Free Events Thursday

Latin Beats

Friday, May 30th Downtown Aquarium from 7 pm – 10 pm and Saturday, May 31st, City Center from 7 pm-10 pm

Enjoy a live band (last Friday each month) plus free salsa dance lessons from professional dancers.

Price: FREE!!!

Dance Under the Stars

Friday, May 30th Sugar Land Town Square from 7:30 pm – 9 pm

Grab your dancing shoes and enjoy outdoor dance lessons with Fred Astaire instructors. This month’s dancing features Splash Band, a Motown and Oldies band.

Price: FREE!!!

Breakfast Yoga Club Houston

Sunday, June 1st at Asia Society Texas Center from 9 am – 11 am.

Soothing music and breakfast accompany the yoga.

Price: FREE!!! (with reservations)

Sandcastle Competition

Saturday, May 31, Galveston from 10am- 4:30 pm.

Galveston East Beach, 1923 Boddeker

The 28th year of this friendly competition pitting business teams against each other. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) annual Sandcastle Competition in Galveston is like nothing you’ve seen!

Price: FREE!!! (Parking is $10)

Learn Improv

Friday, May 30th at 7:30 pm.

Station Theater

1230 Houston Ave

Take a free Improv class, thanks to Station Theater’s Intro to Improv. All Intro students are invited to stay to watch Supernova Armando show for free ($6 value), a fast-paced comedy show with a guest monologist.

Price: FREE!!!

Walk the Streets

Sunday, June 1st, Studemont to Milam (Market Square Park) from 11 am – 3 pm.

Closed to vehicles, folks can walk, bike, dance and socialize their way down the road. Market Square Park will have several businesses onsite: Houston B-cycle, Bayou City Outdoors, Bike Barn, Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt food truck!

Price: FREE!!!

Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Facing Mars

May 24, 2014 – September 01, 2014

1601 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058

The challenges of a human mission to Mars are as big as any humans have faced. We know that we can get there, but will we be able to survive? How will we solve the many challenges? What will happen when we push our bodies and minds far beyond any place we have been before?

This summer, visitors will be asked these simple questions at Space Center Houston’s new exhibit “Facing Mars.” Focusing on the real-life obstacles of sending humans to Mars, this groundbreaking exhibition, developed and designed by the Ontario Science Centre, shows visitors how the challenges of a Mars mission aren’t limited to technology or money. It asks questions associated with traveling to Mars for which there currently are no known answers. It also engages participants in the physical, psychological and scientific challenges that come with interplanetary travel.

Price: $17.95 (Save $5 per ticket by buying online)!

Break Out Arts

May 26, 2014 from 2pm – 6pm

2521 Holman, Houston, TX 77004

Break Out Arts is a multi dimensional creative event featuring talented music artists, a fashion showcase and visual arts gallery. The show will take place at Our House: The Store Project on Memorial day, Monday May 26th 2014 from 2-6pm. Break Out Arts is an effort to expose and connect the community to the arts in all its forms. In addition to the live music and dance performances, runway showcase and curated art exhibit – the event offers a free music workshop for children, diet consultations with free food samples by Rawbiquitos and functions as a platform for community interaction featuring a variety of vendors with unique products.

Price: FREE!!!

Carnival Houston

May 24, 2014 from Noon – 9:00pm

1500 McKinney Street, Houston, TX 77479

Celebrating carnival from the caribbean, Brazil and New Orleans Mardi Gras. It is an exciting an explosion of music, cuisine, revelry, costume parade and performances. The Premier Annual Carnival Houston show will showcase carnival costumes and performances such as Samba, Merengue, and costume masqueraders, Dance Performances, Calypso, Soca, Salsa, and Samba.

Price: $10

Centennial Exhibition at the Julia Ideson Library

May 24, 2014 from 10:00am-6:00pm

500 McKinney Avenue, Houston, TX 77002

Hermann Park Conservancy is partnering with the Julia Ideson Library downtown to present an exhibition honoring Hermann Park’s centennial year. Having re-opened in 2011 after a $32 million renovation, the historic library is the perfect place to display objects from the Park’s history, including original planning documents, maps, renderings, and historical photos. Objects in the exhibition have been sourced from the archives of Hermann Park Conservancy, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and the City of Houston Archives in the Texas Room of the Julia Ideson Library. The exhibition will be on view in the Tudor Gallery through July 26.

Price: FREE!!!

Discover Houston Tours: Rice Village Chocolate Safari

May 24, 2014 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

2365A Rice Boulevard, Houston, TX 77007

Walk along Rice Boulevard on Saturdays, visiting yummy and unique chocolate shops and restaurants on the way. Meet new friends and learn about the history of chocolate.

