Event Roundup: Final Four Weekend

Happy Friday! It’s Final Four weekend plus Opening Weekend for the Houston Astros, and the city is buzzing. Here are weekend highlights: 

Final Four Festivities  

Before the games kick off at NRG Stadium, there are lots of family-friendly festivities happening downtown. Here are the details: 

Men's Final Four Fan Fest Presented by Capital One takes place at George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, March 31-Monday, April 3. (Photo courtesy of NCAA) 

Men’s Final Four Fan Fest Presented by Capital One: Fri., March 31-Mon., April 3 
Fans will enjoy being immersed in all the action at Men’s Final Four Fan Fest at George R. Brown Convention Center, Friday-Monday. Engage in a variety of sports, view championship highlights, meet former players, professional athletes and coaches, and more. Admission is $10 at the door; free for kids 12 and under, Capital One Cardholders, Men’s Final Four Semifinal and National Championship ticketholders. Astros and Rockets ticketholders can also visit for free by showing their tickets for that day’s game at the George R. Brown box office. 

Local and big-name national acts hit the stage at March Madness Music Fest, a three-day music festival on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Discovery Green. Free to attend with registration. (Photo courtesy of NCAA)

March Madness Music Fest Presented by AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola (Fri., March 31-Sun., April 2)  
Local and big-name national acts hit the stage at this free, three-day music festival on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Friday’s performance, headlined by Houston's own Megan Thee Stallion, has already been sold out. Saturday will feature performances by Maggie Rogers and Lil Nas X. The weekend will close out on Sunday with Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, and Mickey Guyton taking the stage. Free to attend with registration. 

Reese's Men’s Final Four Friday includes open team practices for the Men’s Final Four teams from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Then at 3:30 p.m., watch Reese’s NABC All-Star Game, featuring top student-athletes from around the country. (Photo courtesy of NCAA)

Reese's Men’s Final Four Friday (Fri., March 31)
This public event includes open team practices for the Men’s Final Four teams from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Then at 3:30 p.m., watch Reese’s NABC All-Star Game, featuring top student-athletes from around the country. The event will include interactive activities and entertainment for fans of all ages. Doors open at 10 a.m. Parking at NRG Stadium is free.

The Final Four 4 Miler takes place April 1, starting at Hermann Square, and benefits Girls on the Run Greater Houston Chapter. (Photo courtesy of NCAA)

Final Four 4 Miler (Sat., April 1) 
Runners start at Hermann Square at 8:30 a.m. before heading out to Allen Parkway, and will finish the race back at City Hall. All participants will receive a medal, a t-shirt, and complimentary entry to the Final Four Fan Fest. Thirty percent of net profits from the Men’s Final Four 4 Miler will go to Girls on the Run Greater Houston Chapter. Register here. The Houston Local Organizing Committee Men's Final Four 4-Miler (runsignup.com) 

Thousands of youth ages 18 and under will dribble a one-mile course with their very own basketball at the Men's Final Four Dribble Presented by Buick on Sun., April 2, 1 p.m. (Photo courtesy of NCAA)

Men's Final Four Dribble Presented by Buick (Sun., April 2) 
At the Dribble, thousands of youth ages 18 and under dribble a one-mile course with their own basketball. The course takes children and their guardians from Houston City Hall to the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest presented by Capital One, which Dribble participants can access free of charge.

Attending Final Four events? Sign up to receive messages related to safety and traffic related to the events. Text "mffsafety" to 888-777. 

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) and adidas Basketball present CAMH COURT, the first-ever playable basketball court in an art museum, commissioned and designed by renowned Houston-based artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, March 18-April 27, 2023. (Photo: Gem Hale, courtesy of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston)

CAMH COURT Presented by Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and adidas Basketball
CAMH COURT is the first-ever playable basketball court in an art museum and was commissioned and designed by renowned Houston-based artist Trenton Doyle Hancock. In addition to the custom court, Hancock has designed the backboards and basketballs. CAMH’s Brown Foundation Gallery has been transformed into a regular-size court in honor of the NCAA Men's Final Four. CAMH Court is on view through April 27, and is free to visit. Visitors of all ages are welcome and the court is open play on a first-come, first-served basis. Wear rubber-soled shoes. Find more details here. 

