Free Events Thursday

Movie Screening: Ballerina

Friday, January 31, 2014 at 7:30 pm

2337 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005

Director: Bertrand Normand In the grand tradition of the Ballets Russes comes a portrait of five Russian ballerinas from the Mariinsky Theatre. Behind any great ballerina lies the discipline and rigor that comes from decades of training and practice. The five dancers profiled in this revealing film are tough, insightful and exceptionally talented; onstage they reveal no hint of the sweat, pain and hard work of the rehearsal studio. With Ulyana Lopatkina, Diana Vishneva, Evgenia Obraztsova, Alina Somova and Svetlana Zakharova. Language: English Duration: 77 minutes.

Price: Tickets: $8/$6 – RCC members Please buy tickets in advance as seating is limited.

Watch Auntie Mame Outdoors

Friday, January 31 at 6:30 pm

It’s the last free winter movie at Discovery Green! The movie will be facing towards the ICE rink. Feel free to bring blankets or chairs to view from The Lake House deck or White Promenade. Located at 1500 McKinney downtown.

Price: Free!!!

Celebrate Mardi Gras Style

Saturday, February 1 at 10 am-10 pm

It’s Houston’s first Mardi Gras Parade and Festival! The Houston Creole Heritage Festival kicks off with a parade at 8 am beginning at Bell St. and Chenevert and ending at Discovery Green. The free festival, from 10 am – 10 pm, features live music, carnival and festival games, Kids’ Zone, Educational Fair, arts and crafts, and more. Get details about free kids’ bike helmet distribution at this event in my previous post. The nonprofit Houston S.H.O.P. (Sweet Hour of Prayer) Ministries is sponsoring this event, which raises funds to provide academic scholarships and school supplies.

Price: Free!!!

Support Local Artists

Saturday, February 1 at 11 am-6 pm

The First Saturday Arts Market returns! This monthly outdoor market in the Heights features original art, music, and fun. Musical entertainment provided by Renise Dichards and the Wild Things plus Alex, Wendy and Alexis. Located at 548 W. 19th on the Wind Water Gallery parking lot. – See more at: http://www.houstononthecheap.com/free-weekend-fun#sthash.nPrcemoD.dpuf

Art Tour at Asia Society

Saturday, February 1 at 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Docent-led tours of Asia Society Texas Center’s exhibitions allow visitors to experience art on a personal level, learn about art historical periods and styles, and hear stories associated with the artwork. Between History and New Horizons: Photographs of Women, Work And Community in Laos For most of the over 100 distinct ethnic groups found in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, textile making has long been considered the domain of women. What constitutes women’s labor in a rapidly changing economy and how do women depict their roles in it? Consisting of professional portraits as well as personal photographs, Between History and New Horizons provides an all-too-infrequent glimpse of contemporary Laos, the perspectives of ethnic women, and the transformation of traditional skills into modern livelihoods.

Price: $5

Lunar NewYear Festival

Saturday, February 01, 2014 at 10 am- 4 pm

9800 Town Park Drive, Houston, TX 77036

Every year the Chinese Community Center hosts the premier event in Southwest Houston, the Lunar New Year Festival. The Lunar New Year Festival is a market place of family fun, Chinese cultural awareness, community outreach, and business promotion. The festival is a multi-cultural Asian celebration showcasing East and West and the diversity of the City of Houston.

With the support of local artists and performing groups, teach celebration attracts over 15,000 local and out-of-town visitors. Supported in part by the Houston Arts Alliance, the festival will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2014 celebrating the Year of the Horse. Starting at 10am and lasting for 6 exciting hours, the indoor auditorium and large outdoor park-like spaces at the Chinese Community Center host an array of riveting, beautiful, and inspiring performances to welcome the Lunar New Year.

Price: Free!!!

Houston Chinese New Years-30 Year Tradition-30 Persons Dragon Dance Team

Friday, January 31, 2014 and Saturday, February 1, 2014

2407 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77098

Shanghai River Restaurant will celebrate its 30 year tradition of Chinese New Years “The Year of the Horse – 4712” with a gala, fun-filled two day celebration Friday, January 31, 2014 and Saturday, February 1, 2014. The celebration will include an exciting 30 persons Dragon Dance Team at 8:15 PM each evening.

