Updated: July 9th, 5:30PM
What’s up Houston!
This weekend is loaded with Dream Con, more World Cup watch parties, Bastille day celebrations, outdoor movies, comedy, concerts, theater, museum exhibitions, and plenty of ways to keep cool indoors.
Festival & Markets
Saturday – Bastille Day @ Alliance Française de Houston @ 5PM – 10PM
Sunday – Bastille Day @ MFAH Rienzi @ 1PM MFAH salutes Bastille Day, France’s national holiday, with a family day full of art-making activities, special tours, and French music.
All weekend – Dream Con @ George R. Brown Convention Center Dream Con unites enthusiasts globally to celebrate gaming, anime, sports, film, music, & pop culture while fostering inclusivity and a sense of belonging. This year’s talent includes Berleezy, Brandon Jay McLaren, & more.
Standup
Sunday – ‘Houston’s Funniest’ Comedy Showcase @ The Riot Comedy Club @ 6PM
Sunday – Keysha E. Stand-Up @ Punchline Houston @ 7PM
All weekend – DL Hughley Stand-Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend – Dave Smith Stand-Up @ Punchline Houston
Sports
Friday – Market Square Cup @ Market Square Park @ 6PM Market Square Cup is a community soccer event that brings young adults together for an evening of friendly competition, wellness, and connection. Ends 7/17.
Saturday – Houston Dynamo FC vs CD Olimpia @ Shell Energy Stadium @ 6PM *Friendly Match
Ongoing – FIFA Fan Festival Houston @ East Downtown Houston FIFA Fan Festival is Houston’s destination for live match viewing parties and global celebrations throughout the world’s largest sporting event. Ends 7/19.
Arts & Culture
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! Ends 9/4.
Saturday – Night at the MFAH: America 250 @ MFAH @ 6PM Explore galleries, new installations, and current exhibitions; plus enjoy a cocktail, chat with curators, listen to live music, and mingle with other art enthusiasts.
All weekend – ‘Representation of Form’ Performance @ MATCH This immersive experience combines live music, contemporary dance, and a photography installation to invite audiences to rethink shapes, image and sounds.
Ongoing – ‘America 250 Exhibit: The American Revolution Experience’ Exhibition @ Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park This interactive experience emphasizes the contributions and challenges faced by ordinary people during the Revolution, including Patriots, Loyalists, women, African Americans, Native Americans, and international allies. Ends 7/18.
Ongoing – ‘The Journey to End Cancer: From Cause to Cure’ Exhibition @ The Health Museum This exhibition is an innovative new science exhibition on cancer – exploring groundbreaking research, advanced medical technologies, and promising new therapies. Ends 9/13.
Ongoing – ‘Clickbait’ Exhibition @ HMNS Step beyond your smartphone screens and into the digital world in a whole new way. First of its kind, this interactive exhibition transforms the museum into a walkable digital experience, exploring the systems that shape how we see, share, and connect in the 21st century. Ends 9/7.
Ongoing – ‘Atacama’ Exhibition @ HMNS A seminal exhibition by photographer Jamey Stillings, ‘Atacama’ explores the evolving nexus between renewable energy and mining in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Ends 9/26.
Ongoing – ‘King Tut’s Tomb’ Exhibition @ HMNS This awe-inspiring event that will transport visitors back to 1922 as they explore this world premier exhibition. Ends 9/7.
Ongoing – ‘America 250: 1776 – 2026’ Displays @ MFAH With ‘America 250’, the MFAH highlights American artistic achievements in its permanent collection. Guests are invited to discover these works of art throughout galleries on the main campus and at both house museums: Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, and Rienzi. Ends 1/3/2027.
Ongoing – ‘Hew Locke: Passages’ Exhibition @ MFAH The most comprehensive survey of Hew Locke’s work to date, the exhibition showcases the spectrum of his practice reinvents the signs and symbols that define public spaces—from statues to coats of arms, royal insignia, official portraits, monuments, and imperial architecture. Ends 9/13.
Ongoing – ‘Picasso – Klee – Matisse’ Exhibition @ MFAH Get up close and personal with lesser-known pieces by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, and others in the U.S. debut of the Heinz Berggruen collection. Ends 9/13.
Ongoing – ‘Midcentury Menu: Dining in the Atomic Age’ Exhibition @ MFAH Rienzi This exhibition explores how convenience, technology, advertising, gender, and labor converged to redefine the meaning of food in postwar America. Ends 1/10/2027.