Price: $30.00

Garden Architecture Exhibition

May 22, 2014 – July 18, 2014 (Recurring daily)

315 Capitol St., Houston, TX 77002

Garden Architecture will feature images and stories about many of Houston’s historic gardens, a juried presentation of recent significant garden design in both the public and private realm and a showcase of “vignette gardens” installed inside Architecture Center Houston. The exhibit is created for both architecture and landscape architecture design professionals, gardening enthusiasts, and will appeal to anyone interested in the history and growth of Houston as seen through the lens of our local gardens.

Price: FREE!!!

In Juliet’s Garden AND Ophelia’s Rope & Friends

May 22, 2014 – May 30, 2014 (Recurring daily) at 8pm

Studio 101 (Houston Heights)

Act 1: In Juliet’s Garden (40 minutes) By: Judy Elliot McDonald Juliet Capulet invites four other heroines of Shakespeare’s classics (Katharina, Portia, Ophelia and Desdemona) to lunch in her favorite garden in Verona to discuss issues they all have with their plots. All the ladies have suggestions how these issues might be remedied. Shakespeare has also been invited, but instead sends an envoy, his literary agent and Editor Jacqueline de Boys, who attempts to save the day! Act 2: Ophelia’s Rope & Friends Improv Show (40 minutes) Houston Improv troupes will use audience suggestions to create spontaneous–and often hilarious–once in a lifetime stories!

Price: $15.00

Russian Spring Bazaar

February 03, 2014 – May 30, 2014 (Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00p.m., Saturday: 11:00a.m. – 3:00p.m.)

Russian Cultural Center “Our Texas”

2337 Bissonnet, Houston TX 77005

Discover unique ethnic souvenirs and gifts that are hard to find anywhere else. – Wooden figures of Father Frost; – Beautiful icons; – Lovely lacquer jewelry boxes; – Famous blue-and –white china – Gzhel; – Golden wooden tableware “Khokhloma”; – Famous Russian Matreshkas or nesting dolls.

Price: FREE!!!

Free Events Thursday: Mother’s Day

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Soto: The Houston Penetrable

May 8, 2014 – Sep 1, 2014

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Jesús Rafael Soto’s signature Penetrables series is one of the great marvels of contemporary art. The Houston Penetrable—the Venezuelan artist’s final, and most ambitious work—is the only one Soto (1923–2005) designed as permanent or semipermanent, and one of the few he created as an indoor piece.

A vast, floating sea of plastic strands suspended from the ceiling, the Houston Penetrable is completed only by the viewer’s participation. Intended to be touched, handled, and waded through, the strands compose a floating yellow orb on a transparent background. The 24,000 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) tubes, individually hand-painted and tied, hang two stories high from the ceiling to the floor in the Museum’s Cullinan Hall.

Price: $15 (Free for members)

Canvas, Cocktails & Conversation; May Edition

May 10, 2014 from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Bisong Art Gallery 1305 Sterrett St. Houston, TX 77002

Bisong Art Gallery presents the May edition of Canvas, Cocktails & Conversation Saturday, May 10 Bisong Art Gallery is unique in that the warehouse district area is a historical arts community. 20 years ago, what was once all industrial buildings, has now been transformed into art studios, upscale living, and restaurants. On the second Saturday of each month, the gallery is transformed into an art class, but no worries if you aren’t the next Picasso. Enjoy your complimentary drink, get relaxed and let your creativity flow with a few of your closest friends so you can create your own take-home masterpiece. Create your own version of Paul Signac’s The Pink Cloud. A local artist will help you recreate this masterpiece; no experience required. Many of the events are free and open to the public.

Art supplies, canvas, aprons, complimentary mimosas and appetizers will be provided. Specials will be available for premium drinks. Seating is limited.

Price: $30

Domaine Sainte Rose Wine Dinner!

May 02, 2014 – May 28, 2014 (Recurring daily) at 7pm

Artisans Restaurant

3201 Louisiana Street, Houston, TX 77006

Come enjoy some creative dishes paired with wonderful wines from Domaine Sainte Rose! Seating is limited so please call 713.529.9111 today to make your reservation!

Price: FREE!!!

Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

May 10, 2014 from 11:00am – 5:00pm

Asia Society Texas Center

1370 Southmore Boulevard, Houston, TX 77004

First observed by the United States Congress in the late 1970s and finally signed into law in 1992, May is recognized as a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. The month was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese in 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad, worked on by numerous Chinese immigrants, in 1869.

Join us at Asia Society Texas Center for our eleventh Family Day, which will mark Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Activities, interactive experiences, and performances will present a snapshot of Asian culture and the Asian American diaspora. Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks!

