Event Roundup: What to Look Forward to This Weekend

Happy Friday and happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate! This weekend includes lots of ways to mark the Year of the Snake, the kickoff to the ReelAbilities Film & Arts Festival, and more. 

A tunnel filled with traditional Chinese lanterns leads the way from the wildlife-themed installations to Asian-themed displays at the Houston Botanic Garden's all-new Radiant Nature.

Radiant Nature 
Weekends through Sun., Feb. 23
Houston Botanic Garden 
$28.50 for ages 3+; reserve tickets online 
Radiant Nature at Houston Botanic Garden features more than 50 Chinese lantern installations throughout the mile-long path, inspired by traditions celebrating the Lunar New Year as well as regional plant and animal life. This year’s exhibit features a new collection of lantern installations, including a massive iridescent dome that guests can walk inside, where they’ll find a larger-than-life color-changing, moving lotus flower. The lotus is a symbol of purity, honesty, goodness, and rebirth in Chinese culture. Other new attractions include a life-sized Chinese palace, a canopy tunnel constructed of traditional oil paper umbrellas, pandas in a field of bamboo with a waterfall, interactive morning glories and sunflowers, and an interactive dragon that guests can manipulate to make it “dance.” 

Color Factory celebrates Lunar New Year with a focus on the traditional colors red and gold, which symbolize luck and prosperity. At the journey’s end, visitors will receive a traditional Lunar New Year red envelope with Color Cash. 

Lunar New Year Celebration at Color Factory  
Fri., Jan. 31-Mon., Feb. 3
Color Factory 
Tickets vary. Use promo code LUNAR15 for 15 percent off tickets 
Color Factory celebrates the Lunar New Year with a focus on the traditional colors red and gold, which symbolize luck and prosperity. At the end of the visit, guests will receive a traditional Lunar New Year red envelope with Color Cash.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Asia Society Texas' festival featuring a variety of fun activities including lion dances, a Lucky Lunar Mission, food and shopping, and ticketed music and dance performances by Huaxing Arts Group. (Photo courtesy of Asia Society Texas)

Asia Society Texas’ Lunar New Year 
Sat., Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Asia Society Texas 
Free entrance; registration is required for timed building entry (10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 1-4 p.m.) 
Asia Society Texas (AST) celebrates the Lunar New Year with a free, family-friendly festival, including two lion dances, a Lucky Lunar Mission, food and shopping, and music and dance performances by Huaxing Arts Group. Spring Festival: Splendor of Huaxing performances at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. are ticketed: $12. Activities include Chinese calligraphy, Lunar New Year zodiac games, free exhibition admission to Space City: Art in the Age of Artemis, and Lucky Lunar Mission activities and demonstrations with community partners. 

Chinese Community Center’s Lunar New Year Festival 
Sat., Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Chinese Community Center
Free
Join the Chinese Community Center (CCC) and Southwest Management District to celebrate the Year of the Snake at the 2025 Lunar New Year Festival. Highlights include spectacular performances (lion and dragon dances, martial arts, traditional Chinese and Korean dances, fashion shows, and live orchestra performances), delicious Asian food, cultural workshops including calligraphy, origami, and paper cutting, games and interactive activities, a live snake exhibit by the Nature Discovery Center, and more.

Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets 
Sat., Feb. 1, 7 p.m.
Toyota Center
Tickets start at $47
Cheer on the Rockets as they take on the Brooklyn Nets. Saturday is Black History Night presented by Sire Spirits.

Lunar New Year Celebration at Space Center Houston 
Sat., Feb. 1-Sun., Feb. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days
Space Center Houston 
General admission: Ranges from $29.95 - $39.95 (adult); $24.95 - $34.95 (child)
Space Center Houston celebrates Lunar New Year with a weekend full of cultural activities, learning about the moon, and engaging in fun, hands-on science experiments.  

Lunar New Year Festival + Market at Market Square Park 
Sat., Feb. 1, 12-6 p.m.
Free
Market Square Park 
Celebrate Lunar New Year downtown with Lion and Dragon dances, a live DJ, cultural workshops by Young Audiences of Houston, and a bustling RISE market with over 30 vendors offering a variety of street food and artisan goods.

To mark the Year of the Snake, the Rice Lions will perform the traditional art of lion dancing at 11 a.m. during the Rice Farmers Market. (Photo courtesy of Rice Village) 

Rice Village Farmers Market Celebrates Lunar New Year 
Sun., Feb. 2, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Rice Village at Kelvin Dr. and Amherst St. 
Celebrate Lunar New Year at the Rice Village Farmers Market this Sunday. To mark the Year of the Snake, the Rice Lions will perform the traditional art of lion dancing at 11 a.m., complete with vibrant lion costumes, energetic choreography, and powerful drumming.  

Come see the world through the eyes of artists from Celebration Company, an entrepreneurial employment program for adults with disabilities, and featured artist Keith Wasserman. 

ReelArt Opening Reception for ReelAbilities Houston 
Sun., Feb. 2, 1-4 p.m. (festival continues through Feb. 23) 
Sabine Street Studios (festival event locations vary) 
The ReelAbilities Houston Film & Arts Festival promotes inclusion and celebrates the lives, stories and talents of people with disabilities. ReelAbilities takes place Feb. 2-23. The festival kicks off this weekend with the ReelArt Opening Reception. See the world through the eyes of artists from Celebration Company, an entrepreneurial employment program for adults with disabilities, and enjoy a special exhibition by featured artist Keith Wasserman. Register for the Opening Reception here. See the ReelAbilities event schedule and register for other upcoming events here. This year, Jeffrey and Alli Feinstein are chairing ReelAbilities. Read about the Feinsteins in this powerful story of resiliency from our Feb. 2025 issue.

Lunar New Year at Discovery Green
Sun., Feb. 2, 4-7 p.m. 
Discovery Green
Free
Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Discovery Green with performances by Lee’s Golden Dragon, Han Narea, and Dance of Asian America.

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