Make the most of your weekend with our Houston Weekend Guide for Thursday, January 2 to Sunday, January 5, 2014.
[quote_box_right]Weekend Shortcuts
[/quote_box_right]In what amounts to the fourth weekend in two weeks, this first real weekend of 2014 begins to see post-holiday normalcy descend on the Bayou City. That is, if you consider science fiction conventions, cat shows, monster truck rallies and 80s hair metal tribute bands to be normal. Regardless of your favorite flavor for fun this weekend in Houston, we’ve got your back.
Things to Do All Weekend
- Space City Con 2014 in Galveston | Friday to Sunday – Celebrate all things geek at the Houston area’s convention celebrating comics, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, literature, art and more. All ages are welcome at this three-day gathering at Moody Gardens in Galveston. Dress up as your favorite character or in your favorite t-shirt to see science fiction and fantasy celebrities, artists, authors, filmmakers and creators.
- The Houston Symphony presents Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony | Friday to Sunday – See Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada lead the performance of Mozart’s final symphony, as well as a performance of Haydn’s Fire Symphony, at Jones Hall. $25 to $124.
- The Houston Cat Club’s 61st Annual Charity Cat Show | Saturday and Sunday – If you love your feline friends, you’ll want to hightail it to the George R. Brown Convention Center for this annual competition where 300 pedigreed cats and kittens compete for show honors.
- Final nights of Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo | Thursday to Saturday – It’s your last chance, and likely the least crowded opportunity of the season, to take a magically-lit evening stroll through the Houston Zoo while the animals slumber.
- Final days of the Holiday Train on the Hermann Park Railroad | Daily – Sunday is your last chance to take the two-mile, light-festooned train ride around Herman Park on a with a hot cocoa or apple cider.
- Discover a new Houston date idea (or a new date) | Sponsored – Looking for a popular date idea, or for someone to join you? Either way, Howaboutwe.com has some suggestions for you.
Thursday, January 2
- Hot Nights on ICE at Discovery Green | FREE to attend – Skate to music from Hot 95.7 and enter to win prizes if you share your New Year’s resolution. It’s free to show up and enjoy the entertainment. If you’re going to skate, the normal $12 skating fees apply.
- Service Industry New Year’s Eve Party at Proof Bar + Patio – It may be January 2, but Proof Bar + Patio is hosting a special New Years Eve event for the service industry folks who were busy pouring drinks, waiting tables, standing guard at doors and otherwise making sure the actual New Year’s Eve went off without a hitch. Booth Pimps will be in charge of the music and there will be a countdown and Champagne toast at midnight. No cover.
- All About the Music Rave at The Mark Nightclub – Dance to electronica, house and EDM from DJs Richard Vission and Riddler. 9pm to close. $20.
- More Great Things to Do All Weekend Long – Some of the biggest things happening in Houston this weekend are happening all weekend long. Click here to scroll up and see our list.
Friday, January 3
- Kirbside Bar Launch Party at Whole Foods Kirby – Whole Foods is debuting its new bar concept in Upper Kirby, with expanded seating, a big screen television and eight beers on tap. For their big Friday debut, you’ll find the taps filled with Karbach beers, including FUN series 003, 007 and 008. 6pm to 8pm.
- S’more Fun for the Winter Happy Hour at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston – Enjoy winter cocktails and make your own s’mores by the fire pit at Splash, the Four Season’s fourth floor pool bar, with this special weekly winter happy hour.
- Despicable Me 2 movie screening at Friday Night Flicks at The ICE | FREE to watch – Take to the The ICE at Discovery Green and enjoy a free screening of Despicable Me 2, with even more Minion hi-jinks than the original. 6:30pm. $12 skating fees apply.
- Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks at Toyota Center – The Rockets stare down the Grizzlies starting at 7pm. You can save 10% or more if you bid on tickets via ScoreBig or find significantly cheaper or better seats on TicketSpot’s resale market. 7pm.
