The Hidden Agenda: Pride Yourself
Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Photo credit: Spenser Harrison
With Houston’s Pride Celebration taking place on Saturday, this week is pretty bonkers when it comes to things going on in the city. From the Pride Parade and Festival to artist talks and film screenings, there’s really no shortage of things to get into this week.
Wednesday, June 22
Screening — Fargo at Market Square Park
Get going mid-week with screening of the classic Fargo at Market Square Park (301 Milam) starting at 8:30 pm. Put on your best Midwestern accent and grab a spot on the lawn for the Cohen Brothers’ 1996 crime drama, starring William H. Macy, Frances McDormand and Steve Buscemi.
Friday, June 24
Stalk Show with Marini Van Smirren + Badvice Live at BETA Theater
Day for Night superhero and Badvice-giver extraordinaire Marini van Smirren is the featured guest for this installment of the Stalk Show at Beta Theater (2420 Pierce). The monthly show is hosted by Hoja Lopez, who is so fascinated by her guests to the point that she scours their social media pages, follows them around, calls their relatives and acts like a love struck maniac. Think of it as a 70-minute multimedia love letter, so prepare yourself for all the hilarity and surprises BETA is known for. Tickets to the show are $10.
Saturday, June 25
Artist Talk — Perry Price and Artists Delaney Smith and Amada Miller at Capsule Gallery
Kick off Houston Pride right with mimosas and an artist talk at Capsule Gallery (3909 Main) at 11 am. Houston Center for Contemporary Craft executive director Perry Price and artists Delaney Smith and Amada Miller will discuss their works in the gallery’s current exhibition, Fibers of Design.
Houston LGBT Pride Celebration 2024 in Downtown
Although the vibes likely can’t top last year’s Pride — given that the celebration occurred just one day after same-sex marriage was legalized — it did a great job of introducing the parade to downtown in 2024. The always joyous parade, filled with glittering floats and even more glittering people, runs 8:30 to 11 pm and begins on Smith at Lamar and ends on Milam at Jefferson. Don’t make the mistake of missing out on the Pride Festival, located at McKinney and Smith, which features Pearl from RuPaul’s Drag Race, sets from Ishi, Wrestlers, Lyric Michelle and a Selena tribute performance by Amanda Solis. Barring rain or unbearable heat (heck, really both), the celebration promises to get you dancing and I can guarantee you’ll leave with a bunch of beads and a profound feeling of unity.
Artist Talk — Skylar Fein - Eulogy for Frank O’Hara: Pop Art and the Queer Death Drive at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
At 2 pm, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose) is hosting a talk by artist Skylar Fein. “Larry Rivers delivered a eulogy for Francis “Frank” O’Hara that became one of the most infamous art world events of the late 1960s, but you’ve never heard of it,” reads CAMH’s website. Fein will read the eulogy and relate it to Rivers’s work, “making the case that just as Rivers’s work prefigured Pop Art, the eulogy itself foreshadows the response to AIDS a few years later.”
Really Really Free Market at Menil Park
Stop by Menil Park (1450 Branard) between 3 and 7 pm to check out the Really Really Free Market, which is exactly as how sounds: bring something you want to give away, expect nothing for it in return. No money, no barter, no sales. Don’t have anything you want to give away? Maybe you can braid hair, tell a story or teach knitting. Or you can see if someone wants to give you something. However you do it, the event promises to be an interesting one.
Your Name Here: Tim Kerr and Friends at Hardy & Nance Street Studios
A one-night-only exhibition by Austin-based artist Tim Kerr will be on view at Hardy & Nance Street Studios (902 Hardy) from 6 to 9 pm. Kerr, a founding member of “punk grandfathers” The Big Boys and a member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame, was just announced as the newest resident of art collective and event organizer Paper and Space. An artist question-and-answer session with Kerr begins at 6:30 pm.
Expert Matters with Andrea Afra at BETA Theater
Join BETA Theater (2420 Pierce) for Expert Matters, a monthly show featuring an expert who will answer audience questions pertaining to their field of expertise. This month’s guest is none other than succulent expert and owner of Sucs for You, Andrea Afra. Following her answers, a group of improvisers will perform scenes based on the information shared. The event gets going at 8 pm and entry to the BYOB event is $10.
Sunday, June 26
Screening — 2001: A Space Odyssey at Alamo Drafthouse Vintage Park
Wrap up your weekend with a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s futuristic opus 2001: A Space Odyssey at Alamo Drafthouse Vintage Park (114 Vintage Park). You can reserve your spot by pre-purchasing a $5 voucher for theater eats or show up early to guarantee your spot at the free screening.
