weekend event planner

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

There’s a lot of art, music and comedy happening this weekend. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will present a new retrospective, and a couple of local galleries will show off their latest exhibits. The youngsters can listen to a contemporary pop diva’s new album, while the grownups can rock out at two concerts (one of them features the Houston Symphony!). Two viral sensations will be doing stand-up on the same night.

And, throughout the weekend, you can also play Nintendo games and drink Hennessy – but, hopefully, not at the same time.

Here are this weekend’s best bets.

Thursday, June 27

Play Nintendo Tour
The Play Nintendo Tour will feature interactive experiences including photo ops with Nintendo characters, giveaways (while supplies last), and playable demos of the latest Nintendo Switch games. Visitors can discover a new favorite character, enjoy a family activity, or just show off their skills in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game. Much like the Play Nintendo website, the Play Nintendo Tour is also a destination for families that’s packed full of activities, Nintendo characters, puzzles, quizzes, videos, and more. 11 am (Noon Sunday).

Hennessy Made for More Tour
Hennessy is currently on a multi-city tour to bring to life the all-new “made for more” campaign, showcasing the unlimited daytime possibilities of cognac. The tour hits Houston, making stops at Chapman & Kirby, Thirteen, Green’s Discount Liquor, and The Address. Traveling in style with a 20-foot, branded shipping container, the experience will include an in-depth look at Hennessy’s cocktail culture, lawn games, the chance to take a cocktail personality match quiz, and of course, delicious Hennessy cocktails. 4 pm (5 pm Friday; 2 pm Saturday; 4 pm Sunday).

Lone Star Lyric Theater Festival presents Breath of Life
The Texas Heart Institute and Houston Methodist will co-sponsor an opera that tells the story of a heart transplant, with music by Todd Frazier, Center for Performing Arts Medicine Director at Houston Methodist Hospital. Inspired by his childhood experiences in the Texas Medical Center, where his father is a heart surgeon, Frazier’s opera tells the story of heart transplant patients, families, and doctors. Through music and storytelling, Frazier highlights the emotional and spiritual journey of those involved in the transplant process. 7:30 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, June 28

Koslov Larsen presents Concentrique opening reception
Celebrate the opening of Concentrique, a two-person show by Laura Bonnefous and Blandine Soulage. Photographed between France, Japan, and Angola, the images in the show reflect the indelibly urban focus of each photographer, both in the ways that they interpret architecture and the people who define its metaphorical landscape. The work of each photographer suggests non-linear movement, operating outside of our spheres of normalcy to better understand the center of the human experience. Through Friday, August 23. 6 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Power Alley
The gripping 2023 Brazilian drama Power Alley weaves a tale of personal struggle and societal challenges. Set in São Paulo, the story follows Sofia, a spirited teen volleyball player from a modest background whose life takes a dramatic turn when she faces an unwanted pregnancy. Sofia is surrounded by a supportive team, including trans and nonbinary members, making the film a vivid exploration of queer sisterhood and resilience against the odds. 7 pm (5 pm Sunday).

Houston Symphony presents The Music of The Rolling Stones
Those who enjoyed when the Stones played here a couple months ago can check out the Houston Symphony getting its rock on this weekend. Backed by the power of a full orchestra and rock band, lead singer Mick Adams delivers a fabulous rendition of Mick Jagger’s vocals (and moves) to recreate The Rolling Stones’ biggest hits through the decades, including “Satisfaction,” “Paint It Black,” “Ruby Tuesday,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Angie,” “Wild Horses,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and more. 7:30 pm (2:30 pm Saturday).

Appetite for Murder presents “Night Train” Murder Mystery Dinner
At Appetite for Murder's “Night Train” Murder Mystery Dinner, you and 12 other privileged journeymen will arrive as a secret, pre-determined character. The host will guide guests to the private lounge as they await the European Belle. Once the night train arrives, guests can grab a drink and enjoy the first-class carriage ride back to 1930… yeah, we can’t spoil all the fun. 9 pm.

Saturday, June 29

Cactus Music presents Camila Cabello Listening Party and Me Nd Adam in-store performance
Cactus Music will have back-to-back events popping off this weekend. First up, fans of Camila Cabello can attend a listening party for C,XOXO, her fourth studio album. Giveaways will include temporary tattoos and posters. This will be followed by an in-store performance from Austin-based trash-wave duo Me Nd Adam. Their sound is reminiscent of classic American songwriters like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, with a contemporary twist of alternative rock and pop production. 1 and 3 pm.

Hooks-Epstein Galleries presents "Texas Creatives" opening reception
Hooks-Epstein Galleries presents a group exhibition that showcases work by 25 creatives from across the state. The exhibition will highlight the unique perspectives of the gallery’s Texas-based artists, many of whom are influenced by the state’s distinct regional identity in addition to its cultural heritage and landscape. This event also serves as a complement to CASETA (Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art), whose mission is to promote the preservation, study, and appreciation of Texas visual arts and its history. Through Saturday, August 10. 5 pm.

The Secret Group presents Liz Miele
New York City-based comedian Liz Miele will be doing a headlining spot at The Secret Group this weekend. A veteran of Comedy Central, Fox, AXS TV, Hulu, and NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, she has several viral videos on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok including "Feminist Sex Positions," "Dating Is Harder for Comedians," and "F— Finland." Her newest special, Ghost of Academic Future, premiered in 2022 on YouTube. She also has a weekly podcast with comedian Maria Shehata called 2 Non Doctors. 7 pm.

