weekend event planner

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

This weekend features several festivals happening around town, including a film festival featuring films from all over, a Jewish book and arts festival, an Islamic arts festival, and a fest celebrating countries and cultures in the Americas. As our darling editor Eric says, let’s be ecumenical (translation: promote unity with all religions and races) — which is not a bad idea right now.

Read on for this weekend’s best bets.

Thursday, November 7

Houston Cinema Arts Festival
The Houston Cinema Arts Festival will feature more than 40 different screenings and programs over 11 days, including feature films, short films, documentaries, and more. The festival will open with Tendaberry, directed by Houston filmmaker Haley Elizabeth Anderson. Other highlights include John Waters doing live commentary during a screening of Hairspray; and a screening of Bambi alongside a book signing for Background Artist: The Life and Work of Tyrus Wong. Through Sunday, November 17. 5 pm (7:30 pm Friday; 10 am Saturday and Sunday).

Mid Main Houston First Thursday Block Party
The businesses of Mid Main, together with Mid Main Lofts, will host the First Thursday Block Party. Attendees will get to eat, shop, and rock at the block partners and have beer, sponsored by Saint Arnold Brewing Company. There will also be live music, art shows, special activations, street art, and handmade goodies from local vendors at the Winbern Street Market. This month, the nonprofit you can donate to at this block party will be Fresh Arts. 6 pm.

La Colombe d'Or Hotel presents Oysters & Champagne
The Montrose boutique hotel will host its annual party devoted to bivalves and sparkling wine. Attendees will feast on Gulf Coast oyster varieties from Prestige Oysters paired with Savor Caviar and sips from Telmont Champagne. The event also includes champagne-themed cocktails and live music. 6 pm.

Houston Music Classifieds presents Lungs
Midtown bar Leon’s Lounge will turn into a theater venue this weekend. Step into the raw and intimate world of Lungs by Duncan MacMillan, where life, love, and the future of our planet are intertwined in a gripping, thought-provoking story. Directed by Madison Elaine and starring the talented duo Eva Olivia Catanzariti and Dillon Dewitt, this play explores the complexities of human connection in an uncertain world. Following the play, there will be a live music set from local Houston musicians. 8 pm.

Friday, November 8

Reeves Art + Design presents Rachelle LeBlanc: "No Time for Sorry" opening reception
In "No Time for Sorry," French American/Canadian artist Rachelle LeBlanc invites viewers into an exploration of alternative realities and identities, delving into the themes of transformation, belonging, and the fluidity of self. Through a fusion of hand-hooked surface embroidery and ceramic sculptures, LeBlanc crafts a narrative transcending traditional boundaries, engaging with the concept that there is no time to apologize for becoming who you were meant to be as a pathway to self-discovery and social change. Through Saturday, November 16. 6 pm.

Theatre Under the Stars presents Lights Up Gala
The wintry-themed Lights Up Gala will feature live and silent auction experiences and entertainment by one of Broadway’s greatest leading ladies, Tony Award winner and Emmy nominee Kelli O’Hara, who will perform alongside students from the TUTS Education Pre-Professional and Performance Troupes. All proceeds from this event fuel the magic behind TUTS' mainstage productions, empower education programs, and ignite community engagement initiatives. 7 pm.

Houston Symphony presents It Don’t Mean a Thing: Swingin’ Uptown Classics with Byron Stripling
Inspired by legendary musical hot spots like The Cotton Club and The Savoy, It Don’t Mean a Thing: Swingin’ Uptown Classics will transport audiences to Harlem’s hippest nightclub, when Duke Ellington’s orchestra was the house band and Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ethel Waters showcased the biggest jazz hits of the day. The concert will be conducted by Byron Stripling. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Improv Houston presents Dave Attell
If you grew up watching Insomniac with Dave Attell on Comedy Central back in the day, you’ll be happy to know that the veteran comedian will be in town this weekend. Attell's caustic wit, rapid-fire delivery, and his choice of material that can best be described as "very adult" has earned him the reputation as a "comic's comic." Maybe you’ll also see him hanging out at some Houston nightspots, like he used to do back on Insomniac. 7:30 and 9:45 pm (7 and 9:30 pm Saturday).