Ongoing – ‘John Akomfrah: The Hour of the Dog’ Exhibition @ Menil This immersive, six-channel video installation by the British artist Sir John Akomfrah explores the history of youth-led Civil Rights–era activism in the American South from 1954 to 1963. Ends 10/11.
Ongoing – ‘The Gift of Drawing: Cy Twombly’ Exhibition @ Menil Featuring 27 works from a gift to the museum by the Cy Twombly Foundation, the exhibition includes a broad range of works exploring Twombly’s fundamental themes such as classical antiquity, eroticism, and nature. Ends 8/9.
Ongoing – ‘Wall Drawing Series: Gladys Nilsson’ Exhibition @ Menil Known for her densely layered and meticulously constructed watercolors and collages, Nilsson brings her prominent artistic style to Menil’s special Wall Drawing Series. Ends 8/16.
Ongoing – ‘Masako Miki: Shapeshifters, Sprites, and Spirits’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts Rendered through Masako Miki’s vibrant visual language, this exhibition interprets themes from Japanese folklore and brings them into relation with the present. Ends 8/15.
Ongoing – ‘Mary Ellen Carroll: How To Talk Dirty and Influence People’ Exhibition @ CAMH The exhibition charts the import and impact of multidisciplinary artist Mary Ellen Carroll’s exploration of some of the most urgent issues of our time from environmentalism to immigration. Ends 11/1.
Ongoing – ‘Vian Sora: Outerworlds’ Exhibition @ Asia Society Texas Vian Sora’s ‘Outerworlds’ illuminates the struggle, courage, and dissonance faced by war survivors that exist between worlds. Ends 8/2.
All Ages/Good for kids
Saturday – LEGO Night @ Houston Botanic Garden @ 5PM
Sunday – Little Artists @ MFAH @ 1PM Families are invited to join an exciting art adventure at the Museum.
Friday & Saturday – ‘Finding Nemo’ Musical @ Art Factory This new musical adaptation of the 2003 Pixar movie brings new hits and beloved characters to life in the classic story of hope, family, and finding oneself. Ends 7/19.
Saturday & Sunday – Kids: ‘The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs’ Play @ MATCH There are two sides to every story, and when the Big, Bad Wolf takes the stand in Piggsylvania’s Trial of the Century, he finally gets his say. Ends 7/12.
Ongoing – ‘Mythical Realms’ Exhibit @ Houston Zoo Wander through an enchanted trail and come face-to-face with dragons, mythical creatures, and legendary beings drawn from ancient folklore. Ends 9/7.
Ongoing – ‘Extreme Animals Alive’ Exhibition @ HMNS Step into a graphic novel and explore the unique adaptations that make Earth’s creatures fearless and fascinating, beautiful and bold.
Live Theater
Saturday – ‘Beware of Short Texans’ Performance @ The Grand Opera House @ 3PM / 8PM New stories and old from master Texas storyteller Jaston Williams including the worlds angriest theatre director, the waiter who was scared of Champagne and more absurd yet thought-provoking stories.
All weekend – ‘Tamarie’s Greatest Hits, Volume 3’ Performance @ MATCH Catastrophic Theatre’s very own Tamarie Cooper brings a new signature show full of her wildly irreverent scripts, riotously funny songs, wackadoodle dances, spectacular sets, and more! Ends 8/1.
All weekend – ‘Broadway and Beyond: Celebrating 30 Shows with Holland Vavra’ Show @ Stages Houston The theater transforms into a cozy setting for a unique evening that invites audiences to relive the magic, the memories, and the music that have made Holland Vavra a beloved presence. Ends 7/26.
All weekend – ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ Musical @ The George Theatre Based on the Bible’s Book of Genesis, this classic Broadway musical tells the journey of Joseph, son of Jacob, his twelve brothers, and his coat of many colors. Ends 7/19.
All weekend – ‘Get Ready’ Musical @ Ensemble Theatre ‘Get Ready’ is an exploration of the joys and pains that many African American musicians grappled with when music shifted from 1950’s doo-wop into mainstream pop + rhythm + blues. Ends 7/26.
All weekend – ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Musical @ Crighton Theatre ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ is a lighthearted 1950s musical comedy about the chaos that erupts in a small Midwestern town when a hip-swinging rock-and-roll idol is drafted into the US Army. Ends 7/19.
All weekend – Drunk Shakespeare: ‘Romeo & Juliet’ Show @ The Emerald Theatre In this hilarious twist on the classic love story, one actor will down five shots of whiskey before attempting to play a major role, while the rest of the sober cast tries to keep the show on track. Ends 7/11.