Authentic Chinese calligraphy, a good luck Chinese New Year’s menu, and drinks will add to the festivities. (Dinner will be served each evening from 5:00 PM till 11:00 PM., and diners can select either the CNY menu or the regular menu.) Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are preferred by calling Shanghai River at (713) 528-5528.

Price: Free!!!

The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

From: December 22, 2013 – March 23, 2014 (Recurring daily)

1001 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005

The acclaimed international tour of The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute concludes in Houston at the MFAH. Showcasing the Clark’s renowned holdings of French Impressionist painting, this exhibition features 73 works of art by a stellar lineup that includes Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley. Also represented are Pierre Bonnard, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Jean-François Millet, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

The Clark launched the collection tour in 2011 at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, coinciding with a three-year expansion of the Clark’s Williamstown, Massachusetts, facility. The MFAH is only the second, and the final, U.S. museum to host the exhibition.

This spectacular presentation tells not only the story of Sterling and Francine Clark’s devotion and passion for collecting but also of painting in 19th-century France, from the Orientalist works of Gérôme; to the Barbizon paintings of Corot and Théodore Rousseau; to the Impressionist masterpieces of Degas, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley; and concluding with the Early Modern output of Bonnard and Lautrec. Portraits, landscapes, marines, still lifes, and scenes of everyday life by 25 artists, spanning 70 years, are all on view.

Price: Free on Thursdays and for members; $23 (Sat. & Sun.) | $20 (weekdays)

Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Cultured Cocktails Fundraiser For Frame Dance!

Thursday, January 16th at 5- 7 pm

Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar

307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006

Price: Free!!!

12 Minutes Max at the Barn

January 17, 2014

The Barn (formerly Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex)

2201 Preston St., Houston, TX

12 Minutes Max! pops into The Barn with an exciting line up of choreographers showcasing all new work. Curated and produced by Dance Source Houston from participants of Fieldwork, 12 Minutes Max! features work by Rebekah Chappell, Sara Draper, Laura Gutierrez, Cori Miller and John R. Stronks. Performances will take place on Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18, 2014 at 7:30pm at The Barn – Dance Source Performing Arts Space. Ticket Information: Dance Source Houston presents 12 Minutes Max! on January 17 and 18, 2014 at 7:30pm at The Barn, 2201 Preston St, Houston, TX 77003. Tickets are $10/pre sale general admission, $15/at the door and $5/Dance Source Members. To purchase tickets visit dancesourcehouston.secure.force.com/ticket/.

Price: $10/pre sale general admission, $15/at the door

2014 Opening Day at Sam Houston Race Park

January 17, 2014

Gates open at 6. Live racing starts at 7.

Sam Houston Race Park

7575 N. Sam Houston Parkway W, Houston, TX 77064

Live Thoroughbred Racing Returns with bigger purses than ever! Be at The Park Opening Weekend for our special TWO-DAY kickoff highlighting the best of Texas Thoroughbred racing at Texas Champions Weekend. Friday is 50 Cent Beer Night with more than $255,000 in purses! Opening Day is also Military Appreciation Day, with free entry for all Military with ID. Also don’t miss Master Sergeant Promise Harris performing the National Anthem, and the presentation of the colors by the Cypress Ridge HS AFJROTC Color Guard.

Price:

General admission starts at $7 per person
Children ages 3 and under get in FREE
Counter seats are available for an additional $4 per person
Box seats are available for an additional $6 per person
Luxury Suites are also available by calling 281-807-8750
Winner’s Circle buffet available starting at $22.95

13th Annual MLK battle Of The Bands Competition

January 18, 2014, 4 pm – 9 pm

Joe Kelly Butler Stadium

13755 S.Main Street, Houston, TX 77035

The MLK Battle Of The Bands Competition is one of the largest high school show band competitions in the U.S. Its purpose ist o promote racial harmony through music appreciation while providing scholarship opportunities to high school students.

The 2014 Activity will feature sixteen nationally acclaimed and award-winning high school show bands from across the nation as they compete for national honors.