Price: Free for Members, $5 Nonmembers

Heartbreak House

May 08, 2014 – June 01, 2014

Main Street Theater
2540 Times Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

September, 1914. The topsy-turvy household of Captain Shotover and his daughter Hesione Hushabye entertains weekend guests: Ellie Dunn, her father, and her fiancé. Unfortunately, Ellie’s fiancé is a scoundrel, her father is a bumbling prig, and she’s actually in love with Hesione’s husband Hector. This bold mix of farce and tragedy lampoons British society as it blithely ignores the catastrophe looming on the horizon that will become the War to End All Wars.

Price: $20-$32

Mother’s Day Brunch at L’Olivier

May 11, 2014 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm

240 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77006

Sunday, May 11th from 10:30 to 2:30 3 Course Menu $45 Per Person Price Does Not Include Beverages, Tax or Gratuity 1st Course Housemade Pate chicken liver a touch of brandy Shrimp Cocktail spicy horseradish sauce Housemade Smoked Salmon Goat Cheese Salad mixed greens & cherry tomatoes dressed in maple vinaigrette Butternut Squash Panzotti sage truffle sauce 2nd Course Grilled Prime Beef Medallion with mashed potatoes Grilled Lamb Chop with ratatouille Crab Cake Benedict with poached egg & paprika hollandaise Seared Shrimp with black rice Dessert Creme Brulee Chocolate Mousse Marquise Chocolate Roquefort Terrine.

Price: FREE!!! (Until the bill comes…yay)!

Museum District Walking Tour

Houston Architecture Tours from 10 am – 12 noon

Meet at the Miro sculpture inside the MFAH Sculpture Garden, 5101 Montrose Blvd, 77006.

Street and lot parking available.

The Houston Museum District is one of the few areas in the country with such a dense population of museums, public art, contemporary architecture, and landscape design. On this 2-hour walking tour you will experience the quintessential Modernism of Mies van der Rohe, the structuralist view point of Gunnar Birkert, and the simplicity and craft of Isamu Noguchi. Come explore these and other world class examples of design with ArCH tour guides and trace the chronology of significant cultural shifts from the early twentieth century through today.

Price: $10

Peaches and Cream for Mom

May 10, 2014

Kiehl’s since 1851

4076 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77027

Give Mom the gift of Peaches and Cream! Let her be pampered with a relaxing Kiehl’s mini facial while sipping on a Peach smoothie or herbal tea! Space is limited, so call for your mom’s reservation now!

Price: FREE!!!

United Nations Association International Choir Concert

May 10, 2014 from 5p.m. and 8p.m.

Heinen Theatre
3517 Austin Street, Houston, TX 77004

United Nations Association International Choir is a multicultural group of singers who inspire, educate and bring joy to audiences through world music by performing international choral works in their unique styles and languages. The choir celebrates cultural diversity as part of the greater Houston community through its collaborative environment of camaraderie, learning, and growth.

Price: $25

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

14th Annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival

May 03, 2014 from 8:30am-4:30pm

Allen’s Landing

1001 Commerce Street, Houston, TX 77002

Performances include lion dancing, martial arts, Hawaiian style dancing, belly dancing, and many more activities bringing awareness of Asian and Asian-American culture. The entire family can enjoy the culture and traditions of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and experience the culture and traditions through a sample of Asian cuisine, colorful arts and crafts and other activities during the festival.

Once again the MD Anderson Super Heroes youth team is competing. This will be the second time the team, which consists of leukemia and cancer teenagers, parents, doctors, nurses and other “sidekicks,” is paddling in our event. Also this year’s festival will feature Blind Fury, a team whose members are from the Lighthouse of Houston. The Lighthouse of Houston is a private, nonprofit education and service center dedicated to assisting blind and visually impaired people to live independently.

Price: FREE!!!

African Art from the Cameroon & Nigeria with Paintings by Lucinda Cobley and Beatriz Olivetti

May 01, 2014 – June 14, 2014 (Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday) from Noon to 6 pm

Gallery Jatad

1517 Blodgett Street, Houston, TX 77004

Gallery Jatad is exhibiting two new exhibits. “African Art from the Cameroon & Nigeria with Paintings by Lucinda Cobley and Beatriz Olivetti” and “three dudes from Corpus”. The exhibit focuses on traditional African art from the Cameroon and Nigeria border region. This is an opportunity to acquire antique objects originally used for ritual purposes from an area of Africa that remained relatively untouched by Western contact well into the 20th century. Smaller objects include whistles carved with a sculptural purity anticipating Modern Art with some covered with multi-colored beads, and skin cover sculptures of heads worn as head crests to honor ancestors. A variety of masks, figures, dolls and textiles are offered, including objects from the Bamileke, Banso, Vere, Mumuye, Mambila, Ibibio, Ibo, Keaka and Ekoi. Contemporary works by Lucinda Cobley and Beatriz Olivetti are featured on the walls of the main gallery. Both artists titillate the eye with color. The north gallery features works by Ricardo Ruiz, Oscar Guerra and Jimmy Pena.

