weekend event planner

Here are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

Outdoor activities are plentiful this weekend. From a Midtown block party and a kite festival to a 60 mile bike ride and a 5k, those who want to enjoy Houston's spring weather have plenty of options.

Those looking for indoor activities will find a new stage show that stars Baby Shark, film screenings, and comedy performances. Food and drink lovers may opt for a brewery’s anniversary party or a grand opening celebration for the city’s newest food hall.

Read on for this weekend’s best bets.

Thursday, April 4

Baby Shark's Big Broadwave Tour!
Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour!, a brand-new interactive live stage show featuring characters from the globally beloved, preschool property, follows Baby and his “fincredible” fishy friends on an undersea adventure filled with oceans of fun and “finship.” After Bentley Barracuda plans to tear down the beloved Party Puddle Theatre, Baby and his squiddo friends must dive into action. To save the theater, they will need the audience to help fill the Party Puddle Applause Meter and put on the biggest Broadwave show ever. 6 pm.

Mid Main Houston First Thursday Block Party
It’s time once again to #EATSHOPROCK, as Mid Main Houston throws its monthly First Thursday Block Party. This month’s street shindig is a benefit for the Galveston Bay Foundation. If you check in and make a $10 donation, you’ll get an all-access wristband to the biggest block party in the Bayou City. Enjoy delicious beer sponsored by Saint Arnold Brewing Company, plus live music, art shows, special activations, and street art. Find wares and goodies rom local vendors at the Winbern Street Market. 6 pm.

The Riot Comedy Festival
The Riot Comedy Festival & Block Party is back for its second year in Montrose. This annual community event puts on over thirty comedy shows including standup, podcasts, music, a national comedy contest, and more. Famous, national touring comedians such as Robert Kelly, Rocky Dale Davis, Kim Congdon, Tom Thakkar, Jourdain Fisher, and over fifty other performers from across the country will perform on three indoor stages throughout the weekend. 6 pm (4 pm Friday-Sunday).

Friday, April 5

Houston Junior Forum presents The City Market
The third annual The City Market will feature over 60 handpicked vendors showcasing their one-of-a-kind creations. Attendees looking for some guilt-free retail therapy will find favorites such as A Unique Boutique by Jeanette, Hide and Chic, Getaway Sticks, Boutique By Mariam, Brenham Kitchens, Yumsmith, Donna Wright Designs, Harlan & Ava, La Goulue Chocolatier, Margarita Mercantile, Peran & Scannell, Say Cheese, and Urban Rocks. 10 am.

The Big Bounce America
The Big Bounce America 2024 tour is hitting Houston for a three-day stop. This tour includes eight massive inflatable attractions: the newly expanded 24,000-square-foot World’s Largest Bounce House; the brand-new deep sea foam party inflatable OctoBlast; the 900-foot long obstacle course The Giant; the customized sports arena Sport Slam; and the unique, three-piece, space-themed wonderland airSPACE. 11 am.

Urban South Brewery HTX presents Fourth Anniversary Party
Urban South Brewery Houston will host its Fourth Anniversary Party, featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market. Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive, anniversary specialty beers: Press Start (Czech Pale Lager), Level Up (Old Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale), High Score (Double IPA), and Game Over (Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout). 11 am (1 pm Saturday and Sunday).

Conservatory Galleria Grand Opening Celebration
Innovative, three-story dining hall Conservatory Galleria, situated in the iconic space formerly known as the Roxy Houston, is celebrating its grand opening with a three-day, action-packed weekend. Attendees can enjoy food, music, diverse entertainment, and much more. There will be a “713 Night Market,” featuring over 35 vendors, on Friday, a “Roxy Reunion,” featuring past Roxy DJs and current DJs, on Saturday; and “Supercars,” featuring incredible cars and Conservatory food vendors, on Sunday. 6 pm (8 pm Saturday; 11 am Sunday).

Saturday, April 6

Sienna Race for the Rosé
Runners and “funners” can take part in a new chip-timed race in Fort Bend County — the Race for the Rosé, 5K. After the race, runners and members of the No Way 5K Party Patrol can enjoy a finish line celebration, a grape stomping contest, corn hole, fitness vendor booths, hula hooping, and a Bubbly Bar for those age 21 and up. A ticket includes a T-shirt, race bib, finisher’s medal, a glass of rosé, and brunch bites at the finish line. The event benefits Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, a local non-profit now in its 50th year. 8 am.

Houston Underwater Film Festival
The Houston Underwater Film Festival aims to promote underwater filmmaking and appreciation of the beauty and diversity of all things underwater, as well as encouraging the art of underwater videography. Underwater videographers from around the world are invited to submit entries for consideration for screening. The top three films in each category, as selected by audience real-time voting, will be announced at the awards reception on Sunday. The judges' top 10 picks will also be announced. 3 pm.