Desi Banks: The Purpose Chaser Tour
Desi Banks is the ultimate triple threat – actor, stand-up comedian, and entrepreneur – who's swiftly becoming a household name; known for his razor-sharp wit and hilarious comedic timing. You’ve probably seen him doing wild skits on Instagram or hosting the We Playin’ Spades podcast, where he and co-host Waka Flocka Flame play spades with celebrity guests. The CEO and founder of Desi Banks Productions will be in town this weekend to do stand-up at House of Blues. 8 pm.

Sunday, June 30

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will present Thomas Demand: "The Stutter of History" opening day
The MFAH will present a landmark retrospective of Thomas Demand’s work, with more than 70 images. In much of his work, Demand depicts places loaded with historical meaning – the abandoned control room of the Fukushima plant following the March 2011 nuclear disaster; the site of the Florida recount of the 2000 American presidential election; or Bill Gates’ dorm room at Harvard. While his images appear at first to depict the real world, upon closer inspection they seem at once familiar and decidedly strange. Through Sunday, September 15. 12:30 pm.

The Peach Truck at City Place
Besides Justin Bieber, who else loves peaches? If you’re in that camp, the Peach Truck is coming to City Place. On certain days this summer, visitors can pick up a box of fresh peaches straight from the orchard. Those interested must pre-order peaches in advance by visiting The Peach Truck’s website, entering their zip code, and selecting City Place as their pickup location. If pre-order isn’t available yet, join The Peach Truck email newsletter to be the first to know. Through Sunday, September 1. 4:30 pm.

The Doobie Brothers in concert
Four members of The Doobie Brothers will be coming to town to take us all back to the ‘70s. Founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons will be joined by later members John McFee and Michael McDonald. With blue-eyed soul man McDonald included on this tour, this means we’ll definitely be getting a lot of yacht rock-era Doobie tunes, such as “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “Minute by Minute,” and their Grammy-winning classic “What a Fool Believes.” 7 pm.

Photo courtesy of The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers will play The Woodlands on June 30.

welcome home, wes

Wes Anderson's Houston homecoming supports historic theater restoration

A fancy, eccentric-looking crowd showed up for the Wes Anderson Homecoming Soirée, held on Friday, July 17, at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts’s Zilkha Hall.

Fans of the Houston-born, Oscar-winning auteur paid hundreds of dollars to attend this benefit event. Guys dressed up like characters from The Royal Tenenbaums. Others wore red skull caps and low-top Adidas, like the characters from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Some people working the event even wore “Lobby Boy” hats, looking like the bellboy character from The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The people gathered for two reasons: 1) to get a chance to see Anderson in person; and 2) to raise money to renovate and restore the Garden Oaks Theater, a project spearheaded by local nonprofit Arthouse Houston. Top-tier “Founders Experience” ticketholders got a chance to meet Anderson onstage for pics. The St. John's School alum also received a proclamation from Mayor John Whitmire declaring it “Wes Anderson Day.”

After that, he and actor/fellow SJS alum Michael Maggart (who has appeared in several Anderson films) held a half-hour discussion where they reminisced about making Rushmore here in Houston, Anderson’s days working at the Bookstop on W. Alabama (now a Trader Joe’s), and how he and frequent collaborator Owen Wilson used to sneak into the River Oaks Theatre. (It involved pretending to lose a pair of glasses.)

Of course, the conversation shifted to Anderson coming back home to support the Garden Oaks project. “I always say you can't build an old building,” Anderson said. “First of all, I mean, a beautiful old place has history, and has people's experiences tied into it, and it has stories involved in it. And I think an old cinema — these things are kind of endangered all over the world, and it's not just an architectural thing. It's not even just a community thing. It's a sort of delivery system for something that’s, to me, deeply important to our country.

“It’s one thing we can access these things on all these devices,” he continued. “It's a different thing when you go to a place that's designed to help you share the experience of a movie together. It's such a powerful art form. And, anyway, for me, it's worth making a bit of an effort to try to save a place like the Garden Oaks.”

After the convo, he introduced the quintet of films he curated for the event. (Unfortunately the DCP file for his 2007 short Hotel Chevalier had some technical difficulties and was cut short.) “We wanted to do a screening here, and I don't have a new movie to show,” he said. “I don't have something hot off the presses. So, I thought I'd put together a little something that just was different from what anybody else will see. So it's a sort of mixture… This is just for Texas, this little collection.”

He eventually left the stage, leaving Arthouse Houston co-founder/director Maureen McNamara and Houston Public Media host Ernie Manouse to auction off perks & gifts and encourage the audience in helping revive another legendary, local movie palace. Among other items, attendees bid for treasures such as a special John Waters backstage VIP experience at his upcoming Christmas Show, dinner with John Cameron Mitchell, and a rare set of photo portraits of a young Anderson and friends, circa Bottle Rocket. Others paid $5,000 for select seats in the future theater and $5,000 to restore one foot of the venue's neon sign.

Photo by Alan Nguyen

Mayor John Whitmire declared Friday as Wes Anderson day in the director's honor.

So far, the effort has raised approximately $1.3 million of the $4 million required to begin the renovation project. The organization needs to raise $4 million by July 30 for the project to move forward. Those interested in securing naming rights will find more information here.

“River Oaks has 245 seats,” McNamara informed the crowd. “The Garden has over 700, and that is a place that we don't have in Houston. We have a need for that, for premieres, for performances in your life, for music, for a dynamic learning & exhibition space… So, we're building new on the shoulders of our history. I hope you guys will join us, and we need people to join us in a big way today.”

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