Price: FREE!!!

Bulgari: 130 Years of Masterpieces

May 02, 2014 – October 05, 2014

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Bulgari: 130 Years of Masterpieces will be an exhibition of approximately 150 sizable pieces
of jewelry from Bulgari?s Heritage Collection, including masterpieces from the historical archives of the company headquarters in Rome or on loan from private collections. This exclusive retrospective marks the first time the storied jeweler has showcased pieces representing every period since its Roman beginnings in 1884, making Bulgari: 130 Years of Masterpieces a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Included in the Houston exhibition are pieces from the collection of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who became almost as famous for her love of Bulgari jewels as for her on-screen triumphs. Other pieces in the exhibition belonged to or were worn by iconic women past and present, including Sophia Loren, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Isabella Rossellini, Gina Lollobrigida, Anna Magnani, Juliette Binoche, Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Aniston, Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley, Rachel Weisz, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.

Price: $25

Drinko de Mayo

May 03, 2014 from 7 pm – 2 am

Howl at the Moon

Enjoy our drink specials and of course, our dueling pianos will be rocking the party all night long! DRINKO DE MAYO SPECIALS: $4 Dos Equis $22 86oz Mega Margaritas $5 Jose Cuervo Shots WIN A CINCO DE MAYO HAPPY HOUR PARTY Follow the link to win a free Cinco de Mayo happy hour party for you and up to 100 friends for even more Cinco de Mayo drink specials!

Price: $10

First Saturday Arts Market

May 03, 2014 – May 02, 2015 (Recurring monthly on the 1st Saturday)

Times: 11-6 Sept – May and 6-10 June, July, August

548 W. 19th Street, Houston, TX 77008

First Saturday Arts Market is a monthly outdoor fine arts event featuring the works of dozens of visual artists. Located in the Historic Houston Heights by Gen’s Antiques at 548 W. 19th St. at Lawrence St., the market showcases paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry and handcrafted items. Bring the entire family and come enjoy the great outdoors, live music and delicious fare from some of the area’s best gourmet food trucks.

Price: FREE!!!

Houston Food Truck Fest

May 03, 2014 from 12pm – 5pm

6400 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77057

Stereo Live will host the 3rd Houston Food Truck Fest on Saturday May 3rd from 12pm–5pm. The event will feature 21 of Houston’s finest Gourmet Food Trucks. Live music, DJ, karaoke stage and a multitude of attractions will keep Fest goers entertained. Family friendly movies will also be shown indoors on our massive 210 sq ft screen.

Price: $12

Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

BESO Latin Saturdays at Synn Ultra Lounge

April 05, 2014 – July 12, 2014 (Every Saturday) from 10:00pm – 2:00am

3302 Mercer St., Houston, TX 77027

Join us this Saturday Night at Synn Ultra lounge for BESO. Houston’s upscale latin party. With its welcoming ambiance, Moving Music, & Plenty of Eye candy BESO Saturdays at Synn Ultra Lounge display elegance, class, and style amongst all the rest.

Price: FREE!!!

3rd Annual Houston Improv Festival

April 24, 2014 – April 27, 2014 (Recurring daily): Thursday – 8pm; Friday & Saturday – 8pm & 10pm

Midtown Art Center

3414 LaBranch, Houston, TX 77004

The 3rd Annual Houston Improv Festival descends upon Houston April 24-27 at Midtown Art Center. HIF 2014 welcomes fifteen improvised acts from around the country.

Price: $15

Save the date! San Jacinto Day Festival 2014

Saturday, April 26th

Booming cannons, cracking musket fire, thundering hooves and desperate battle cries resound across the San Jacinto Battleground as hundreds of history reenactors recreate the events leading up to Texas winning its independence at the decisive Battle of San Jacinto.

Price: FREE!!!

30th Annual Wine & Roses Festival

April 26, 2014 at 2-8pm

Messina Hof Winery and Resort

4545 Old Reliance Rd., Bryan, TX 77808

We invite Houston to our 30th Annual Wine & Roses Festival at Messina Hof?, Saturday April 26th in Bryan, TX! Wine tasting, grape stomp, art classes, live music and so much more!

Price: FREE!!!

4th Annual Gumbo Cook-Off and Fun Day

April 26, 2014 from 10 am – 6 pm

Clear Lake, Landolt Pavilion

5100 E Nasa Pkwy, Seabrook, TX 77586

4th Annual Gumbo Cook-off & Family fun day featuring Gumbo Cook-off Competition, People Choice Award, Gumbo Tasting, Celebrity Judges, Vendors, Booths, Silent Auction, Dunking Tank – See whose getting dunked! Come hungry for Gumbo, Crawfish Plates, Sausage-on-a-Stick and more. Live Entertainment featuring The Station Break Band. Proceeds benefit Rotarians of Seabrook Charities.

