Zoovie Nights Series: Hocus Pocus at the Houston Zoo
Friday, 5 p.m.
6200 Hermann Park Drive
Hocus Pocus is undoubtedly the movie of the season. It's Kathy Najime, Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler bringing back more than the undead with this family-friendly showing at the zoo. Dress in costume and show up early to meet the zoo's newest babies; meet Cali the sea lion, two new river hogs born this June, and Joy, the three-month-old elephant. For information, call 713-533-6500 or visit houstonzoo.org/halloween-zoovie-nights/. Free to $18.
This ofrenda hit all the marks including chocolate, candy, pan de muerto, even some distilled spirits because why not.
Photo by Jamie Alvear
Friday, 7 p.m.
333 South Jensen
Calaveras, ofrendas and pan de muerto. Three staples any Día de los Muertos celebration must have. Talento Bilingüe de Houston has hit the mark with all three necessities plus the celebratory art of ten local artists; works will include the techniques of papier-mâché, painting, sculpture and altars made. Round out the evening with the brew best befitting the evening, a Saint Arnold, plus food trucks for the hungry. For information, call 713-222-1213 or visit tbhcenter.com. Free.
Mixed Media Party at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Friday, 8 p.m.
1001 Bissonnet
Dress to the nines for your own red-carpet moment during this Friday’s MFAH Mixed Media, because board shorts just won’t do when you’re mixing and mingling around the fabulously sculpted dresses by Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta. DJ Sun always looks for just the right music when curating these events, but he upped his game for this one. “We try to center it around dance music to keep it energized,” says Sun. “This time I wanted to do a DJ that personified fashion and stylishness. I finally landed on Miguel Migs. He’s got great house tracks, great dance music; very stylish as well.” For information, call 713-639-7300 or visit mfah.org. $22 to $25.
Dream Machine near Downtown Houston
Saturday, 6 p.m.
215 Grove Street
Imagine a local, one-night-only mega-event that meant to unify Day for Night, Santa Fe's fantastical Meow Wolf, artist Brion Gysin’s hallucinatory Dream Machine, and a little bit of clandestine goings-on. That’s what Bambull Black, the collective of artists Hannah Bull, Dom Bam and Black Cassidy, are after in their homegrown production, Dream Machine, which this year invited 15 artists to create interactive, tech-inspired and digital installations to anchor the nightlong art party. After being postponed because of Harvey, the party is back on. For information, visit facebook.com/events/150693075526536. $15 to $40.
Houston Italian Festival at Campus Life Mall, University of St. Thomas
Saturday, 11 a.m.
3800 Montrose
The Houston Italian Festival, now in its 39th year, knows not to mess with a good thing. The four-day celebration of all things Italian still boasts meatballs, Italian classes and wine tasting, but 2017 sees the addition of a new Spaghetti Western Night, featuring a Sergio Leone double feature and live country music (plus $2 off admission if you don a cowboy hat). There’s always a lot to do, but festival spokesperson Margaret Bannon encourages everyone to check out the grape stomp and pasta-eating contest, and to “do your homework so you know what you would like to do, what you would like to see and which food you would like to try!” For information, call 713-524-4222 or visit houstonitalianfestival.com. Free to $25.
