Weekend event planner

These are the 14 best things to do in Houston this weekend

We’re now officially in 2025, and the first weekend of the new year brings plenty to do: Marcie Chapa and Stefanie Pepping will perform live. From the Ashes Theater Company and Theatre Southwest will hit audiences with some straight-up farces. Avant Garden and Improv Houston will have comedians ready to make you laugh. Archway Gallery and Redbud Arts Center will open up new exhibits. And the MFAH will give local cinephiles a very Hitchcockian weekend.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a whole calendar full of the city's best events.

Thursday, January 2

Echoes presents Marcie Chapa
Marcie Chapa, an original member of Beyoncé’s all-female band and a noted percussionist with a love for music and a passion for education in the arts, is playing a special concert at Echoes. Chapa has also worked with stars like Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Al Jarreau, Kanye West, Mary J Blige, and more. Gracing the stage with her will be Roy Chapa on trumpet and vocals, Charlie Perez on drums, Tim Ruiz on bass, and Jose-Miguel Yamal on keyboard. Echoes will also offer food and drink specials throughout the night. 8:30 pm.

Avant Garden presents It’s a Good Time Comedy Show & Happy Hour
Get ready for laughter and good times upstairs at Avant Garden’s weekly comedy kickback. The intimate setting provides the perfect backdrop for a laid-back and enjoyable evening. As you enjoy the comedic talents on stage, take advantage of the happy hour specials with cheap drinks flowing throughout the night. It's the ultimate combination of laughter, good company, and budget-friendly beverages. It’s free, and RSVPing gives you a wristband that allows $3 wells, $4 Lone Star beers and $5 sangrias (cash only). 9 pm.

The Big Easy presents Stefanie Pepping and the Sassafras Swing Set
Stefanie Pepping is a singer, mother, banjo player, herbalist, and damn fine cook. When she’s not serving as an art director/designer for a local church, she’s performing with the Sassafras Swing Set. They will be doing a free show at The Big Easy this weekend, along with Houston bassist Nick Gaitan. Dance the night away with an evening of swinging music, performed by a gal with a voice likened to Peggy Lee and Norah Jones. 9 pm.

Friday, January 3

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents My Name is Alfred Hitchcock
Before you check out the 4K restoration of Alfred Hitchock’s Vertigo at the MFAH this weekend, get to know the man who directed it. Filmmaker Mark Cousins (The Eyes of Orson Welles) looks at the auteur with a new and radical approach: through the use of his own voice. Hitchcock (whose familiar voice is remarkably evoked by Alistair McGowan) narrates excerpts from his films in a journey through his vast career, from early silent films to his memorable classics from the 1940s-1960s and beyond. 7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Pink Martini with China Forbes in concert
Pink Martini, the world-famous “little orchestra” featuring original lead singer China Forbes, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. They will present a cocktail of multilingual delights, from Brazilian Samba music to jaunty Parisian café songs to retro jazz and old-fashioned pop. It’ll be an evening of joyful, dance-friendly tunes guaranteed to make your new year swing. This concert does not feature the Houston Symphony. 7:30 pm (7:30 pm Saturday, 2 pm Sunday).

From the Ashes Theatre Company presents Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?
After years of estrangement, the Turnover family reunites at their small-town Texas estate to bid farewell to the family patriarch, who has suffered a debilitating stroke. Joined by their plus-ones, they bring with them a tangled web of family trauma, greed, and jealousy. This sometimes heartbreaking, often hilarious journey through family dynamics offers moments of sharp wit, surprising warmth, and a poignant reminder: sometimes losing something precious is the only way to find what truly matters. 8 pm (2 and 8 pm Saturday; 2 and 6 pm Sunday).

Photo courtesy of Pink Martini

Pink Martini featuring China Forbes will perform at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on January 3-5.

Theatre Southwest presents A Comedy of Tenors
One hotel suite, four tenors, two wives, three girlfriends and a soccer stadium filled with screaming fans. What could possibly go wrong? It's 1930s Paris and the stage is set for the concert of the century - as long as the producer can keep Italian superstar Tito Merelli and Maria, his hot-blooded wife, from causing runaway chaos. A Comedy of Tenors is an uproarious ride full of mistaken identities, bedroom hijinks, and madcap details. 8 pm (3 pm Sunday).

Saturday, January 4
Archway Gallery presents Maksim Koloskov: "Brushstrokes: Streetscapes, Style, and Skyline" opening reception
Archway Gallery presents "Brushstrokes: Streetscapes, Style, and Skyline," featuring watercolors and drawings by Maksim Koloskov. Whether sketching fellow passengers on a bus, painting on a street corner, or drawing in a park, Koloskov reflects life unfolding around him in vibrant, impressionistic watercolors. From skylines and city streets to the sleek runways of Houston’s Fashion Week, Koloskov transports the viewer to the heart of H-Town, revealing a dynamic city alive with color and movement. Through Thursday, January 30. 5 pm.

Redbud Arts Center presents Nela Garzón: "Not One of Us" opening reception
“Not One of Us," an exhibition by Nela Garzón, explores themes of migration and colonialism through fiberworks and paintings. The exhibition also features latch-hooked works of endangered species from emigration-prone regions and welcome rugs honoring Bogotá and Colombia. All these pieces are together for spectators to reflect on the intertwined stories of displacement, resilience, and cultural exchange. Through Saturday, February 22. 6 pm.

Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings
We all like Bridgerton, right? We enjoy binge-watching that Shonda Rhimes-produced, Netflix period drama where 19th-century aristocrats of every age, shape and color get amorous all over London. Well, fans can burn for the show at this string-filled gathering. At Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings, audiences can listen to favorite melodies from the Shondaland series, performed by the Listeso String Quartet. 6:30 and 8:45 pm.

Improv Houston presents Mark Normand
Saturday will be the last evening to check out goofball joke machine Mark Normand. Through his relentlessly punchy writing and expert delivery, the New Orleans-born Normand is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about comedians out there. Last year, he self-released a one-hour special, Out To Lunch, on YouTube. A veteran of the late-night shows, Normand also hosts two podcasts: Tuesdays with Stories (with Joe List) and We Might Be Drunk (with Sam Morril). 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday).

Sunday, January 5

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents 3ish Run/Walk
Get those beer bellies in shape for the Art Car IPA 5K with this social run/walk. For $35, you get a guided and marked 3-ish mile run/walk plus three tasty brews from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, a pint glass and a Texas Tamale Company breakfast. Check in at Flying Saucer early for the run/walk at 9 am and, when you get back, eat, drink and celebrate Saint Arnold, raise a toast, and crush some tamales and enjoy great times at the Flying Saucer, too. 8 am.

Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra presents Speed Racer
Critically maligned upon its 2008 release, the Wachowskis’ big-screen adaptation of Speed Racer is a hyperkinetic, ultra-stylized cartoon classic that comes to vivid life. With a vibrant color palette, futuristic racecars, and a host of instantly memorable characters, this is a spot-on homage to the original TV series and a film not simply created with a child audience in mind. It is completely sincere, goofy as all get out, and – from start to finish – a neon-crazed, candy-color dream of what cinema is and should be. Noon.

Holocaust Museum Houston presents "Facing Survival | David Kassan" closing day
This weekend is the last chance to catch the paintings and drawings of acclaimed artist David Kassan, capturing the poignant stories and portraits of more than 24 Holocaust survivors. By intertwining the visual representation of the survivors with the sketches revealing Kassan’s artistic process, the exhibition transcends conventional forms of testimony, forging a poignant visual language that surpasses the limitations of spoken or written word. Noon.

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Movie Review

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

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.

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

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