Price: $10 and includes Gumbo Tasting (It includes food, people)!

Artist Talk: Trenton Doyle Hancock

April 27, 2014 at 2:00 pm

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

5216 Montrose Boulevard, Houston, TX 77006

Join artist Trenton Doyle Hancock and Senior Curator Valerie Cassel Oliver for an artist talk in conjunction with Trenton Doyle Hancock’s exhibition “Skin and Bones, 20 Years of Drawing.”

Price: FREE!!!

2013-2014 ROCO Chamber Series: French Salon

April 27, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Gremillion & Co. Fine Art Annex

2504 Nottingham Street, Houston, TX 77005

Finishing out the Chamber Series is a French Salon concert that includes music by Poulenc and more feature Alecia Lawyer on Oboe and Kristin Wolfe Jensen on Bassoon.

Price: $25

Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

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

Wine Wednesdays and Ladies Night Thursdays

Every Wednesday, Thursday (All day Wednesday and 5:30- 10:00 Thursday)

Latin Bites Cafe

5709 Woodway Drive, Houston, TX 77057

Wind down in the middle of the week and enjoy 50% off wine bottles all day Wednesday at Latin Bites. Pair any wine from Latin Bites’ extensive cellar to compliment a lunch or dinner dish to enjoy a well rounded Peruvian meal. From 11 to close, Latin Bites Peruvian inspired dishes such as their Quinoa Salad or Arroz Con Pato, a Latin take on duck confit, would pair nicely with any white or red wine of a diner’s choosing. In celebration of the highly anticipated weekend, Ladies Night will be every Thursday at Latin Bites. From 5:30pm until 10:00pm, women of Houston can enjoy 50% off all cocktails and 15% off appetizers. Mingle with friends while sipping on a Mangotini, a sweet mango martini made with Pisco, Peru’s native spirit, and snack on appetizers perfect for sharing. Choose from Latin Bites famous empanadas or award-winning causitas; with so many options it would be near impossible to choose only one!

Price: FREE!!!

#womenfordance

April 11, 2014 – April 12, 2014 at 8 pm

Wortham Theater Center

500 Texas Ave., Houston, TX 77002

Join MET Dance at #womenfordance as they celebrate the female dance maker. Two nights only, this program will premiere works by Kiki Lucas and Andrea Dawn Shelley as well as recent repertory additions by Sidra Bell, Lauren Edson and Kate Skarpetowska. The introspective program connects the strength, emotion and humanity of the feminine manifest. Embark on the emotional journey to validation and mark-making. Guest artists from Island Moving Company join MET Dance in a high-octane, thunderous evening that is not to be missed!

Price: $15-$45

Boy Scout Fair

April 12, 2014

Reliant Park Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Scouts from 16 countries will unite in one place to showcase their Scouting skills. Meet leaders and Scouts from your neighborhood. Sample the amazing dutch oven creations and delicacies in the outdoor cooking area. Visit the midway with over 60 experts representing merit badges. Watch demonstrations, interact with participating booths from our community partners…pick up free offers.

Price: FREE!!!

Book Signing: Lisa Scottoline’s Keep Quiet

April 14, 2014 at 6:30 PM

Murder By the Book

2342 Bissonnet Street, Houston, TX 77005

Description: Lisa Scottoline is a 20 time New York Times best-selling and an Edgar award-winning author with over 20 novels (in 20 years) under her belt, including her latest novel KEEP QUIET. Her stories have been translated into 25 different languages and her wildly popular, non-fiction column, “Chick Wit,” appears in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Lisa delivers once again with Keep Quiet, an emotionally gripping and morally complex story about one father’s decision to protect his son — and the devastating consequences that follow. Powerful and dramatic, Keep Quiet will have readers and book clubs debating what it means to be a parent and how far you can, and should, go to protect those you love.

Price: FREE!!!

Asia Society Presents: Melody, Harmony, and Melharmony

April 12, 2014 at 6:00pm

Asia Society Texas Center

Melharmony is an award-winning concept pioneered by Chitravina N. Ravikiran during his collaboration with artists of the BBC Philharmonic. As the name suggests, Melharmony aims to create a synergy between diverse melodic concepts not common in the west and vertical harmonic dimensions that are unusual in many systems in the east, such as Indian classical music. As part of Classical Arts Society of Houston’s 2014 Spring Festival, this vibrant and cultural musical presentation explores western classical music and music from north and south India. Spotlight instruments include chitravina (fretless Indian lute), modified western mandolin, and percussion (mridangam and tabla). Jugalbandhi Concert: 6:00 pm Chitravina N. Ravikiran, Snehasish Mozumder, Rohan Krishnamurthy, and Gouri Shankar Karmakar The concert is a ticketed event.