Price: $10. Get your tickets at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/13th-annual-battle-of-the-bands-competition-tickets-6993221915?ref=ebtnebtckt

5th Annual Yaga’s Chili Quest and Beer Fest

January 18, 2014, 11am-6pm

Saengerfest Park
2300 Strand St, Galveston, TX 77550

Yaga’s Chili Quest & Beer Fest will return to Galveston’s Historic Strand District on Saturday, January 18, 2014, featuring 100 varieties of craft and imported beer selections and over 60 chili cook-off teams. The fifth annual Chili Quest officially opens to the public at 11 a.m. when the cook teams begin serving their chili concoctions on the Strand. Other Chili Quest events occurring throughout the day include a washer tournament, margarita making contest, jalapeno eating contest, 5k fun-run and a Strand merchant walk-about. An awards ceremony will conclude the event with the announcement of the best chili on Galveston Island. Beer Fest will open at 12:00pm for those with a VIP Early Bird Ticket. There are a limited number of VIP Early Bird Tickets available to allow for shorter lines and more one on one time with the brewers and representatives. Beer Fest opens to the public at 1:00pm with an estimated 100 craft and imported brews from around the world available for sampling.

Price: $8-35

America’s Got Talent – Open Auditions

From: January 18, 2014 – January 19, 2014 (Recurring daily), 8 AM-7PM

Reliant Park

The next stop for auditions are Houston (Jan. 18-19), Indianapolis (Jan. 25-26) and Los Angeles (Feb. 8-9). Additional audition cities will be announced shortly. For updates, registration forms, audition tips, venue information and to submit an online audition, visit www.AGTAuditions.com. “America’s Got Talent”is the only talent competition show open to any age and any talent. The auditions are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for performers across the country to showcase their talent in 90 seconds to the series’ producers, in the hopes of being able to take the stage in front of the “AGT” judges. Every type of performer is welcome: Last season’s competitors included musicians, dancers, magicians, contortionists, comedians, singers, jugglers, animal acts and everything in between.

Got what it takes? Register here: http://www.agtauditions.com/

Good luck!

Price: FREE!!!

A Celebration of the New Year of the Trees

January 19, 2014, 11-3pm

Urban Harvest Farmers Market

3000 Richmond
Houston TX 77098

Escape the winter doldrums! Enjoy a fun Tu B’shevat activity for the whole family with Big Tent Judaism, and check out the Urban Harvest Farmers Market! Learn about the “new year for the trees,” decorate a mini planter, and take home seeds to plant and grow! Enjoy a wide range of seasonal, sustainably produced goods from local farmers and vendors at this Farmers market.

Price: FREE!!!

Into the Woods

January 19, 2014 – February 09, 2014

Main Street Theater

2540 Times Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

Main Street Theater once again teams up with Guy Roberts and Prague Shakespeare Company to create a new, intimate production of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s now-classic take on everyone’s favorite storybook characters.

The story follows a Baker and his wife’s wish to have a child, Cinderella’s wish to attend the King’s Festival, and Jack’s wish that his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch’s spell, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone’s wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.

In 1988, Into the Woods won Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.

Price: $20

Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

December 19, 2013 – March 09, 2014

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia examines the impact of ancient trade routes that traversed the Arabian Peninsula, carrying precious frankincense and myrrh to Mesopotamia and the Greco-Roman world and allowing for a vibrant exchange of both objects and ideas. With the later rise of Islam, pilgrimage roads converged on Mecca and gradually replaced the well-traveled incense roads.

Price: MFAH Members: Free; Adults: $15 (online $14)

Friday Night Flicks at The ICE at Discovery Green

Friday, Jan 10, 2014 at 6:30 PM

Skate and watch or just enjoy the movie. The movie is free, skating fees apply. Smurfs 2 (PG) 2013, 105 mins.

Movies will be oriented towards the ICE rink. Feel free to bring blankets and chairs to view from the White Promenade and Lake House Deck. Food, beer and wine are available at the Lake House. No glass containers or outside alcoholic beverages, please.

Price: Free and skating is $12

Tchaikovsky Serenade

January 11th at 8:00 pm.

Wortham Theater Center

501 Texas Ave.
Houston,TX 77002

Mercury — The Orchestra Redefined performs one of the Romantic period’s most accomplished works on period instruments during today’s Tchaikovsky Serenade concert. The four-movement Serenade for Strings starts with a stirring and highly accented 36‑bar introduction reportedly meant to echo Mozart’s style. The motif is repeated at the end of the movement and again at the end of the work, tying it all together. Serenade’s second movement, Valse, is often performed alone. Valse should be familiar to the most casual music fan; it’s been used in several film and television soundtracks. Mozart’s Divertimento in D, K. 136, and Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin and Strings complete the program. The concert features Antoine Plante, Mercury’s artistic director, at the podium and Jonathan Godfrey (seen above), one of the group’s co-founders, on violin.

call 713-533-0080 or visit mercuryhouston.org

Price: $10 to $65

Houston Happy Hikers 5k/10k January Walk in Galveston

Saturday January 11, 2014

Start anytime between 9 a.m.-noon; finish by 3 p.m.