Saturday, November 9

Nickelodeon and VStar Entertainment Group present PAW Patrol Live! A Mighty Adventure
This all-new live stage show picks up where PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie left off. Audiences will join the “PAW-some” pack in Adventure City and witness the pups charging up like never before, as they work together to super-save the day. PAW Patrol Live! A Mighty Adventure is based on the Nickelodeon preschool series PAW Patrol, which follows Chase, Marshall, Skye, and the rest of the pack after they save Adventure City with their Mighty Pup Powers. 10 am and 2 pm (11 am and 3 pm Sunday).

Islamic Arts Society presents 11th Islamic Arts Festival
The Islamic Arts Society presents the annual, two-day Islamic Arts Festival, featuring artists from across the U.S. It is the largest and oldest festival of Islamic arts in the country. It's a platform for established artists to network, collaborate, and inspire, while also providing a space for emerging and student artists to showcase their talent. There will be a film festival, a comedy show, and a Sufi music entertainment program. 10:30 am.

The Galleria presents Tree Lighting and Ice Spectacular
The Galleria will present the 35th Annual Ice Spectacular, which will kick off the holiday season with the lighting of its 55-foot Christmas tree, featuring 450,000 twinkling lights and 5,000 ornaments in a variety of colors and shapes. The 45-minute tree-lighting show will feature a performance by The Voice season 25 contestant Zoe Levert. The event will culminate with the lighting of the tree by Skating Santa and a fireworks display. 6 pm.

52nd Annual Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival
The Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival started last weekend, but you know what? We’re gonna give some love to this fest, which attracts an audience of all ages and is recognized as one of the largest Jewish book & arts festivals in the nation. On Saturday, Mitch Albom will be talking about his book The Little Liar. And, on Sunday, Jason Bell will be there with his book Cracking the Nazi Code: The Untold Story of Agent A12 and the Solving of the Holocaust Code. Through Saturday, November 16. 7:30 pm (7 pm Saturday).

Sunday, November 10

Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra presents World of Animation: Grave of the Fireflies
Set in Japan during WWII, the 1988 Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies follows two siblings as they try to survive without their father, who is in the Navy, and their mother, who dies tragically during an air raid. As the oldest of the two, Seita bears a heavy burden, not only ensuring that his little sister has food and shelter, but also doing his best to keep the harsh reality of their lives from robbing her of her childhood. In Japanese with English subtitles. 11:45 am.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Fall Festival: Myths and Leyendas
The MFAH will host Myths and Leyendas, a family festival celebrating legends and folklore from a variety of countries and cultures in the Americas. Now in its third year, the fest features new, temporary large-scale sculptures by six Houston Latinx artists.This year’s festivities includes food, live music, and dance performances at the Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza. Visitors can play a lotería game with cards featuring MFAH works of art, wander through the Cullen Sculpture Garden to discover the sculptures, and join in art-making activities. 1 pm.

Texas Medical Center Orchestra presents "Voices of Resilience"
The Texas Medical Center Orchestra presents "Voices of Resilience," a performance that will explore the pressing issues of homelessness and mental illness, especially among veterans, through the power of music. The performance will feature the world premiere of Lost Child by Max Viventz, a new composition that captures the emotional journey of those who have faced life’s harshest realities. 5 pm.

$Fall Festival \u201cMyths and Leyendas\u201d$

Photo courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Myths and Leyendas is a family festival celebrating legends and folklore from a variety of countries.

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RIP, Chuck

Actor Chuck Norris, star of 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' dies at 86

Courtesy photo

Chuck Norris, star of "Walker, Texas Ranger," has died at 86.

Chuck Norris, the martial arts grandmaster and action star whose roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy — sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents — has died at 86.

Norris died Thursday, in what his family described as a “sudden passing.”

“While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” the family said in a statement posted to social media.

Before he would become a star in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. He was a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion. He also founded his own Korean-based American hard style of karate, known sometimes as Chun Kuk Do, and the United Fighting Arts Federation, which has awarded more than 3,300 Chuck Norris System black belts worldwide. Black Belt magazine ultimately credited Norris in its hall of fame with holding a 10th degree black belt, the highest possible honor.

Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1940, he grew up poor. At age 12, he moved with his family to Torrance, California, and joined the U.S. Air Force after high school, in 1958. It was during a deployment to Korea that he started training in martial arts, including judo and Tang Soo Do.