Price: $10 Members, $15 Nonmembers.

Bubblegum Yum Video Jukebox Love Party

April 11, 2014 Doors at 6, Show is 7

Orange Show Monument
2402 Munger St, Houston, TX 77023

Local artist and DJ Stephanie Saint Sanchez will present a salute to 60’s bubblegum music and the lovey dovey groovy feelings they inspire. This is a curated short film showcase with assorted local filmmakers doing their own take on love in the style of this genre. Each film will last from 3-8 minutes, and during the evening there will be bubblegum blowing contests, crowning of the bubblegum King or Queen, music and dancing plus a special live performance by The Janets. Come ready to groove all night long and see some incredible short films by a variety of local artists Sponsored by Saint Arnold Brewing Company.

Price: $15 pre sale and $20 door

Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

Enjoy nature trail, bird watching, wildlife and forests at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. Calm your senses with a leisurely stroll through our 155-acre nature sanctuary with 5 miles of beautiful hiking. Located just 4 miles west of Downtown Houston.

Spring Native Plant Sale (Saturday, March 15 – March 16 and Saturday March 22 – March 23 at 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)

How I See It: Houston Architecture

March 13, 2014-April 18 at 5:30 pm

Architecture Center Houston, 315 Capital,

Discover Houston architecture through the eyes of high school students in this Opening Reception of “How I See It: Houston Architecture.” This juried exhibition of local high school photography is for FotoFest 2014.

Price: FREE!!!

Relax With Yoga

Every Saturday, 9 am

Discovery Green

1500 McKinney on the Grace Event Lawn behind The Grove Restaurant.

This yoga class brings together elements of tai chi, kung fu, balance techniques and energy building poses. No pre-registration required.

Price: FREE!!!

Gaze At The Stars

Reservations begin February 26

Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center

Humble at 20634 Kenswick Drive

Learn about the planets, stars and other celestial bodies at Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center’s Stargazing event.

Price: FREE!!!

“These Birds Walk” Houston Film Screening

March 13, 2014

River Oaks Theatre
2009 W. Gray St, Houston, TX 77019

Sundance Nominated film “These Birds Walk” by Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq may be FINALLY coming to Houston. The film follows the life of runaway street children in Pakistan and the samaritans like Abdul Sattar Edhi who seek to care for them while living amongst them.

For those of you haven’t heard of Abdul Sattar Edhi, he is a guy who has been working for and living amongst the poor of Pakistan since 1947 to create rescue programs for over 20,000 abandoned infants, rehabilitation programs for over 50,000 orphans, training programs for over 40,000 nurses, and hundreds of food kitchens, shelters, and clinics for the mentally handicapped.

Price: $11

Architects of Air

March 15, 2014 – March 23, 2014

Discovery Green
1500 McKinney Street, Houston, TX 77010

Back by popular demand, Britain’s Architects of Air returns to Discovery Green with Miracoco, a one-of-a-kind stunning new luminarium! Inspired by the Lotus Temple in India, the monumental, inflatable structure is a dazzling maze of winding paths and soaring domes designed to generate a sense of wonder at the beauty of light and color. Rising almost 30 feet in the air and occupying half a football field, Miracoco can be appreciated by people of all ages, cultures and abilities.

The line will close when the number of people already in line exceeds the number that will go into the structure by 6:30 pm. Admission is limited to 80 people in the luminarium at one time.

Price: $10

Battleship Texas Centennial Celebration

March 15, 2014 at 12:00 p.m.

3527 Independence Parkway South
La Porte TX 77571

This event is a celebration to honor the Battleship TEXAS, her legendary history and the men who served on her. The festival will be held on the grounds surrounding the Battleship TEXAS and will feature educational exhibits, a World War I and World War II historical zone, ship tours, a children’s activity zone, concessions, shops and live entertainment throughout the day including Robert Earl Keen, Reckless Kelly, Charlie Robison, and Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis. The day will end in a celebratory fireworks display.

Price: $20

6th Annual Festival “Russian Spring Celebration”

March 16, 2014 at 3:00 – 6:00p.m

2349 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005

It becomes our tradition to invite Houston public and visitors of the city to celebrate the end of winter in style of Russian folk holiday. We offer delicious home-made bliny or Russian pancakes, which symbolize the sun. Also on sale will be another traditional Russian food – savory piroshky. The guests will have a chance to purchase original hand-made Russian souvenirs.

“Flying Balalaika Brothers”, the popular group from Austin, will provide the entertainment. The group plays various music: from Russian folk to bluegrass, country and rock. Their lively performance would leave no one unmoved. This year we will introduce to our guests a folk choir “Sudarushka”. Vadim Angerov, the well-known Houston musician will accompany them on the button accordion. There also will be special activities for children.

