Event Roundup: What to Look Forward to This Weekend

Visit Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens for an afternoon of family-friendly fun celebrating the culture and legends of Texas.

It’s Friday the 13th, but with all these fun events, you’d think it’s a good luck charm. This weekend has fall festivals, solar eclipse viewing parties, a plant market, and more! 

The Garden Club of Houston's 81st Bulb & Plant Market
The Garden Club of Houston’s 81st Bulb & Plant Mart is underway at The Church of St. John the Divine. Gardeners will find an expanded collection of hard-to-find Crinums, Daylilies, Gingers, perennials, shrubs, vines, herbs and citrus plants, including exclusive offerings grown specifically for the Mart. Special exhibits will include the live butterfly tent from HMNS Cockrell Butterfly Center. The Mart is open today, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.  

Children's Boo!seum Houston
The Children’s Museum Houston has magically transformed into the Children’s Boo!seum Houston for three weeks of Halloween! Partake in spine-tingling experiments, spirit-lifting activities, and slime-filled fun from Oct. 10-31. This Saturday features a Beetlejuice-themed party from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Hocus Pocus meet-and-greet, and paint-a-pumpkin craft. The museum is open from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., and admission is $17 per person (children under 1 are free).

The Bayou City Art Festival will take place Oct. 14-15.

Bellaire Environmental Sustainability Board's Recycling Drive-Thru Event 
The Bellaire Environmental Sustainability Board (ESB) is hosting a Drive-Thru Recycling Event on Saturday, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (or earlier, if full) at Bellaire Public Works at 4337 Edith Street. They will accept scrap metal, small appliances, computer equipment, cell phones, tablets, radios, and stereos. 

21st Annual ArBOOretum
The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is holding their fall festival, ArBOOretum, this Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Bring the kids out for the Arboretum’s biggest family event of the year, featuring fun activities for all ages, including: a pumpkin patch, Halloween market, carnival swings, falcon shows, pumpkin decorating, and train rides. Arboretum members can attend for free, and all proceeds benefit the Arboretum. Online presale tickets are $20 each, and $25 at the door.

Bayou City Art Festival Downtown 2023
Bayou City Art Festival, produced by the Art Colony Association, Inc., will take place downtown (in Sam Houston Park and along Allen Parkway) on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The featured artist is Michelle McDowell Smith, a mixed media artist from Roanoke, VA. Smith and 250 artists from around the country will showcase their art. Tickets are $22 per adult, and free for children 12 and under.

HMNS will provide the special glasses needed to safely view the eclipse at their Solar Eclipse Party this Saturday, Oct. 14. (Photo courtesy of Houston Museum of Natural Science)

Children’s Museum Houston's Solar Eclipse Viewing Party
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Allen Family Courtyard Weather Station on Saturday, the Children’s Museum will have a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party. Kids and adults can grab a pair of special glasses to catch a glimpse of this phenomenon. Indoors, you can watch a live stream of the eclipse, explore Moon Craters and more at the Science Station, and make a pinhole projector postcard to track the eclipse’s path and safely see it through the hole in the center of the card at Science Station. Admission is $17 per person (children under 1 are free).

Annular Eclipse 2023: HMNS Solar Eclipse Party
Join HMNS on Saturday for a free viewing party from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Museum Sundial Plaza as the Ring of Fire forms in the sky of Houston, and learn the science behind it with telescopes, crafts, and more. Outside the Museum’s main entrance, participate in crafts, solar experiments, and safely view the eclipse using viewers and telescopes. 

2023 Texas Family Literacy Festival
Discovery Green's Sarofim Lawn will transform into ‘Story Square’ from 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. this Saturday. The festival will have performances from local schools and organizations, food, free books, meet-the-author events, a “Famagination” Zone, face painting, and more to entertain the whole family. The event is free with registration.

Join scientists and educators from the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) for a fun and educational solar eclipse viewing party at Levy Park on October 14!

2023 Annular Solar Eclipse Viewing Party at Levy Park
Join scientists and educators from the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) for a fun and educational viewing party of the annular (ring-shaped) solar eclipse at Levy Park! This free event will be held from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Levy Park will provide free eye protection so guests can safely enjoy. This event will also feature music from DJ DelSur and a lunar themed craft for kids of all ages.

Nature Discovery Center hosts its Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival Oct 14-15, including festival games, crafts and activities, and more. (Photo: Nature Discovery Center)

Nature Discovery Center's Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival 
Nature Discovery Center is holding their Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival will include plenty of pumpkins, fun festival games, crafts and activities, scrumptious foods, informal family photo ops, meet the animals, and more! Admission is free, but games, crafts, activities, concessions, etc. all have a cost. Event parking will be available on side streets in the neighborhood surrounding the park.

Monterrey vs. Tigres
On Saturday at 5 p.m., a Clásico Regio rematch sets up rival teams Monterrey and Tigres at Shell Energy Stadium. Tickets start at $65.

Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints
On Sunday at noon, the Houston Texans battle the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium. Tickets start at $125.

Houstonians gathered in the HMNS Sundial Plaza to view the 2017 eclipse. This weekend's event - an annular eclipse - will not reoccur until 2077. (Photo courtesy of Houston Museum of Natural Science)

Family Day at Bayou Bend: “People of Texas” 
Visit Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens this Sunday for a free afternoon of family-friendly fun celebrating the culture and legends of Texas. From 1-5 p.m., enjoy activities including an art-making workshop, lawn games in the Diana Garden, activities for children, a mariachi performance, storytelling with David Allen, and the Monarch Chamber Players.

Astros vs. Texas Rangers
On Sunday at 7 p.m., the Astros will play the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the ALCS seven-game series at Minute Maid Park. The first pitch is at 7 p.m. Tickets are limited and start at $129.

More Events
See our online event calendar for more upcoming events.