a night to remember

Where to eat, drink, and party on White Linen Night in the Heights

We strongly suggest wearing white.

Photo courtesy of White Linen Night in the Heights

One of summer’s most popular evenings takes place this Saturday, August 4. White Linen Night returns to the Heights this weekend.

The original festival on 19th Street is still going strong. As CultureMap reported back in April, the nonprofit 19th Street Merchants Association is charging $10 this year, which helps defray expenses associated with security and logistics from the massive party. All of the street’s shops will be open, restaurants will be running specials, and bands will perform on the closed off section of 19th Street between Yale and Ashland.

One thing to note: It is important to take the name seriously when deciding on what to wear.

“You want to wear all white. You will stick out like a sore thumb if you do not join the crowd,” The Feel Good Group founder Casey Barbles said in April. “Linen is a good idea, because it breathes. It’s hot, but when the sun sets it’s a perfect evening.”

But of course, 19th Street isn’t the only place where people will be partying on Saturday night. White Linen Night has spread across the Heights and even to adjacent neighborhoods like Shady Acres and Garden Oaks. We’ve rounded up more than a dozen options for those who want to make it a White Linen Day, White Linen Night, and White Linen Late Night.

Bauhaus will have a WLN afterparty. Machine Elves will take over the patio, along with Flight Controllers, Rick Arter and Tré, with special guest Colton Cameron. You will have access to that event and SOSA in the main room. 10 pm.

Christian’s Tailgate will hold its first beer die tournament on WLN. Experience fun entertainment and deals like live DJs, food trucks, karaoke, photo booth opportunities, and local vendors. 4 pm.

Dan Electros suggests that you might wanna wear white dashikis for their WLN party. Roots reggae legends DEM Roots and longtime homies GALVEZTON will jam the music all night. Food will be provided by the food dudes. 8 pm.

Elevate Creative Studios will have an unforgettable fusion of creativity and margaritas at Agave and Art. Enjoy complimentary margaritas as you immerse yourself in a gallery filled with bright and captivating artistry. 3 pm.

EZ’s Liquor Lounge will be all geared up and ready for White Linen Night revelers. Western Jelly will provide live entertainment from 7-10 pm. 11 am.

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Heights & Co. will have a complimentary mimosa with any brunch order and $7 Bloody Marys from noon to 1 pm. To get you ready for the nighttime festivities, sip on $10 espresso martinis until 6 pm. Noon.

Heights Antiques on Yale will celebrate WLN with a storewide sale, full of items that’ll be 20-50% off. There will also be a sidewalk sale as well as complimentary appetizers and a drinks buffet. 10 am.

Heights Grocer will host a wine tasting with David Mayfield Selections. Stop by between 2-4 pm to sample three tasty wines.

The Heights Theater wants people to enjoy local shopping, live music, great local eateries, and more along 19th Street this WLN. They also hope that people will eventually stop by the theater, where DJ G-Funk will have a destined-to-be-funky set. 7 pm.

Little Woodrow’s in the Heights will have what they call a WLN glow party. They’ve got DJ sets all day and night, drink specials, and plenty of surprises in store. 1 pm.

Moonshine Deck says it will have the most epic party on 20th Street. There will be non-stop beats from some of Houston’s best DJs, including Ak Ya Daddy and DJ Palmo. Add to that photo ops, sips, bites, and surprises galore. 11 am.

Onion Creek Cafe says their WLN will be served up carnival style. Denverado’s Movers & Shakers will be performing, along with DJ Melodic & some go-go dancers. Deck yourself out in a cool white outfit and come dance under the giant disco ball with your friends. 7:30 pm.

Permission Whiskey interior Permission Whiskey will be full on White Linen Night. Courtesy of Permission Whiskey

Permission Whiskey goes all out for WLN by tenting its parking lot, booking DJs, and keeping the party going until 2 am. Look for drink specials and a special toast at midnight. James, the bar’s companion speakeasy, will host a champagne takeover beginning at 6 pm. 4 pm.

Re•Vive Salon & Spa will be hosting a free event. Come meet all the beauty professionals that are housed at Re•Vive. They will have music, a food truck, local vendors, photo booth, hookahs and 100 swag bags to the first 100 visitors. 6:30 pm.

Shady Acres Saloon will have a lot of things going down. We’re talking arts and crafts vendors, beer specials courtesy of Saint Arnold, giveaways & new product samples, and live performances from Patrick B. Ray and Walker County Line. 5 pm.

The Stomping Grounds and Jim Beam have teamed up for a free event to celebrate WLN. Pop Shop America will have a market with 30 local makers and artists, while Bayou City Funk and DJ Good Soul will provide the grooves. 6 pm.

fesivals white linen night the-heights

Movie Review

Steven Spielberg captivates with new aliens drama Disclosure Day

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Tommy Martinez, Emily Blunt, and Josh O'Connor in Disclosure Day.

With the release of Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg has now directed 17 feature films over 26 years in the 21st century, the exact same number over the exact same period of time he did in the 20th century. The first half of his career was mostly defined by his blockbuster films, while the second half has seen him exploring a lot more serious material. Disclosure Day marries the two for an experience only he could deliver.

The film starts in medias res, as Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) is being pursued by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) and a team of henchmen for stealing intellectual property from Wardex, a government contractor for which he works. As the audience gradually discovers, Daniel is a cyber-security programmer who has discovered evidence of alien life in the company’s servers. He and others within the company, including Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), are determined to release the information to the public.

Concurrently, television meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) starts experiencing weird things, including the ability to speak multiple languages and read people’s minds. Without either of them actively trying to seek each other out, Daniel and Margaret are set on a path to meet, with Scanlon (with the help of a mysterious alien device) trying to track their every move.

Directed by Spielberg and written by David Koepp, the film is an almost even mix between classic Spielberg wonder and a deep story about what it is to be human. By starting the film in the middle of the story, Spielberg immediately ramps up the excitement level. While the movie has relatively little action, that sequence and a few others deliver the type of propulsiveness for which Spielberg is revered, keeping the 145-minute film moving at a brisk pace.

Of the different types of alien movies Spielberg has made over the years, this one is closer to Close Encounters of the Third Kind than E.T. The story ponders the ethical, religious, political, and sociological effects that revealing the existence of aliens could have on the world. The debates had by various characters purposefully take the film out of being a sheer popcorn flick, forcing the audience to grapple with issues that they may have never considered before.

Unlike some other Spielberg films, he and Koepp don’t hold the audience’s collective hand throughout the story. There are a lot of times when viewers have to use context clues to understand exactly what is happening. That especially goes for an extremely important aspect of the world in which the story takes place that could pass you by if you’re only paying attention to the main characters’ dialogue. Spielberg’s using only subtle allusions for an element which would be the main focus of most other films is a fascinating choice.

O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man, Challengers) has that everyman quality that a story like this needs. It always feels like it's him against the world, and does a terrific job of exuding both confidence and fear. Blunt delivers a fantastic performance, switching between confusion and composure with ease. Firth makes for a solid villain, and the story is helped by great turns from Domingo and Eve Hewson.

The idea that the nearly 80-year-old Steven Spielberg is still making blockbuster-style movies over 50 years after he made Jaws is astonishing, and the fact that he still knows how to make them work is even more impressive. Disclosure Day may not be the type of alien movie many were expecting, but it’s another high water mark in a career that has been full of them.

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Disclosure Day opens in theaters on June 12.

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