Price: $10

Come Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at The Flying Saucer

March 17, 2014

15929 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX 77479

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Flying Saucer Sugar Land will be selling pints for $3 all day.

Price: FREE!!!

Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Cultured Cocktails with the Framers!

Every Thursday from 5-7pm.

Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar

307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006

So if you want to see what we are all about then come join us and meet the Framers of Houston,TX!

Price: Free!!!

Party with the French

Friday, March 07 at 6 PM

Discovery Green

1500 McKinney
Houston, TX 77010

This Friday, kick off a month of events sponsored by the French Consulate in Houston. The free outdoor event features music from French musicians plus Houston natives Wild Moccasins from 7 pm – 10 pm. Authentic French food and wine will be available or purchase.

Price: Free!!!

Azalea Trail

March 07- March 09

River Oaks Garden Club

2503 Westheimer • Houston, TX 77098

One of the surest signs of spring in Houston is the annual Azalea Trail. Houstonians and visitors view the spectacular gardens at Bayou Bend and Rienzi and visit River Oaks’ exquisite private homes and admire their breathtaking gardens.

Price: $5.00

Listen to classical music

Friday, March 7th at 8 pm

Houston Baptist University’s Dunham Theater

7502 Fondren

The Houston Civic Symphony, our local community orchestra, presents a free concert. The evening features Young Artist Concerto Winners plus Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor.

Price: Free!!!

Clear Lake Jewelry, Gem, & Mineral Show

March 8, 2014 – March 9, 2014 (Recurring daily) at Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-5

7902 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena, TX 77507

The show is oriented for the whole family. Come out to see and learn about rocks, gems, fossils and Geology. Special demonstrations of lapidary work are included for the entertainment of all show patrons. Approximately 30 quality dealers have been handpicked to bring a balanced variety of merchandise to appeal to as many people as possible and at reasonable prices. There will be tools, raw materials, and books for the hobbyist, many mineral and fossil specimens for the collector, and jewelry ranging from fun-to wear to the finest opals, diamonds and emeralds. An excellent special program for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts hat provides hands-on experience will help with Geology related merit badges.

Price: $7 (Admission is cash only)

ROCO Chamber Series: Postcards from Paris and New Orleans

March 9 at 4:00 PM

Gremillion & Co. Fine Art

2501 Sunset Boulevard, Houston, TX 77005

Join us for Postcards from Paris and New Orleans featuring an oboe, clarinet, violin and viola quintet performance with music by Sergei Prokofiev and Dave Anderson, who was inspired by Prokofiev to write a jazz composition with the same instrumentation.

Price: $25; Student admission: $10

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Championship BBQ Contest

Friday and Saturday, February 28th- March 1st from Noon- 11 pm

Reliant Stadium

All you can eat BBQ!

Price: $15

Downtown Rodeo Parade

Saturday, March 1st at 10:00 am

Price: Free!

Conoco 10K Run and 5K Run/ Walk

Saturday, March 1st at 9:20 am

Saturday, March 1st at 9:45 am

Find out more at http://www.conocophillipsrodeorun.com/events/10k/Pages/logistics.aspx

Price: $35

Sam Houston Race Park

Friday-Sunday, February 28th- March 9th at 7:00 pm

Watch thoroughbred live racing this weekend and next weekend!

Find out more at http://shrp.com/

Price: $7

Macbeth

Main Street Theater

Rice Village, 2540 Times Boulevard

February 27th- March 9th (Schedule daily)

Even though Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s shortest plays, Main Street Theater will be putting on an 80-minute version with no intermission courtesy of visiting director and actor Guy Roberts in a co-production with the Prague Shakespeare Company.

Price: $20-39

Last Tip of My Hat

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. every Sat. from March 1 until March 31
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. every Sun. from March 2 until March 31
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. every Mon., Tue., Wed., Thu., Fri. from March 3 until March 31

National Museum of Funeral History

501 Crawford St., Houston, TX 77002

Every rodeo season the National Museum of Funeral History does its part in the spirit of the Wild West with its “Last Tip of My Hat” exhibit, which celebrates death in the time of the cowboy. The usually modest event has been ramped up considerably this year. As always, there will be a traditional pine box coffin on loan from Cowboy’s Last Ride casket company in Early, Texas. These simple containers were a common method of burial in the West, since pine was plentiful and easy to work with. “A cowboy is a simple man, hard-working, and finds a pine box to be a fine representation of who he was in life,” Edward Castillo, owner of Cowboy’s Last Ride, said via email.

