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I know it's still hot outside but there is so much great stuff going on this weekend it's worth braving the heat. The Wings over Houston airshow and Renfest are both worth the trip if you've new to Houston and haven't attended. There is also no shortage of Halloween events for kids of all ages, including lots of screenings of horror classics.

Festivals & Markets

Thursday – Rare Steak Championship @ POST @ 5:30PM WARNING: I am not familiar with the organizers of this festival, attend at your own risk.

Friday – Scream on the Green @ Discovery Green @ 7PM The annual family-friendly Halloween celebration returns with a costume contest, living sculptures, palm readers, psychics, games, a ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ screening, & more.

Saturday – Filipino Festival @ POST @ 12PM WARNING: I am not familiar with the organizers of this festival, attend at your own risk.

Saturday – Sip & Stroll @ MFAH Bayou Bend @ 4PM Embrace the spirit of Halloween through special museum tours, storytelling, magic performances, hands-on activities, and spooky drinks and treats.

Saturday – Farmers Market @ Market Square Park @ 10AM This fall, enjoy Houston’s best vendors in the very heart of downtown!

Saturday – Mediterranean Festival @ St. George Orthodox Christian Church @ 11AM Explore the culture of the Mediterranean through food, sweets, music, and entertainment.

Friday & Saturday – Island Oktoberfest @ Downtown Galveston Don your German costumes, grab your bier steins, and enjoy two days of music, dancing, authentic German food, a children's activities area, and more.

Ongoing – Texas Renaissance Festival @ Todd Mission On Saturdays and Sundays, the King invites all to his 16th century English village for a celebration of all things Renaissance! Ends 12/1.

Saturday & Sunday – Wings Over Houston Airshow @ Ellington Airport One of the top air shows in the United States, this premier Houston event is dedicated to showcasing vintage World War II aircraft, along with the thrills of modern aviation.

Standup

Friday & Saturday –FRIDAY & SATURDAY – Matthew Broussard Stand Up @ The Riot Comedy Club

All weekend – Ashley Gavin Stand Up @ Houston Improv

All weekend – Ali Macofsky Stand Up @ Punchline Houston

Sports

Friday – Rockets vs Grizzlies @ Toyota Stadium @ 7PM

Friday – Texas Southern vs Grambling State @ Shell Energy Stadium @ 6PM

Sunday – Texans vs Colts @ NRG Stadium @ 12PM

All ages events

Saturday – Stargazing @ George Observatory in Saturday – Needville

Sunday – Family Zone @ MFAH @ 1PM On selected Sundays, families are invited to visit the MFAH for exciting activities in the galleries.

Saturday & Sunday – Galaxy Frights @ Space Center Explore the wonders of our galaxy as Space Center Houston transforms into a launchpad for space-themed Halloween fun.

Ongoing – Zoo Boo @ Houston Zoo LAST CHANCE – Count down to Halloween together with the Zoo – enjoy fun activities, dress up in costumes, and celebrate all things Fall. Ends 10/31.

Ongoing – ‘Mindworks’ Exhibition @ The Health Museum Be the first in the United States to see this interactive, hands-on exhibit that explores why you think, feel, and react the way you do!

Arts & Culture

Saturday – ‘Sonic Symphony’ Concert @ Bayou Music Center @ 8PM Sonic Symphony is an immersive live concert experience that celebrates more than three decades of music from SEGA’s iconic mascot. Yes, this is art.

Ongoing – ‘Space Explorers: The Infinite’ Immersive Experience @ Silver Street Studios Embark on an immersive excursion through new breathtaking videos that reveal the many wonders of space exploration. Ends 11/3.

Ongoing – ‘Quiet Ensemble: Solar Dust’ Immersive Experience @ POST LAST CHANCE – This immersive, state-of-the-art laser show offers a blend of light and sound while exploring the interconnectedness of nature and technology. Ends 10/31.

Ongoing – ‘Time and Space’ Exhibition @ ARTECHOUSE Visit three distinctive exhibitions showcasing over 18 unique installation pieces, ranging from cinematic experiences and laser performances to robotic installations and interactive artworks.