Mosquito Cafe

628 14th St., Galveston, TX 77550

Event is non-competitive; walk, jog or run at your own pace. Trail leads participants along city streets displaying some magnificent turn of century architecture. After the event, enjoy fresh seafood and visit Galveston’s Strand Historic District.

Price: Free

Winterfest!

Saturday January 11, 2014 at 11am-4pm

Join us for 3rd annual Winterfest! Hear live music from Katy Rocks. A variety of bands will be featured playing everything from rock to country to original songs ! Skeeters mascot will be there! Vendor booths will be set up for entertainment and shopping. All proceeds will go to Katy Rocks a non-profit that uses music to mentor kids.

Price: Free

Mini Pops!

Sunday January 12th 11 am to 5 pm

1657 Westheimer 77006 at the corner of Dunlavy

Hosted by Pavement Clothing and Leopard Lounge Vintage. Find awesome digs at the Pavement, Sole Purpose, and Leopard Lounge sidewalk sales. Participate in free craft activities, poems for sale or barter by Traci Lavois, Juice Girl fresh squeezed juices, and free Buff Brew beer tasting. This month we’ll be making mobiles and garlands with free paint chips collected from hardware stores. Don’t forget to stop by Space Boutique for even more handcrafted design.

Price: Free

Free Events Thursdays!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Secret Lives of the Stars

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Every Monday-Sunday. Various show times 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Don’t let the title Secret Lives of Stars fool you: This has nothing to do with Hollywood gossip. Instead, this planetarium special is all about the stars in the night sky, from the massive to the tiny.

Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men) narrates the show, explaining the difference between planetary nebulas and supernovas and the like.

Price:$8.

Holiday in the Woodlands

The Woodlands Town Center

10001 Woodloch Forest
Spring,TX 77380

Daily until January 20th

Stroll through a spectacular fantasyland of light displays and glide across the ice at the Holiday in the Woodlands. The Donoho’s Jewelers Winter Wonderland, an array of holiday scenes illuminated with thousands of lights, surrounds the Woodlands Outdoor Ice Rink. The Wonderland includes decorated snowmen, angels, elves, toy soldiers and more. The rink, among the largest outdoor ice rinks in the region, conducts skate sessions for families. Navigate around the displays and shops on the Waterway Trolleys and the Waterway Cruisers; both are offering rides during the holidays.

Dates and times vary. For information, call 281-419-5630 or visit thewoodlandsicerink.com.

Price: Free to $10.50.

Russian Holiday Bazaar

Russian Cultural Center “Our Texas”

2337 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005

November 18, 2013 – January 15, 2014

Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00p.m., Saturday: 11:00a.m. – 3:00p.m.

We offer a broad assortment of unique gifts that will satisfy the most demanding tastes. We have wooden figures of Father Frost and beautiful icons. There are lovely lacquer jewelry boxes, hand-painted with the Russian fairy-tale motifs and intricately carved containers made of birch bark. We also have vintage porcelain figurines by the famous Lomonosov (Imperial) Factory and golden wooden tableware called “Khokhloma.”Plus we have the famous Russian Matreshkas or nesting dolls.

Price: FREE!

Strawberry Picking at Blessington Farms

December 07, 2013 – May 03, 2014 (Every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) from 10am-3:30pm

Blessington Farms

510 Chisholm Road, Simonton, TX 77476

Gather the family and head over to Blessington Farms for u-pick strawberries! Enjoy picking and eating the most delicious strawberries. There are also lots of other Farm Funland festivities like hay rides, giant slides, pedal cars, chicken encounter, barrel train rides, hay maze and more. Blessington Farms is located 40 miles west of downtown Houston. Road trip!