“I went out for gymnastics and football at North Torrance high,” he told The Associated Press in 1982. “I played some football, but I also spent a lot of time on the bench. I was never really athletic until I was in the service in Korea.”

After he was honorably discharged in 1962, he worked as a file clerk for Northrop Aircraft and applied to be a police officer, but was put on a waitlist. Meanwhile, he opened a martial arts studio, which expanded to a chain, with students including such stars as Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donnie and Marie Osmond, and Steve McQueen, whom he later credited with encouraging him to get into acting.

From one studio to another
Norris made his film debut as an uncredited bodyguard in the 1968 movie “The Wrecking Crew,” which included a fight with Dean Martin. He had also crossed paths with Bruce Lee in martial arts circles. Their friendship — sometimes, as sparring partners — led to an iconic faceoff in the 1972 movie “Return of the Dragon,” in which Lee fights and kills Norris' character in Rome's Colosseum.

He went on to act in more than 20 movies, such as “Missing in Action,” “The Delta Force” and “Sidekicks.”

“I wanted to project a certain image on the screen of a hero. I had seen a lot of anti-hero movies in which the lead was neither good nor bad. There was no one to root for,” Norris said in 1982.

In 1993, he took on his most famed role, as a crime-fighting lawman in TV's “Walker, Texas Ranger.” The show ran for nine seasons, and in 2010, then-Gov. Rick Perry awarded him the title of honorary Texas Ranger. The Texas Senate later named him an honorary Texan.

“It’s not violence for violence’s sake, with no moral structure,” Norris told the AP in 1996, speaking about the show. “You try to portray the proper meaning of what it’s about — fighting injustice with justice, good vs. bad. … It’s entertaining for the whole family.”

Norris also made a surprise comedic appearance as a decisive judge in the final match of the 2004 movie “Dodgeball.” He only on occasion has taken acting roles in recent years, including 2012's “The Expendables 2” and the 2024 sci-fi action movie “Agent Recon.” He's due to appear in “Zombie Plane,” an upcoming film starring Vanilla Ice.

Chuck Norris: the man, the meme, the legend
It was around the time of “Dodgeball” that his toughman image became the stuff of legend, literally: “Chuck Norris Facts” went viral online with such wildly hyperbolic statements as, “Chuck Norris had a staring contest with the sun -- and won,” and, “They wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mt. Rushmore, but the granite wasn’t tough enough for his beard.”

Norris ultimately embraced the absurdity of the meme craze, putting together “The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book,” which combined his favorites with supposedly true stories and the codes he aimed to live by. He would also write books on martial arts instruction, a memoir, political takes, Civil War-era historical fiction and more.

“To some who know little of my martial arts or film careers but perhaps grew up with 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' it seems that I have become a somewhat mythical superhero icon,” Norris wrote in the forward to the fact book. “I am flattered and humbled.”

That book raised money for a nonprofit he founded with President George H.W. Bush that promoted martial arts instruction for kids.

The intentionally outlandish statements featured in the 2008 Republican presidential primary, when Norris endorsed Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and shot an ad playing on the “Chuck Norris facts.”

President Donald Trump's supporters later promoted Trump Facts in the same vein, and political pundits tried it as well, describing the commander-in-chief's decision to seize Venezuela's sitting president, Nicolas Maduro, as a “Chuck Norris Moment,” and its initial effect on oil prices a “Chuck Norris Premium.”

Norris was outspoken about his Christian beliefs and his support for gun rights, and backed political candidates for years — he even went skydiving with Bush for the former president's 80th birthday. As for Trump, Norris endorsed him in the 2016 general election and wrote guest columns praising him without explicitly endorsing him the in the days before the 2020 and 2024 elections.

Norris has five surviving children: stunt performers Mike and Eric with his late ex-wife Dianne Holechek, twins Dakota and Danilee with his wife Gena Norris, and Dina, the result of an early 1960s “one-night stand” revealed in his autobiography.

Norris celebrated his birthday just over a week before his death, posting a sparring video on Instagram.

“I don't age. I level up,” he wrote.

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RIP, Chuck

Actor Chuck Norris, star of 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' dies at 86