Houston Junior Forum’s The City Market 
Ring in the spring season at The City Market, Houston Junior Forum’s inaugural fun-filled event benefiting a range of charitable services for children, youth, women, and senior adults. Browse goods such as jewelry, clothing, accessories, gourmet foods, and more from the curated market on Friday, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. General admission is $20/per person; $25 at the door. 

Opening Weekend: Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox 
The ’Stros take on the White Sox in Opening Weekend of the 2023 season, which kicked off with a World Series celebration on Opening Day yesterday. The four-game series continues tonight at Minute Maid, 7:10 p.m., Saturday at 1:10 p.m., and Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Let’s go, ‘Stros! 

Houston Rockets Games 
The Rockets take on the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center on Friday, 7 p.m., and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, 6 p.m. 

City of Bellaire’s Annual Trolley Run 
The Annual Bellaire Trolley Run will take place on Saturday and will include a 1-mile division that starts at 7:30 a.m., followed by the wheelchair 5K division at 7:50 am, the 5K at 8:00 am, and the stroller 5K division at 8:10 am. Every participant will receive a finisher medal and a t-shirt. The race start is in front of Bellaire City Hall at 7008 South Rice Ave. After the race, enjoy the Post-Race Party with lots of fun treats for runners and their families. 

West U Easter Spring Festival 
Get egg-cited for West U's annual Easter Spring Festival on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. on the Recreation Center Fields. The festival includes bounce houses, a giant slide, mini-train rides, booths, face painting, selfie stations, the Crescent Circus Magician and, of course, the Easter Bunny. Free to attend. 

The Menil Collection’s Neighborhood Community Day  
The Menil Collection hosts its second annual Neighborhood Community Day on Saturday, 12-5 p.m., a free and fun afternoon of art, music, poetry, and family activities in celebration of the museum’s vibrant neighborhood. Participating organizations include: DACAMERA, Houston Center for Photography, Inprint, The Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, Watercolor Art Society, and Writers in the Schools (WITS). Food and beverage vendors will be on site. 

NIGHT LIGHT Presented by Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Aurora Picture Show  
NIGHT LIGHT is a free annual event featuring video art along the Buffalo Bayou East trails. Presented by Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Aurora Picture Show, this year’s NIGHT LIGHT features new, site-specific media works by Houston artists Chap Edmonson, Jamie Robertson, and Input Output shown along a half-mile stretch of waterfront trails. Music, community food trucks, and vendors will be on site at Tony Marron Park on Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m., with the art works activated at 8 p.m. 

DRUMLine Live, the show stopping attraction created by the musical team behind the hit movies, “Drumline” and “Drumline: A New Beat,” embodies the soulful, high-stepping style of the Historically Black College and University marching band experience. (Photo courtesy of Miller Outdoor Theatre)

DRUMLine Live at Miller Outdoor Theatre
DRUMLine Live, the show stopping attraction created by the musical team behind the hit movies, “Drumline” and “Drumline: A New Beat,” embodies the soulful, high-stepping style of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching band experience. Enjoy the Drumline experience at Miller Outdoor Theatre Saturday at 8 p.m. Miller performances are free. 

It's Final Four Weekend and there are lots of fun, family-friendly events happening, March 31-April 3. (Photo courtesy of NCAA)

Editor’s note: Houston native Jaedon LeDee, a 2018 graduate of The Kinkaid School, will be playing in the Final Four along with his San Diego State University teammates. Read more here. For more on March Madness, read Coogs Madness: For the City by Michelle Groogan featuring diehard UH fans, which was published in our March 2023 issue. Find more upcoming events on our online event calendar.