Price:

Strawberries $5/pound

$8/person for Farm Funland. (Children under 18 months enter for free)

The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

December 22, 2013 – March 23, 2014 (Recurring daily)

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Beck Building)

1001 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005

This spectacular presentation tells not only the story of Sterling and Francine Clark’s devotion and passion for collecting but also of painting in 19th-century France, from the Orientalist works of Gérôme; to the Barbizon paintings of Corot and Théodore Rousseau; to the Impressionist masterpieces of Degas, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley; and concluding with the Early Modern output of Bonnard and Lautrec. Portraits, landscapes, marines, still life, and scenes of everyday life by 25 artists, spanning 70 years, are all on view.

Price: Free on Thursdays; Not free otherwise

Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony

From: January 03, 2014 – January 05, 2014 (Recurring daily)

Houston Symphony

Jan. 3rd- 4th at 8PM; Jan. 5th at 2:30PM

Celebrate the New Year with two of classical music’s great superstars. First Mozart, who’s brilliance shines through in his sublime final symphony. In the Jupiter, drama, joy and energy are presented with the composer’s trademark elegance. The program opens by turning up the heat with the equally exciting Fire Symphony by Haydn.

Program:
Haydn: Symphony No. 59, Fire
Schnittke: Moz-Art á la Haydn- for two violins and chamber ensemble
Mozart: Symphony No. 41, Jupiter

Artist: Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor; Eric Halen, violin

Price: It ain’t free…

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Besides finishing up your Christmas shopping, here are some fun things to do this weekend!

Handel’s Messiah 10th Anniversary Performances

8 pm December 19, 20 & 21.

As our tenth season unfolds, we anticipate yet another wonderful experience for the Christmas season. The CEPC choir and orchestra along with special guest soloists will once again delight you with this special masterwork. Handel’s Messiah has become a wonderful tradition here at Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Tickets: Free general admission tickets will be available at 7 pm each evening for that evening’s performance. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so please arrive early.

Friday Night Flicks At The ICE (Discovery Green)

Friday, Dec 20, 2013 at 6:30 PM

Skate and watch or just enjoy the movie. Free Movie, Skating Fees Apply. A Christmas Story.

Movies will be oriented towards the ICE rink. Feel free to bring blankets and chairs to view from the White Promenade and Lake House Deck. Movies will be oriented towards the ICE rink. You are welcome to bring blankets,and chairs to view from the White Promenade and The Lake House Deck. Food, beer and wine are available at the Lake House. No glass containers or outside alcoholic beverages, please.

Free!

Prestonwood Forest

December 7 – December 29 (dusk to 10 pm weekdays and till 11 pm weekends).

This is considered the “granddaddy” of Houston neighborhoods with entire streets participating in elaborate light displays since the 1970s. The neighborhood is off Tomball Parkway (SH249).

Free!

Dickinson Festival of Lights (Dickinson)

Nightly through January 1, 6 pm – 9 pm.

Free walk-through lights display at Paul Hopkins Park. All parking and shuttle buses are free. Parking on weekends is courtesy the Dickinson Plaza Shopping Center, exit 19, I-45 N feeder.

Free!

Theatre Under The Stars presents Elf – The Musical

December 19th-December 22nd

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
800 Bagby St.
Houston, TX 77002

Tickets: $24 – $127

A.D. Players presents The Pass-It-On Christmas

Friday-Saturday, December 20th-December 21st at 10:30 AM

A. D. Players
2710 W. Alabama St.
Houston, TX 77098

Follow a zany troupe of actors as they recount the adventures of a shepherd boy and his lamb crossing the countryside, passing on the news that Jesus is born.

Ticket: $10

Houston Children’s Chorus presents “A Concert of Sacred Christmas Music”

Saturday, December 21st at 3 PM & 6 PM.

Villa de Matel
6510 Lawndale Street
Houston, TX 77023

Set in the chapel on the campus of the Villa de Matel Convent, “A Concert of Sacred Christmas Music” features the voices of the Houston Children’s Chorus. Enjoy the spirit of the season as the children express the gentleness of Christmas through classic sacred selections. Website: houstonchildren.org

Tickets: $15

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Merry Christmas Framers!

It’s that time again…Free Events Thursday!!!

A Christmas Carol

Tuesday- Sunday until December 26

Alley Theatre

Price: $26-$80

Tomball German Christmas Market

Friday through Sunday

Hours are 6 pm – 10 pm Friday.

Explore the German culture! Featuring 4 stages, 175 vendors, street performers, ethnic food, arts and crafts and more. Located in Old Town Tomball near the train depot.

Free admission and free parking!

