The Woodlands, while a hot sauce fest brings the heat and a tasty chef fest serves up delicious bites. And Sunday, a buzzy podcasting trio gets ladylike.

    Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

    Thursday, September 29

    The Hardy & Nance Studios presents "Right Response: Artists Respond to SCOTUS"

    For this three-day art show, artists will be mostly responding to the recent revocation of Roe vs Wade and how it affects Texans under SB8. Artists include Patrycja Admowicz, Katy Anderson, Sheridan Bradshaw Tonche, Ann Bromley, Anne Byrd, Thedra Cullar-Ledford, Allison Currie, Sandra de la Rosa, Esther Delaquis-Baidoo, Sharon Engelstein, Sharon Kopriva, Stephanie Larsen, Amari Lavergne, August Lewis, Kim Miranda, Michelle O’Michael, M. Morgan, Lizbeth Ortiz, Claire Richards, Leslie Roades, Anat Ronen, Leslie Roznovski, Lex Simone, Stäcy Smith, N. Waggs, and Brandi Untz. 5 pm.

    WindSync: The Road to Abbey Road

    Houston’s wind quintet WindSync is headed to Abbey Road. Before they travel to London to record in the legendary Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios, they'll perform music by a broad range of artists connected to Abbey Road, including the Beatles, composer Edward Elgar, Radiohead, and Uruguayan-American musician Miguel del Aguila. The performance will take place below 8th Wonder Brewery’s iiconic Beatles statues, Houston sculptor David Adickes’ tribute to the Fab Four. 7:30 pm.

    The Rustic presents Bidi Bidi Banda

    The Rustic will be celebrating the life and music of the incomparable Selana with this live performance from tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda. There will also be a look-alike contest, awarding top prizes to a few lucky winners who best capture the styles and fashions of La Reina de Tex-Mex. First place is a $200 Rustic gift card, while second place is a $100 gift card and third place is a $50 gift card. This event is majority standing room throughout the facility, and a full menu is available. This event is free with RSVP, so dress up and come early. 8:30 pm.

    Friday, September 30

    Everybody's Favorite Barbecue & Hot Sauce Festival

    The presumably titled Everybody's Favorite BBQ & Hot Sauce Festival is a three-day festival featuring food and national music performances. It is a diverse event that highlights the aroma of traditional barbecue while bringing together a multicultural, outdoor social setting. And let’s not forget that bottles and bottles of hot sauce will be around for those who like their barbecue to give them that extra kick in the pants, so to speak. Musical performers will include Mark May, Dirty Red & The Soul Shakers, and Kerri Lick. 6 pm (5 pm Saturday).

    Amanda Seales: The Black Outside Again Tour

    Comedian, actress, podcaster and social justice advocate Amanda Seales comes to Houston as part of her new tour. With an uncanny knack for taking serious topics (racism, rape culture, sexism, police brutality, etc.) and lacing them with humor, making them relatable and interesting, she combines intellectual wit, silliness, and a pop-culture obsession to create her unique style of smart, funny content for the stage and screen. 7:30 pm.

    HaVoK & Rogue Vogue present A Moonlight Masquerade

    HaVoK & Rogue Vogue present this masquerade celebration, featuring a runway presentation by Sabrina Nicole’s Rogue Vogue. The event will include special guests Angela Ryan and Dan Miga Designs, a burlesque performance by Summer Dubose, a fetish performance by Mistress Meana Rose, music from DJ Whisperwish, and a vendor market (including Thorn and Moon Apothecary, Grateful Grounded Gems and others). Masquerade masks and attire are required, and the dress code will be strictly enforced. 8 pm.

    Houston Symphony presents "Gershwin Concerto in F"

    Brimming with the toe-tapping jazz rhythms of the 1920s, George Gershwin’s effervescent, free-spirited Concerto in F is positively guaranteed to leave audiences uplifted. Jeffrey Kahane will be both the conductor and soloist for a program celebrating great American composers, past and present, including outstanding recent compositions of Adolphus Hailstork and Shawn Okpebholo, along with the unbridled energy and heart-on-sleeve passion of Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1. 8 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).