Live Music
Thursday – Young the Giant @ 713 Music Hall @ 6:30PM With Cold War Kids & Kennyhoopla
Thursday – Stereosity @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
Thursday – R&B Afterdark: Playing Hits Non-Stop Night @ Warehouse Live @ 9PM
Thursday – Tunnel Vision @ Scout Bar @ 8PM With Capital Dub & Jayton Lening
Friday – Hatebreed @ House of Blues @ 4PM With Devourment, Snuffed on Sight, Face Yourself, & more
Friday – Emo Forever Party @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
Friday – Hot In Herre: 2000s Dance Party @ White Oak Music Hall @ 8PM
Friday – Dream Con Afterparty @ Warehouse Live @ 9PM
Friday – Route 101 @ Scout Bar @ 9PM With No Order & Opportunity
Friday – Cam Allen @ Armadillo Palace @ 9PM
Friday – Pigs on the Wall: A Shining Tribute to Pink Floyd @ Dan Electro’s @ 9PM
Friday – The Magnolia Brothers @ Continental Club @ 9PM
Friday – Light Rock Express @ The Big Top @ 9PM
Saturday – Flashback Funk Fest @ Smart Financial Centre @ 7PM Get ready to rewind the clock and turn up the funk! Featuring Morris Day & The Time, Zapp Band, Confunkshun, & SOS Band.
Saturday – Candlelight: 90s Hip-Hop on Strings @ Resurrection MCC @ 6:30PM Your favorite throwback Hip-Hop hits reimagined in classical sound! Featuring selections by Wu Tang Clan, Outkast, 2Pac, Nas, & more.
Saturday – Candlelight: Tribute to The Beatles @ Resurrection MCC @ 8:45PM
Saturday – T.I. @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM With King Harris
Saturday – Earlybirds Club Daytime Party @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
Saturday – Man Man @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Death Valley Girls
Saturday – Vincent Neil Emerson @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM With Hayden Redwine
Saturday – Anime Rave @ Warehouse Live @ 9PM
Saturday – Devin the Dude @ Scout Bar @ 10PM
Saturday – Sylar @ The Secret Group @ 6PM
Saturday – Gunnar Latham @ Armadillo Palace @ 9PM
Saturday – Sleep Token Night Houston @ Dan Electro’s @ 8PM
Saturday – Metal Night @ Dan Electro’s @ 10:30PM
Saturday – The Mox @ Continental Club @ 8:30PM With Rozy & Zegovia
Saturday – Nathan Quick Band @ The Big Top @ 9:30PM
Sunday – Sunday Concert Series: Babatunde and the Friends @ Discovery Green @ 5PM With Batala Houston
Sunday – Sunday Funday Dream Con Party @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
Sunday – Night Bird: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute @ Dan Electro’s @ 8PM
Friday & Saturday – Summer Symphony Nights @ Miller Outdoor Theatre Bring the whole family to experience Houston’s Symphony classical repertoire with concerts featuring works from beloved composers like Elgar, Tchaikovsky, and Dvořák paired alongside contemporary pieces.
Other Events
Thursday – Movies Under the Stars: ‘Top Gun – Maverick’ Screening @ Market Square Park @ 8:30PM
Thursday – ‘The Proposal’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 7:15PM
Thursday – ‘The Dark Knight’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 10PM
Friday – Movie & Dance: ‘Encanto’ @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7:30PM The night begins with a colorful performance by a local Ballet Folklórico group followed up by a special screening of Disney hit film ‘Encanto.’
Friday – ‘Twilight’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 7:15PM
Friday – ‘Pulp Fiction’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 10PM
Saturday – ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ Screening @ MFAH @ 5PM
Saturday – Screen on the Green: ‘Shaolin Soccer’ Screening @ Discovery Green @ 7PM
Saturday – ‘Poetic Justice’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 7:15PM
Saturday – ‘Scream’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 10PM
Sunday – Tibetan Meditation Workshop @ Asia Society Texas @ 11AM This session will consist of a guided Tibetan meditation and can be enjoyed by all audiences.
Sunday – ‘The Wedding Singer’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 7PM
Sunday – ‘Sinners’ Screening @ Rooftop Cinema Club @ 9:20PM
Friday & Sunday – ‘Miroirs No. 3’ Screening @ MFAH
Ongoing – Saturday Stargazing @ George Observatory in Needville