Catch a movie under the moon

Friday, December 13: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is showing at Discovery Green, 6:30 pm

Friday, December 13: Edward Scissorhands at Whole Foods Market Montrose, at twilight.

Free!

Old-Fashioned Christmas Festival

The fun is Saturday, December 14, 10 am – 5 pm

Located in Old Town Katy between 2nd and Avenue B.

With snow play kicking off at 11 am. Families will enjoy arts and crafts, carolers, entertainment, food, produce and snow!

Free!

Lights in the Heights

Saturday, December 14 in the Woodland Heights neighborhood

Hours are 6 pm – 9 pm.

Streets are blocked off to best view the lighted homes and musical performances right from the porch! vent planners are scaling back this year with a shorter route (beginning at Watson and end at Florence). Plus no activities or vendors on Norhill Esplanade.

Free!

Caroling on the Square

December 14 features Girl Friday from 6 pm – 8 pm.

Waterway Square in The Woodlands Saturdays in December. Each week features a variety of entertainers. Appropriate for all ages, and picnics, chairs, blankets and coolers welcome!

Free!

Bizzare Holiday Market

Sunday, December 15, noon – 5 pm.

The event features local craftsmen, food, live music, and more. Located in the 3400-3700 block of Main Street.

…Free!!!

A.D. Players Presents: Gold, Frankincense and…Myrrh!

November 20 – December 31, 2013

Witty retelling of the nativity story and the boyhood of Christ follows a fourth wiseman who completely misses the point. When a star as bright as the sun appears in the sky, the wiseman and his servant boy set out to find the king whose birth has been foretold. Planning along the way how best to capitalize on the momentous occasion, they arrive in Bethlehem, but will the wiseman find what he is looking for?

The Mainstage Theater is located at 2710 W. Alabama, near the intersection with Kirby. Parking is available free of charge in the lot just west of the building. Parking is also available on side streets. (YAY!)

Tickets: Visit www.tickets.adplayers.org or Call 713-526-2721.

Not Free!

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. every Tue., Wed., Fri., Sat. until December 7
10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. every Thu. until December 7

Blaffer Art Museum

Pegged an ”artist-orchestrated meal” originally cooked up by University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art, ”Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art” at the University of Houston’s Blaffer Art Museum features contributions from more than 25 artists.

Fee: Free

Touring Taste of Dance Salad Festival – Film Premiere of Dance Salad Festival 2013

7:00 p.m. December 5

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – Brown Auditorium Theater

Price: Free

Zoo Lights

6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. daily until January 4

Houston Zoo

Price: $9 to $12

A Christmas Carol

Every Tue., Wed., Thu., Fri., Sat., Sun. until December 26

Alley Theatre

615 Texas Ave.
Houston,TX 77002

Price: $26 to $80

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

1:00 p.m. every Sat. until December 21

4:00 p.m. every Sat. until December 21

Main Street Theatre

4617 Montrose Blvd.
Houston,TX 77006

Price: $13 to $17

Music Doing Good Presents “Miracle on 19th Street”

Saturday, December 7, 2013, 7 to 10 pm

Gallery M Squared, 339 West 19th Street, 77008

Price: Free

Tree-trimming and Celebration of Musical Outreach Programs. The tree will be donated to Houston Heights Tower, a retirement community on 19th Street. Guests will enjoy libations, light bites and holiday cheer while learning about how Music Doing Good outreach programs transform the lives of the underserved in the Houston area. Seating is limited to first 200 RSVPs (standing room will be available). To RSVP please call 713.900.3468 or email at info at musicdoinggood.org.

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

I think you know what happens next….Free (and cheap) Events Thursday!!

Fire and Ice Carnival at Discovery Green

Friday, Nov. 22nd, 2013 at 6 p.m.

1500 McKinney St.
Houston, TX 77010

The Ice presented by Xfinity opens with a spectacular event celebrating Houston’s creative spirit. Take a spin around the Ice, watch ice sculptors at work, be dazzled by fire-breathing art cars, carve your name in ice, sit in a throne made of ice and watch kids play in snow.

Houston Civic Symphony concert featuring Wayne Brooks

Friday, Nov. 22nd, 2013 at 8 p.m.