    Saturday, October 1

    Barbie Truck Totally Throwback Malibu Tour

    The Barbie Truck Totally Throwback Malibu Tour comes to The Woodlands with exclusive retro-inspired merchandise as part of its continuing U.S. tour to celebrate the 50th Anniversary and iconic heritage of the original California girl. The truck will offer an array of new '70s-themed Malibu Barbie beach apparel and accessories, including Barbie-logo embroidered denim jackets, pink Barbie-logo hoodies, tie-dye bucket hats, embroidered patch sets, stainless thermal bottles, beach towels, and more. The truck will be located near Pottery Barn and Shake Shack. 10 am.

    CityCentre presents First Annual Biergarten

    CityCentre will host its first-ever, two-day Biergarten. From beer aficionados to casual drinkers, all are invited to enjoy specialty drinks and food, including some new and seasonal Oktoberfest beers. The event will also include an American twist – football! So, bring some friends, take a seat, and watch football games on the huge, 23-foot TV all day long in the plaza.

    Non-alcoholic beverages will also be offered. No outside food or drink is allowed, but many CityCentre restaurants will provide lite bites and meals to go for guests to enjoy as they watch the games. 11 am.

    2022 H-Town on Tap Beer Fest

    You are in for a great day of beer and fun at Water Works Park this weekend. This premier beer festival will showcase over 100 beers from local and national breweries. Each brewery will have a variety of beers on tap for you to enjoy throughout the day. Outside of rare beers, there will be plenty of activities to enjoy, including live bands, trendy local chefs, games, giveaways, picture booths, contests, and so much more. 2 pm.

    Oktoberfest at Sugar Land Town Square

    Lovers of beer, food, and family fun are invited to Sugar Land Town Square for the debut of Oktoberfest. Visitors can enjoy a curated biergarten, local marketplace by Boho Market, live music and dancing, traditional German fare, games, contests, and more. More fun includes the Dachshund Dash, stein races, and stein holding contests, tarot card readers, caricature artists, jugglers, stilt walkers, and more special surprises. Expect food from a host of local restaurants and of course, Flying Saucer Biergarten beers. Event is free, with food and drink available to purchase. 4 pm.

    Weird Al Yankovic in concert with Emo Philips

    "Weird Al" Yankovic burst onto the scene over three decades ago and never looked back. For the second time in his storied career, the world's foremost musical satirist and five-time Grammy winner foregoes his usual high-octane, big-production show for an intimate evening of music, focusing on original (non-parody) songs from his 14-album catalog. Marking his highly anticipated return to the concert stage after his hugely successful Strings Attached Tour in 2019, this is a rare opportunity to get up-close and personal with this legendary performer. 8 pm.

    Sunday, October 2

    Chefs for Farmers

    For the first time ever, Chefs For Farmers will be making its official debut in the Space City with a lineup of the city's top chefs for one mouthwatering, food and wine experience. Attendees will get to devour delicious eats from over 20 of the hottest Houston chefs, who will be partnering with a variety of regional farms to curate dishes that will satisfy guests' taste buds. Each all-inclusive ticket includes unlimited bites, drinks and live entertainment. For the inaugural year, they have partnered with Houston Food Bank as the official charity partner. 1 pm.

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents El Norte

    After their family is killed in a government massacre, a brother and sister flee Guatemala on a perilous trek to the USA. Close calls with immigration and the dehumanizing effects of such a crossing compound the challenges of adapting to a new life. This timeless 1983 classic of Chicano cinema was directed by Gregory Nava (Selena). This “Movies Houstonians Love” presentation honors the late Michael Olivas, a law scholar and University of Houston professor emeritus who passed away in April 2022. Augustina Reyes, professor emerita at University of Houston College of Education, will introduce the film. 2 pm.

    LadyGang presents The Lady Secrets Tour

    The creators of the wildly popular podcast LadyGang — Keltie Knight, Becca Tobin, and Jac Vanek — come to Houston as part of The Lady Secrets Tour. LadyGang began with the mission to make women feel less alone. Since 2015, the show has boasted over 175 million downloads, guests like Chelsea Handler, Bethenny Frankel, Tan France, Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy Hale, Shania Twain, Paris Hilton, Darren Criss and RuPaul, topped the podcast charts, and spawned a television series, clothing line, accessories line, and a book, Act Like a Lady. 7 pm.

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    Movie Review

    Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 18, 2025 | 5:00 pm
    Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash
    Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
    Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

    For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

    The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

    Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

    Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

    The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

    Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

    A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

    There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

    ---

    Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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