- How the Other Half Loves at Theatre Southwest – Catch this classic comedy of errors about marital infidelity and receipt by British playwright and Tony award-winning Alan Ayckbourn.
- More Great Things to Do All Weekend Long – Some of the biggest things happening in Houston this weekend are happening all weekend long. Click here to scroll up and see our list.
Saturday, January 4
- Lucky Dog Pet Adoptions at Whole Foods Montrose – Visit some of Lucky Dog’s rescued pups and maybe find a four-legged friend to take home at this special appearance in front of Whole Foods on Waugh from 10am to 2pm.
- Strawberry picking at Blessington Farms in Simonton – Fill up a basket for $5 a pound with fresh strawberries you pluck from the patch yourself.
- Rice University Walking Tour with AIA Houston – Explore the beautiful Rice campus and see the works of Michael Graves, Kieren Timberlake, Ricardo Bofill, Cesar Pelli, Lake/Flato Architects and many other local and internationally renowned architects. The tour also takes in James Turrell’s skyspace and 45°, 90°, 180° by Michael Heizer. The tour explains how the buildings and the public spaces like quads work together to create a collegiate experiences. $5 for ArCH and AIA Houston Members; $10 for nonmembers.
- 8th Wonder Brewery Tour – Stop by and enjoy a beer (or three) as 8th Wonder Brewery in EaDo opens its doors to the public. Choose from two options. $10 will get you a 10-ounce 8th Wonder collector’s sample glass and three fills of beer, while $15 gets you a 16-ounce glass along with three fills. 6pm to 9pm.
- Monster Jam at Reliant Stadium – The world’s largest and most famous monster truck tour returns to Houston for the first of three shows this winter. 7pm to 9:45pm. Tickets are still available from Ticketmaster, but you’ll probably find better or cheaper seats via TicketSpot’s resale market. 7pm.
- Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue and Poison tribute bands at House of Blues – See Appetite for Destruction, Red White and Crue, and Poison’d perform in this showcase that pays tribute to Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue and Poison, respectively. Tickets are still available from House of Blues, but you’ll probably find better or cheaper seats via TicketSpot’s resale market.
- Under a Cowboy Moon at Theatre Suburbia – This award-winning comedy mashes cowboy culture and the promise of fleeting televised fame with the story of fictional Spitwhistle, Texas where a new cowboy poetry contest offering cash and media exposure to the “Best Pen in the West.”
- Three Stand-Up Dads: Tim Bedore, Kelly McDonald and Dan St. Paul at The Grand in Galveston – Catch this unique, family-friendly and family-based stand-up comedy from three celebrated national comedians for one night only at The Grand 1894 Opera House in downtown Galveston.
- More Great Things to Do All Weekend Long – Some of the biggest things happening in Houston this weekend are happening all weekend long. Click here to scroll up and see our list.
Sunday, January 5
- Brunch at Mr. Peeples – Indulge in a Sunday brunch featuring modern seafood and steak at the elegantly edgy Mr. Peeples in Midtown. 11am to 3pm.
- Final day of “UIA” at “Outside the Lines” at the CAMH | FREE – See the unexpected and often wacky art of UIA (Unlikely Iterations of the Abstract), which dispels the idea that art can only come in a single shape, size or arrangement. Curated by Contemporary Art Museum Houston Director Bill Arning, the installation will be removed after Sunday, January 5 to make room for the new “Rites of Spring” installation. Noon to 6pm.
- The Menil Collection | FREE – Pay a visit to the stunning Menil Collection next to Menil Park in Montrose and wander from room to room and enjoy the Byzantine collection, African works and the modern art. 11am to 7pm.
- More Great Things to Do All Weekend Long – Some of the biggest things happening in Houston this weekend are happening all weekend long. Click here to scroll up and see our list.
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Was your favorite event missing? Let us know in the comments below!