Morris Cultural Arts Center at Houston Baptist University
7502 Fondren
Houston, TX 77074

Admission is free. Website: http://www.civicsymphony.org

Fresh Arts’ Eighth Annual Winter Holiday Art Market Preview Party and Happy Hour

Friday-Sunday; Nov. 22nd at 6 p.m and Nov. 23rd -24th at 11 am.

Winter Street Studios
2101 Winter Street
Houston, TX 77007

$10 general public for Friday for the Preview Party; free for Fresh Arts members. But if you go on Saturday or Sunday then the admission is free!

Check out their website for more details! http://www.spacetaker.org/wham

Yoga on the Plaza

Saturday, Nov. 23rd at 9:00 am

Instructors from Bayou Bliss Yoga will lead a 60-minute invigorating practice of yoga postures (Hatha). This practice focuses on building strength and flexibility through a sequence of flowing postures, followed by meditation.

Bring a towel, yoga mat, and water. The event will be canceled in case of inclement weather.

Rothko Chapel
1409 Sul Ross St.
Houston, TX 77006

$10 suggested donation. Go to their website and look under the “Program” tab then click on “Season by Date” and register there! http://www.rothkochapel.org/index.php

11th Annual Dickens on Cypress Creek Christmas Market

Friday-Saturday; Nov. 22nd-23rd at 9:00 am-5 pm.

Cypress Creek Christian Church
6823 Cypresswood Dr.
Spring, TX 77379

Shop nearly 80 vendors and artists of crafts, merchandise, collectibles, antiques and food in an ambiance with a Victorian flair. A raffle benefiting the Pipe Dreams Organ Project, a project raising funds for a pipe organ in the Centrum, will be held hourly with more than 80 market items being given away. Tickets for the raffle range from $1 to $5 for 6 tickets.

21st Annual Artcrawl Houston

Saturday, Nov. 23rd, 2013 at 10 a.m-9 pm.

Mother Dog Studios
712 Walnut St.
Houston, TX

The original cluster of artists’ warehouses straddling downtown open their doors during Artcrawl Houston 2013. More than 180 artists and art organizations are participating in this free event.

Mercury presents Napoleon and the Battle of Nations

Saturday, Nov. 23rd, 2013 at 8 p.m

Wortham Theater Center
501 Texas St.
Houston, TX 77002

Box Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8am – 5pm

Tickets start at $10.

Join the brave and the unprecedented Napoleon on his grand quest — and penultimate defeat — in the Battle of Nations, a program that includes Haydn’s Mass in the Time of War and Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture. The concert, led by maestro Antoine Plante, features the University of Houston Concert Chorale.

Houston Symphony presents Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4

Thursday, Nov. 21st, 2013 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 23rd, 2013 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 24th, 2013 at 2:30 p.m.

Jones Hall
615 Louisiana St.
Houston, TX 77002

Tickets: $25-$119. Visit their website at http://www.houstonsymphony.org/ or call at 713-224-7575 for tickets!

SonKiss’d Dance Theater presents InTime

Friday, Nov. 22nd, 2013 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 23rd, 2013 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 24th, 2013 at 6 p.m.

Houston ARTreach Studios
1930 Scott St.
Houston, TX 77003

Tickets are $7.30 and can be purchased at http://www.sonkissd.com/index.html

Produced by Christopher (YungChris) Thomas. InTime is a hands-on, face-to-face, intimate and inspiring experience between the audience and performers through contemporary and street dance, live painting, live music and spoken word.

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Guess what day it is….Free Events Thursday!

Starbucks: Buy 1, Get 1 Free!

November 13-17 2-5pm (Sorry! Had to put this up! It’s free…kinda)

Lunch + Look “Favorite Highlights” at Museum of Fine Arts

Friday, Nov 15 at 1:00 pm

Museum of Fine Arts
1001 Bissonnet St.
Houston, TX 77005

(713) 639-7300 ( I don’t know how much it is so here’s their number if you need it. Or you can look on their website)

Explore some of the best-known and best-loved works in the MFAH collections on this 45-minute tour.

Jazz Orchestra with Terence Blanchard

Friday, November 15, 2013 7:30 pm

Moores Opera House

3800 Cullen Blvd
Houston, TX 77004

It’s $12 to attend

The Music of Terence Blanchard: World renowned trumpeter/composer/band leader and Blue Note recording artist joins forces with the Moores School Jazz Orchestra.