Also on display will be memorial folders from the funerals of the one and only Roy Rogers and his wife, Dale “The Queen of the West” Evans. The duo was featured in more than 100 different cowboy movies and television shows. You can see plenty of other funeral folders from Hollywood cowboys in the “Thanks for the Memories” section of the exhibit, including those belonging to Michael Landon, John Wayne, Gene Autry and Tom Mix. Also represented are Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels (whom you may know as The Lone Ranger and Tonto, the ones from before the Johnny Depp movie).

Price: $7 to $10

Free Events Thursday!

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Howdy Framers!

Here’s what’s going on in Houston this weekend!

Cultured Cocktails with the Framers!

Every Thursday from 5-7pm.

Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar

307 Fairview St, Houston, TX 77006

10% of all proceeds go to Frame Dance. So if you want to see what we are all about then come join us and meet the Framers of Houston,TX!

Price: Free!!!

Magna Carta

February 14, 2014 – August 17, 2014 (Recurring daily)

Houston Museum of Natural Science

5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030

An original edition of the “Magna Carta,” and the only known example of the King’s Writ – a letter from King John to the Sheriff of Gloucester announcing the signing of the Magna Carta – is headed to Houston from its home in Hereford Cathedral.

The Magna Carta is considered to be Great Britain’s most valuable export to the world and is a model upon which the United States Constitution was based. The Magna Carta continues to serve as the definitive document modeling basic civil liberties, and is the source of many of the most fundamental concepts of law. In more than 100 decisions, the United States Supreme Court has traced dependence on the Magna Carta for an understanding of due process, trial by jury, the importance of a speedy and unbiased trial, and protection against excessive bail or fines or cruel and unusual punishment.

Price: $25

40z Rock Annual Red Tea Party

February 23, 2014 from 2:00pm – 5:00pm

5415 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056

You’re invited to come out and join 40z Rock for a fun-filled afternoon of teas, desserts, and h’orderves . Not to mention, meet some fabulous women who ROCK spiritually, mentally and physically.

Price: $10

A Stroll Down Abbey Road

February 15, 2014 – February 23, 2014 (Every Sunday, Friday, Saturday)

17170 Mill Forest Road, Webster, TX 77598

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ U.S. debut with the Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre. A variety of dance styles will be performed to Beatles classics. Some of the featured songs include Here Comes the Sun, Because, Eleanor Rigby, Black Bird, Yellow Submarine and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

Price: $20

Found out more at their website at www.BAHBT.org

Electric Mardi Gras

February 21, 2014 – March 01, 2014 at 5:00p.m. – 1:00a.m., 12:00p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

(Recurring every 2 weeks Friday, Saturday)

21st and Strand, Galveston, TX 77550

At Mardi Gras! Galveston, the extravagance found in Texas’ largest Mardi Gras celebration starts with the beads! More than 3 million beads will be thrown at Mardi Gras! Galveston and that’s just the beginning of the elaborate parades, headliner performances, family events, feasting and other festivities that come with hosting Mardi Gras island style.

Price: $15

Find out more at http://www.mardigrasgalveston.com/electric/

Happy Hour Thursdays at MFAH

Every Thursday from 6-8pm

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts hosts Happy Hour Thursdays each week. MFAH admission is always free on Thursdays thanks to Shell and from 6 to 8 pm you’ll enjoy happy hour with tunes from a local DJ, light bites from Ladybird Food Truck and a cash bar. The museum is open til 9 every Thursday.

Price: Free!!!

ABCs of Organic Gardening

Saturday, February 22 at 10:15 am.

This is offered at both Cornelius locations: 1200 N. Dairy Ashford and 2233 S. Voss.

Free Clinic, held at all Calloway’s andCornelius locations. Organic gardening focuses first on the soil, as a critical component of a living ecosystem. The soil is filled with all sorts of living creatures that are often beneficial to garden plants. Thus, you might say that when an organic gardener fertilizes the garden, she “feeds the soil” rather than feeds her plants. Healthy lively soil provides the perfect home for healthy lively plants. This terrific clinic will cover how you can create that kind of healthy soil, right here in suburban Texas. Also, we’ll cover the Top Ten Garden Pests and offer some organic solutions.

Price: Free!!!

Exploring Houston’s Green History: Sam Houston Park, 1899−2014

The Heritage Society Museum Gallery

Founded in 1899, Sam Houston Park is the first and oldest municipal park in the city of Houston. This beloved historic green space was originally part of the land granted by Stephen F. Austin to John Austin in 1824. For the past 115 years, the park has served Houstonians as a center for outdoor recreation and social activities. This exhibit will showcase Sam Houston Park’s history as well The Heritage Society’s 60 year history of caring for this beloved city park.

Heritage Family Day
1−4 p.m.
Find out how Houstonians lived after they began to build a city and create homes of their own. Enjoy hands-on activities, crafts, a mock-excavation and refreshments. Take a tour of 1823 Old Place. Co-sponsored by Archaeological Institute of America Houston Society.

Price: Free!!!