Tony Hinchcliffe: Fully Groan Tour
Former Angeleno-turned-Austin-based stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe gained popularity with his 2016 Netflix comedy special, One Shot, which follows Tony in one continuous take. He has worked as a staff writer on several Comedy Central Roasts, and appeared on HBO’s Crashing, Comedy Central’s Unsend, and Fusion’s All Def Roast: Snoop Dog Smoke Out. Hinchcliffe also hosts Kill Tony, his own weekly show and podcast. 7 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Moonlight Movies: The Wizard of Oz
The MFAH debuts an outdoor movie viewing experience: Moonlight Movies, under the stars on the sloping roof of the Glassell School of Art in the Amphitheater on The Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza. Relish the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her friends follow the yellow brick road. Each guest receives a complimentary bag of popcorn, and movie-themed cocktails are available for purchase. 8 pm.

Sunday, April 7

Courtesy of The Big Bounce America

The Big Bounce America comes to SaberCats stadium this weekend.

City of Houston presents Tour de Houston
Now in its 17th year, the bike ride offers Houstonians and visitors a way to view the city with routes winding through Houston’s historic neighborhoods, scenic districts, and parks while raising funds for the city’s Re-Plant Houston program. This year, riders may choose from 20, 40, and 60 mile routs that run from downtown to Clear Lake. 7:30 am.

Hermann Park Conservancy Kite Festival
Hermann Park Conservancy's Kite Festival will bring a day full of fun and, of course, kite-flying to Hermann Park. Going down over at Miller Hill and along the Jones Reflection Pool, activities will include live music, a DJ, interactive games and activities, face painting and more. This community-favorite event is made possible through contributions from host committee members and sponsors. 10 am.

Artists in Arms presents Crawfish and Colors Anti-Gala
In 2021, Artists in Arms was founded to provide community and opportunity to veterans with an interest in the arts. The Artists in Arms "Anti-Gala" is like a gala, but laid back. At "Crawfish & Colors," people won't be expected to wear a tux, arrive in a limo, or eat cold chicken. Participants will learn about some programs supporting veteran artists and enjoy fresh crawfish, drinks, live music, and camaraderie with the veteran creative community. 11 am.

event-planner

The Donn of Tiki

Texas-born tiki legend shines in new documentary with Houston screening

Still from The Donn of Tiki

The Donn of Tiki uncover's tiki culture's origins through one influential bar owner.

It seems like the 20th century phenomenon of tiki bars would have emerged organically, with no sole progenitor, but a quick online search always turns up the late, supposedly Texas-born bar owner Donn Beach. A new documentary called The Donn of Tiki follows the history of "tiki culture" from this influential origin, aiming to "separate fact from fiction," according to a press release.

The James Beard Media Award-nominated film will screen in Houston at the River Oaks Theatre on Tuesday, October 14. Austin can catch it at the Regal Westgate Stadium 11 on October 15.

In the film's first moments, it defines tiki as "Cantonese food, Caribbean mixology, and South Pacific decor combined to create an aesthetic that was exotic, yet undeniably American." It also wastes no time in characterizing Beach, portrayed in this film as a whimsical claymation figure, as an unreliable narrator.

Although Ernest Raymond Gantt, a.k.a. Donn Beach, was based in Hollywood when he opened his bar Don the Beachcomber in 1934, he was born in Mexia, Texas — or at least that's what the film settles on, using census records. The current website for the Don the Beachcomber brand, which was purchased by 23 Restaurant Services in 2022, repeats Beach's claim that his birthplace was New Orleans, Louisiana.

The film goes on to detail the escapism of tiki culture, the surprising subtly of the mixology despite the aesthetic overkill, and the business intricacies of bootlegging and commercializing indigenous practices in Hawai'i. As it'd be a crime to film a bland documentary about tiki culture, all the interviewees pull these historical threads while wearing vivid Pacific island prints.

Even taking into account Beach's penchant for yarn-spinning and legendary contribution to cultural appropriation, the film's official description calls him "a champion for authenticity, both in his work, and within himself."

Audience members at the Houston screening will be able to learn more from co-director Max Well during a post-screening Q&A. For now, local screenings offer the only opportunities the general public will have to see the film. However, an FAQ page on the documentary's website says the team is working on a Blu-Ray release with more content, including recipes, and they expect the film to eventually be available on demand on platforms such as Amazon Video and Apple TV.

The River Oaks Theater will host two screenings at 7:15 pm and 8:45 pm. Tickets ($21) are available here.

cocktails documentary film movies river oaks theatre