The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Get Into Summer at FPSF

This Sunday, Solange will be in Houston and will take the Budweiser stage at 6:30 p.m. That's important for several reasons. She'll be coming to Houston in a pack of musicians ready to take Houston's favorite music festival by storm. She'll perform "Don't Touch My Hair" in real life, giving you ample opportunity to catch all the sass the song embodies. And finally, her rhythm and sounds will be the kick-off to the rest of your week, the rest of your June, hell, even the rest of your summer '17. Grab your tickets while they're still available and check out the rest of this weekend's best bets.



Leonardo da Vinci, the ultimate Renaissance man, still leaves an impact on modern culture. The man who painted, designed and wrote took on a host of other projects, and his legacy is immortalized — at least for a few months — at Moody Gardens’ Da Vinci: The Exhibition. The showcase is a hands-on examination of his life, research and art featuring more than 60 fully built, life-size inventions, more than 20 fine art studies and dozens of stunning displays. “You can see how his work and discovery started and where we are now…how forward-thinking he was for his time and how those ideas are with us now,” says PR coordinator Ashley Tompkins. While school is already out for some, use this Friday as your chance to get your hands on these interactive designs before the rest of the crowds arrive. 

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 2 p.m.; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting June 3, through January 8. Moody Gardens, Inc., One Hope Boulevard. For information, call 1-800-582-4673 or visit moodygardens.org. $14.95 adults, $12.95 seniors age 65 and over and children ages 4-12; children 3 years and under free.



To anyone who remembers reading a certain dystopian George Orwell novel in sophomore English class (or who knows it only through the cultural legacy of “Big Brother”), director Tom Stell wants you to know Obsidian’s upcoming production of 1984 is far from a “go and take your medicine” kind of show. Michael Gene Sullivan’s adaptation starts at the end, with state-cog-turned-rebel Winston Smith’s capture; the audience, front and center, is complicit in the interrogation and conversion process as the actors onstage re-enact Winston’s diary of treason and sedition. “It still addresses the underlying aspect of government basically being the end-all, be-all of society,” says Stell. “It’s pretty amazing to think you could write a novel in 1949 and it could be completely relevant today.” The relevance of 1984 is exactly what makes this production one to be seen this Friday night.

8 p.m. June 2 and 3, 8 through 12, 15 and 16, continues 3 p.m. June 4; 2 p.m. and 8 June 17. Obsidian Theater, 3522 White Oak. For information, call 832-889-7837 or visit obsidiantheater.org. $15 to $30.



Compagnie XY ain’t your grandpappy’s circus; in fact, it bears little resemblance to anything Barnum, Bailey or the Ringling Brothers ever produced. The 22-member troupe is bringing its unique blend of acrobatics, dance and theatrics to the Plaza for the U.S. premiere of It’s Not Yet Midnight, a by turns playful and poignant show that will give you your fill of backflips, leaps, somersaults and impressive towers of people. The hourlong show celebrates human solidarity; its tagline: “alone we go faster; together we go further.” Without special devices and harnesses, this troupe's stunts are executed through team precision and cooperation. Watch the amazing feats of this unified performance group this Saturday night at Avenida Houston.

8 p.m. Saturday, June 3. Avenida Houston, 1001 Avenida de las Americas. For information, visit avenidahouston.com. Free.



Andres Serrano doesn’t do safe. From documenting bodies in the morgue to submerging a crucifix in his own urine, or photographing contortionists and dwarfs in flagrante, the American artist and photographer has elicited strong reactions, including the desecration of his works. Now that torture is back in the news again (though federal law prevents President Trump from immediately ramping up the interrogation machine), it seems a good time for Serrano’s “Torture” series. He probably shocked the residents of a French industrial town when he commissioned the locals to duplicate objects of torture. He then posed more than 40 models in degrading positions as they were shackled, submerged and humiliated for the sake of art. Alex Tu, who curated the exhibit at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art, tells us that Serrano’s work invites discussion about whether torture is morally or ethically right, or if it’s even something that should be upheld by freedom-loving people. The exhibition will begin with an opening reception this Saturday, where discussion about the pieces and their context will be encouraged. 

Opening reception from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Continuing 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. June 3 through October 8. 1502 Alabama. For information, call 713-529-6900 or visit stationmuseum.com. Free.



Though youngish, this, the grandaddy of Houston music festivals, has achieved the sociocultural density and attraction of an enormous, seasonal black hole. Beyond the sharp local representation — Solange, Khruangbin, Rose Ette, Night Drive, Deep Cuts — the boldest bets are headliner Lorde and Hooray for the Riff Raff, the rest of the lineup being a mirage-like shimmer of pop idols like Charli XCX, EDM breakouts and, here and there, between the food trucks, a few rockers. Whether the festival takes place in a park, as intended, or in a parking lot or even on an ocean-bound barge, FPSF asserts the prerogative of a pheromone spray, being something inescapable and inexpressible, except insofar as it is partially tented and occasionally sprayed with misters as protection from the heat. With Lorde, Flume, G-Eazy, Cage The Elephant, Solange, and The Shins, Tove Lo, Carnage, Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert, Jon Bellion, Jauz, Grouplove, Milky Chance, DVBBS, Portugal. The Man, Big K.R.I.T., Charli XCX, The Strumbellas, Khruangbin, Rose Ette, Night Drive, Kay Weathers, MIEARS, Deep Cuts, this Saturday and Sunday will be a nonstop party covering every part of the musical spectrum to satisfy everyone.

11 a.m. Saturday. Continues June 4. Eleanor Tinsley Park, 500 Allen Parkway. For information, call 713-247-3500 or visit fpsf.com. $148 to $799.



Sam Byrd, Natalie De La Garza, Tex Kerschen and Susie Tommaney contributed to this post.