HTX Bike Fest

Saturday, November 16, 2013 10:00 am

Market Square Park
300 Travis
Houston, TX 77002

Hosted by Black Gold Cycling, this festival brings cyclists and bike enthusiasts from all over the city to celebrate their favorite mode of transportation: bikes! The event kicks-off with an all-day swap meet boasting more than 50 vendors focused on the bike friendly lifestyle and will feature a variety of demos from various bike sports such as bike polo, bmx/fixed gear freestyle, various cycling contests, a huge obstacle race course and sprint contests presented by Texas Gold Sprint’em.

2013 HEART & STROKE WALK

Saturday, November 16, 2013 at 9:00 am

Reliant Park
1 Reliant Park
Houston, TX 77054

Second Annual Mediterranean Film Festival

Friday, November 15, 2013 – Monday, November 18, 2013
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Rice Cinema Film Auditorium Rice Media Center
Rice University
6100 Main St
Houston, Texas, USA

This year we return with the second annual festival of films from around and about the Mediterranean Sea. All of last year’s nations – Greece, Turkey, Israel, Turkey, France, and Italy – will again be represented, plus several new entries, Slovenia and Croatia. Opening night and reception will be November 15, 2013 at 6:00 p.m.

For a schedule of films please visit: http://ricecinema.rice.edu/Events.aspx

Shepherd School of Music

Tea for Two: A Chamber Music Tea with The Shepherd Society

Sunday, November 17, 2013

2:00 pm-4:00 pm

Alice Pratt Brown Hall
Rice University
6100 Main St
Houston, Texas, USA

Call 713-348-3492 for more information or please visit theshepherdsociety.org

A delightful afternoon of chamber music, tea and scones.

‘Music From Vienna: Early, Middle, and Late’
Program: Prokofiev Quintet in G minor, Op. 39; Haydn String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77 No. 1

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Got a free weekend? Here are some things you can do this weekend!

The Nutcracker Market

Friday-Sunday, November 8-10 starting at 10:00 am

Reliant Center
1 Reliant Park
Houston, TX 77054

Check out their website!

Ok I’m breaking a rule here by telling you this one isn’t free. I know! I know! But it only costs $13 to attend and $14 at the door. Plus who wouldn’t want to go? Once in a while I might put something up that is really cheap instead of being completely free. Which means I might have to change the title to the blog category…maybe not.

Mosaic’s Champagne Chat

Friday, November 8, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (PST)

2437 University Blvd
Houston, TX 77005

Rice Theatre: Midsummer Night’s Dream

Friday, November 8 at 7:30 pm

Rice University

6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827

Street Art Cinema: Stick ‘Em up and Vigilante VIGILANTE

Saturday, November 9, at 7:00 pm

2402 Munger
Houston,TX 77023
http://www.orangeshow.org
713-926-6368

It’s $15 dollars to attend

Create Art in an Urban Backyard

For those of you who have kids.

Saturday, November 9 from 11 am-5 pm

Foelber Pottery Gallery & Studios

706 Richmond

Old-Fashioned Art Fair at Foelber Pottery Gallery & Studio. Lots of fun planned in Foelber’s urban backyard including pottery demonstrations, Adobe wall creation, kids’ activities, Raku Kiln firings, music, refreshments, and more.

Harry Connick, Jr. at Jones Hall

Saturday November 9th at 8 p.m.

Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana

For information, call 713-227-4772 or visit spahouston.org. $42 to $110. (This one definitely isn’t free)

Documentary on the Houston Ballet

Sunday, November 10th at 4 pm

The Houston Cinema Arts Festival is presenting a free screening Sunday of the documentary Houston Ballet: Breaking Boundaries. Seats are first-come, first-serve and not guaranteed. Go to the Houston Cinema Arts Festival website for more information.

Pop Shop Houston’s “Mini Pops” Market

Sunday, Nov. 10th, 2013 at noon

Pavement Clothing
1657 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77006

http://www.popshophouston.com

Looks really neat!

A block party with live bands, a braid bar and do-it-yourself workshops. Guests will find awesome digs at the Pavement sidewalk sale while Leopard Lounge offers a selection of collectible vintage clothing. The Golden Grill will also be on site.

Here’s something you can do on Monday for the Veterans if you’re available.

Houston Salutes American Heroes Veterans Day Celebration and Parade

Monday, Nov. 11th, 2013 at 10 a.m.

Hermann Square Park – City Hall
900 Smith Street
Houston, TX 77002