Ongoing – ‘Ken Mazzu: Points of Interest’ Exhibition @ MFAH LAST CHANCE – A Texas artist painting in Houston, Ken Mazzu’s works are rooted in the natural ecosystems of the Texas Chenier Plain, drawing inspiration from coastal marshes, inland waterways, timeless beaches, and coastal prairies. Ends 10/25.

Ongoing – ‘Tacita Dean: Blind Folly’ Exhibition @ Menil NEW – The exhibition spotlights the British visual artist’s career-defining approach to creating art through unmediated and chance-based drawing processes across a variety of mediums. Ends 4/15/2025.

Ongoing – ‘Fragments of Memory’ Exhibition @ Menil The exhibition presents drawings from the museum collection which explore the ways in which the past imbues present experiences. Ends 1/26/2025.

Ongoing – ‘Olivia Erlanger: If Today Were Tomorrow’ Exhibition @ CAMH LAST CHANCE – Across an installation, a video, and a series of commissioned sculptures, artist Olivia Erlanger continues her decade-long investigation into what it means to call a planet home. Ends 10/27.

Ongoing – ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts The first exhibition of its kind by Do Ho Suh, ‘In Process’ forgoes the formalities of a traditional gallery display in favor of creating a studio-like space highlighting the artist's research and collaborative projects. Ends 12/1.

Live theater

Friday – ‘Cinderella’ Opera @ Houston Grand Opera @ 7:30PM Goodness triumphs in Rossini’s frothy delight, ‘Cinderella,’ presented in a whimsical and colorful production that has enchanted audiences across the globe.

Saturday – ‘Asia to the World’ Dance Show @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM Come discover the amazing wonders of Asia through the art of dance.

Saturday – ‘Il Trovatore’ Opera @ Houston Grand Opera @ 7:30PM HGO presents a new production of Verdi’s perennially popular tragedy in a stunning, old-meets-new-world experience.

Sunday – ‘Cinderella’ Opera @ Houston Grand Opera @ 2PM Goodness triumphs in Rossini’s frothy delight, ‘Cinderella,’ presented in a whimsical and colorful production that has enchanted audiences across the globe.

All weekend – ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ Musical @ Art Factory Art Factory, lets loose on their innovative, new revival of the iconic show, promising fully immersive and high-octane nights of zany fun!

All weekend – ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Musical @ The Hobby Center ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is a nonstop blast, sci-fi horror comedy, love story and rock musical that has become one of the most treasured pieces of American musical theatre.

All weekend – ‘Assassins’ Musical @ Garden Theatre LAST CHANCE – A multiple Tony Award-winning musical, ‘Assassins’ combines Sondheim's music with a story of our nation's celebrity culture, explored through four successful and five would-be presidential assassins.

All weekend – ‘Noises Off’ Play @ Alley Theatre LAST CHANCE – Peek behind the curtain of a struggling acting troupe in this uproarious comedy as they battle misplaced props, forgotten lines, and an abundance of sardines.

All weekend – ‘The Janeiad’ Play @ Alley Theatre A play about longing and hope as well as the myths we tell ourselves in order to get through the day, ‘The Janeiad’ is a wry contemplation of the power, and slipperiness, of storytelling.

All weekend – ‘Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson: Apt. 2B’ Play @ Stages Repertory Theatre This fast-paced comedy from acclaimed playwright Kate Hamill puts a modern spin on the iconic crime-fighting duo, set in present-day Baker Street.

All weekend – ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ Play @ Main Street Theater Rice Village In this dramatic adaptation of her award-winning, bestselling memoir, Joan Didion transforms the story of the loss of her husband and daughter into a stunning and powerful one-woman play.

All weekend – ‘RACE’ Play @ MATCH Following one multicultural legal firm’s defense of their white businessman client, this play examines how truth is not always the goal when it comes to the legal system and the biases within.

Live Music

Thursday – Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics @ Lone Star Flight Museum @ 7PM / 9:15PM Enjoy a special concert featuring songs from ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Psycho,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Beetlejuice,’ and other Halloween classics.

