Event Roundup: What to Look Forward to This Weekend

Happy Friday! Fall festivals are starting to kick off, even if it doesn’t quite feel like fall yet, and there are a ton of fun events taking place this weekend. 

The inaugural Untitled Art, Houston spotlights Houston’s rich cultural fabric through Special Projects, prizes, live podcast panels, institutional presentations, and community partnerships. The festival takes place at the George R. Brown Convention Center Sept. 19-21. 

Untitled Art, Houston  
Fri., Sept. 19-Sun., Sept. 21
George R. Brown Convention Center, Hall A3
VIP: $150; Single Day Admission: $35; Multi-Day Admission: $68 
The inaugural Untitled Art, Houston will spotlight Houston’s rich cultural fabric through Special Projects, prizes, live podcast panels, institutional presentations, and community partnerships, furthering Untitled Art’s mission to champion creative innovation in contemporary art and reflect Houston’s distinct cultural identity and international reach. There will also be a curated Houston Artist Market and much more.

Astros vs. Mariners 
Sept. 19-21, 6:10 p.m. each day 
Daikin Park
$28+ 
Cheers on the Astros as they take on the Mariners, Sept. 19-21, 6:10 p.m. each day. Friday-Saturday will mark Hispanic Heritage Weekend and Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day. 

Musiqa, NobleMotion Dance and the University of Houston BRAIN Center present Sound & Motion – a fusion of music, dance, immersive projection design, and cutting-edge neuro-engineering.

Sound & Motion Produced by Musiqa 
Fri., Sept. 19, 8 p.m.
Miller Outdoor Theatre
Free
Musiqa, NobleMotion Dance, and the University of Houston BRAIN Center present Sound & Motion – a fusion of music, dance, immersive projection design, and cutting-edge neuro-engineering. The evening will feature music by Anthony Brandt, Marcus Maroney, and Pierre Jalberth, with choreography by Andy and Dionne Noble – offering a unique blend of artistic and scientific exploration. During the performance, dancers will be wearing mobile brain-body imaging caps, monitored through a brain-computer interface (BCI), by a team of neuro-engineers from the University of Houston’s BRAIN Center led by Cullen Distinguished Professor Jose L Contreras-Vidal. Audience members will watch this experiment take place in real-time. Visualizations of the live EEG data, conceptualized by multimedia artist Badie Khaleghian, will be displayed on screen.

Jump into fall fun at Discovery Green, Sept. 20-Nov. 2. Houston Pumpkin Festival attractions include a large bouncy pumpkin, more than 50+ pumpkin varieties, photo ops, a corn pit, crystal kayaks, and more. 

Houston Pumpkin Festival  
Sat., Sept. 20-Sun., Nov. 2
Discovery Green 
Monday-Thursday: $18 per person; Friday-Sunday: $26 per person; Children 3 and under are free
The Houston Pumpkin Festival opens this Saturday. The festival includes the World's Largest Bouncy Pumpkin - over 2,000 square feet in size - a huge corn pit, 50+ varieties for pumpkins, fun fall photo opps, crystal kayaks, and more. Reserve your spot in advance.

Houston Botanic Garden's popular Go Bananas! festival includes sampling of different banana varieties, a festive market, live music, crafts, a banana bread baking competition, and more. This year, the event takes place just after the Garden's fifth birthday, so the event includes the opportunity to sing Happy Birthday to the Garden. 

Go Bananas! at Houston Botanic Garden 
Sat., Sept. 20, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Houston Botanic Garden
$20/adult, $16/child/student/senior/military; free for members
This year, the popular Go Bananas! festival falls just after the Houston Botanic Garden’s fifth birthday, so there is even more to celebrate. This fun and family friendly annual event draws attention to the many varieties of bananas — the world’s largest herb! — in the Garden’s living plant collections. During Go Bananas, attendees can sample different banana varieties, shop a festive market, visit with the Garden’s horticulturists to learn tips for growing bananas at home, and even purchase a plant(s) from the Garden’s collection. With a DJ and live performance by AndyRoo (including the opportunity to sing “Happy Birthday” to the Garden), craft stations, “Banana Brainiac” trivia, and Sloomoo Institute giveaways, the day features activities for every age. There will be a banana bread baking competition, featuring curated entries from local bakeries judged by a panel of judges.

The Texas Renaissance Festival brings its magic to Children's Museum Houston for a day of royal encounters, fantastical performances, and creative fun.

RenFest at Children's Museum Houston 
Sat., Sept. 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Children's Museum Houston
Adults and children ages 1+: $19.95
The Texas Renaissance Festival brings its magic to Children's Museum Houston for a day of royal encounters, fantastical performances, and creative fun. Lively shows and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages includes a royal presentation (11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.); a puppet show (10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.), and faerie and elf mask workshops (at the top of every hour, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.), face painting (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) and more. 

Enjoy a fun day of cultural entertainment, traditional games, and delicious Vietnamese cuisine at Viet Cultural Fest 2025.

Viet Cultural Fest 2025 
Sat., Sept. 20, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 
NRG Center, Hall E 
$15; free for children 4 and under 
Immerse yourself in Vietnamese heritage at the largest Vietnamese festival in Texas. Enjoy a fun-filled day of cultural entertainment, traditional games, exciting competitions, and delicious Vietnamese cuisine. 

Celebrate the beauty of Mexican culture with the international touring company México en el Corazón at Discovery Green.

Mexico en el Corazón 
Sat., Sept. 20, 7-10 p.m.
Discovery Green 
Free
Celebrate the beauty of Mexican culture with the international touring company México en el Corazón. With more than 70 performers the evening promises a spectacular showcase of traditional Mexican dance, ballet folklorico, regional costuming, indigenous traditions and more. Attendees will also enjoy a special Flea by Night presented by Green Mountain Energy, a curated market featuring Latin food and vendors throughout the park.  

Noche Latina: Houston Dynamo FC vs. Portland Timbers 
Sat., Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Shell Energy Stadium 
$26+
The Houston Dynamo take on the Portland Timbers in a match at Shell Energy Stadium in East Downtown.

During Houston Jazz Festival, enjoy a breathtaking performance as Modern Jazz Masters perform music from the Cannonball Adderley catalogue. Grammy winning alto saxophonist Mark Gross of the Duke Ellington Orchestra will be joined by special guest Veronica Swift (pictured) as they perform from the iconic 1962 Nancy Wilson – Cannonball Adderley Capitol release.  

Houston Jazz Festival: Mark Gross & Veronica Swift Produced by Houston Jazz Collective 
Sat., Sept. 20, 8 p.m. 
Free
Miller Outdoor Theatre
Modern Jazz Masters perform music from the Cannonball Adderley catalogue. Grammy winning alto saxophonist Mark Gross of the Duke Ellington Orchestra will also be joined by special guest Veronica Swift as they perform from the iconic 1962 Nancy Wilson – Cannonball Adderley Capitol release. The evening will be informed by and feature masterworks by acclaimed Texas artist John Alexander. In addition, Mark Gross will be joined by members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center family as they perform standards from Cannonball’s instrumental songbook.

More Events
See our event calendar for more upcoming happenings.