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Our spring in Houston
A mini guide to April events, things to do this weekend, a giveaway & more!
Kathrina Maribao
April 02, 2026
ON THE HOUSE is your weekly dose of Houston art and culture, nightlife, and things worth leaving the house for. If you enjoy OTH and would like to support, you can buy readers coffee (aka sponsor an issue), sponsor your event, or simply keep reading. We appreciate you! Scroll down for your curated list of weekend events.
Got a tip, event, or something we should be paying attention to? Hit reply.
Is it just me or does the fresh energy of spring feel like a bigger reset than new years?
The azaleas are blooming, rodeo festivities have ended, and we’re quietly entering, in my opinion, the best time in Houston: spring. I spent the third week of March in Mexico City (yes, I waited 90 minutes in line for TSA Pre-check) and over there, spring’s also a beautiful spectacle with jacaranda trees adorning the city with their purple hues. As an amateur gardener, it’s exciting to plant seeds in hopes they’ll grow something substantial; as a flower lover, it’s the easiest time to find beauty in and around the city.
We took some time to create April’s calendar and, woah, there are a lot of exciting things happening this month! The annual Houston Bookstore Crawl has just begun with over 31 independently owned bookstores participating throughout Houston. There are many shows to catch in theatre such as Back to the Future: The Musical, Monty Python’s Spamalot, or even Disney’s Fantasia in Concert at the Houston Symphony. Art League is hosting their first Block Party on April 11th. Black Cinema Club HTX is celebrating their first year anniversary. If you’re a plant person, the highly anticipated Plantcon is happening at the end of the month.
Later this April you can expect an essay from our contributor Reagan on the bookstore crawl, and a debut blog post from guest writer Natali on navigating walkability (or lack of it) in Houston.
There’s a lot to look forward to so we’ll see you out there! Now go touch grass (seriously, it’s the perfect time). — Kathrina Maribao
This week we’re collaborating with ARTECHOUSE! That means 2 readers will receive ONE ticket to ARTECHOUSE Houston. All you have to do is click on this link and you’ll be entered to win.
Winners will be randomly selected and emailed tomorrow morning.
Use code ONTHEHOUSE for 20% off tickets.
Spring arrives in full bloom at ARTECHOUSE Houston with the latest edition of Blooming Wonders. Step inside a vibrant digital garden that awakens through your movement, and discover interactive artworks within 26,000 sq ft of cutting-edge gallery space.
Take 20% off adult or child tickets with code ONTHEHOUSE at checkout.
Want to collab on a future issue and treat readers to a local experience on you? Hit reply.
LATELY IN HOUSTON
Houston's the "it" city now. Sorry Austin, Houston's now the Texas city with the most cool events, and summer's proving it. World Cup brings 500k visitors, Dream Con returns, Comicpalooza hits in May. Spring breakers already planning comebacks (despite traffic and heat). Better transit and walkability need to follow, please! Chron
Houston's youngest garden is learning to survive. Houston Botanic Garden's five years have been a climate crash course: Winter Storm Uri killed half the Global Collection twice, hurricanes damaged 90% of trees, droughts and heat domes forced replanting. Now it’s thriving with festivals, native meadows, and experimental plantings. Houstonia Magazine
Texas goes backward (again). Texas cracks down on THC with stricter 0.3% limits, factoring in heated THCA, wiping smokable hemp products off shelves overnight. What was legal yesterday fails today. Shops run clearance sales and fees jump from $600 to $20K. Advocates predict a booming black market and skyrocketing arrests while veterans lose pain relief access. Collective groan: “I hate this.” The Barbed Wire
APRIL LOOKING AHEAD
Some arts & culture events happening in April.
WEEKEND EVENTS
All weekend:
Houston Bookstore Crawl begins!
Back to the Future: The Musical at TUTS
Disney’s Fantasia in Concert at Houston Symphony
The Amazing Acro-cats at MATCH
Blooming Wonders at ARTECHOUSE
Thursday, 4/2
6pm-10pm, Community | First Thursdays Block Party at Mid Main Houston. “Come by the Mid Main Breezeway from 6-10pm, make a $10 donation to the featured organization and enjoy good music, great art, wonderful people PLUS tasty libations compliments of Saint Arnold Brewing Company.”
7pm, Film | Watch The Princess Bride at Rooftop Cinema Club. $19 and up.
Friday, 4/3
7pm and 9:30pm, Live Music | New Orleans Night at Doc’s Jazz Club ft. Trisha Jones. $48 and up.
8pm, Concert | Orchestra Noir Presents: Culture 2000 Tour at 713 Music Hall. $69 and up.
9pm-12am, Live Music | Turkish Funk live music by Aurum Son at Echoes.
Saturday, 4/4
9am-11am, Plants | Houston Zoo’s first public plant sale at Masihara Pavilion. “You’ll have the chance to take home a piece of the Zoo with plants that were grown here or trimmings from plants inside animal habitats.”
10am-2pm, Books | April Book Sale at Houston Public Library Warehouse. “We have: Children and young adult books are $1 each; Adult paperback books are $2 each; Adult hardback books are $3 each; DVDs, Vinyl's, and audiobooks are all $1 each.”
11am-3pm, Art | Hands-on Houston: Blue & White Mosaic Tiles at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
11am-4pm, Art | Kale Label Trunk Show at The Doll House. “If you love the following ⬇️, this event is for you: 🩶.925 Silver 🗑️ Zero Waste Jewelry🤘🏼 Handmade in Houston 🤖 CAD- & AI-Free“
11am-5pm, Market | A House Market: The Bloom Edit at Ironworks.
12pm-5pm, Market | Houston Anarchist Book Fair. “Check out some zines, political orgs, live music, and more. Come with your comrades and stay for the community.”
7pm, Art | The Sleeping Beauty by International Ballet Stars. $54 and up.
8pm-12am, Art | Pancakes and Booze Art Show at Bad Astronaut.
Sunday, 4/5
9am-1pm, Market | Rice Village Farmers Market.
1pm-3pm, Community | Tadaima Egg Hunt. “Hunt for tadaima prizes: tiny objects, $25 gift card, free sunglasses coupons, and more.”
2pm-6pm, Art | Houston Drink and Draw Sunday at Betelgeuse Betelgeuse.
5pm, Sports | Spring Cup Kickoff at Houston Polo Club. $18 and up.
5pm-7pm, Live Music | Christian McBride & Inside Straight with Synesthesia Jazz Sundays at Discovery Green.
7pm, Nightlife | Jazz Nights at Sugar Room.
ICYMI
What everyone’s reading:
AD
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