Thursday – Breaking Benjamin & Staind @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 6:30PM With Daughtry

Thursday – Tinashe @ Bayou Music Center @ 8PM With Raveena

Thursday – Avery Anna @ House of Blues @ 7PM

Thursday – The Dip @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Parlor Greens

Thursday – Akeem Ali @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM

Friday – Candlelight: 90s Unplugged Concert @ Lone Star Flight Museum @ 9:15PM Listeso String Quartet performs 90s classics from Jeff Buckley, Alanis Morrissette, Radiohead, Metallica, No Doubt, & more.

Friday – Pearl Jam Tribute Concert @ POST @ 8PM

Friday – Cody Johnson @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7PM With Ashley McBryde & Braxton Keith

Friday – Dashboard Confessional @ Bayou Music Center @ 6:30PM With Boys Like Girls & Taylor Acorn

Friday – Xavi @ 713 Music Hall @ 7PM

Friday – SonReal @ House of Blues @ 7PM With Michael Minelli

Friday – Cumbriatron: The Cumbia Rave @ House of Blues @ 9PM

Friday – Show Me The Body @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM With High VIS, Zelooperz, Bib, & Zulu

Friday – The Lemon Twigs @ White Oak Music Hall @ 8PM With Tete Novella

Friday – Ruthie Foster @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM With Kam Franklin

Zorza @ Stereo Live @ Friday – 10PM

Friday – The Black Dahlia Murder @ Warehouse Live @ 6:30PM

Friday – Creed Fisher @ Scout Bar @ 7:30PM

Friday – Emo Night Halloween Party @ The Secret Group @ 9PM

Saturday – Candlelight: The Best of Hans ZImmer @ Lone Star Flight Museum @ 9:15PM Hear Hans Zimmer’s best soundtracks from ‘Inception,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Dark Knight,’ and more.

Saturday – Cheyenne Jackson @ The Hobby Center @ 7:30PM Get to know the multi-talented stage, television and film actor, singer, and songwriter in this intimate concert evening.

Saturday – Don Toliver @ Toyota Center @ 7:30PM With Ski Mask the Slump God, Monaleo, & Molly Santana

Saturday – Cody Johnson @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7PM With Tracy Byrd & Jesse Raub Jr.

Saturday – Jay Wheeler @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM

Saturday – Orchestra Noir @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM

Saturday – Tyler Hubbard @ House of Blues @ 7PM With Alana Springsteen

Saturday – Ruby Waters @ House of Blues @ 7PM With Barrett

Saturday – Bladee @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM

Saturday – Ginger Root @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Amaiwana

Saturday – Ishi @ White Oak Music Hall @ 8PM With Ghost Party

Saturday – Rick Wakeman @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM

Saturday – Lasso @ Warehouse Live @ 8PM

Saturday – Landon Conrath @ The Secret Group @ 7PM

Sunday – Halloween Candlelit Concert @ POST @ 7:30PM Experience a spooktacular evening of enchanting melodies performed by Monarch Chamber Players.

Sunday – Sabrina Carpenter @ Toyota Center @ 7PM With Griff

Sunday – Leela James @ Bayou Music Center @ 7:30PM With Macy Gray

Sunday – Coco & Clair Clair @ House of Blues @ 7PM

Sunday – Brooke Alexx @ House of Blues @ 7PM

Sunday – illuminati hotties @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Daffo

Sunday – DEHD @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM

Other events:

Thursday – ‘Signs’ Screening @ Trebly Park @ 8PM

Friday – Happy Hour Friday @ MFAH @ 5PM Explore the campus, visit the galleries after-hours, and get a drink at the bar at MFAH’s Happy Hour!

Friday – ‘The Addams Family’ Screening @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM

Friday – Halloween Silent Film Double Feature @ Jones Hall @ 7PM See two of the greatest silent films of all time – ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’- with live accompaniment by organist Brett Miller.

Saturday – ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Screening @ Discovery Green @ 7PM

Saturday – Rocky Horror Picture Show @ Jones Hall @ 7:30PM This interactive screening of Tim Curry’s campy cult classic includes a shadow cast performance with an exclusive guest appearance.

Sunday – ‘The Shining’ Screening @ MFAH @ 5PM