weekend event planner

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

Wildly popular podcasters LadyGang step into town this weekend.

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.

Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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