Butteflies, dinosaurs, space and a St. Patrick's Day parade! Your top weekend picks

Thursday, March 9, 2023
HOUSTON, Texas -- We won't blame anyone who gets butterflies this weekend. The whole city will, as a beloved butterfly center spreads its wings again.

Foodie alert: Some tasty food events pop up all around town, while boss babes, plants, rodeo, and wellness all vie for your attention at weekend markets and events.
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Meanwhile, revelers can raise a glass to St. Patrick downtown as a cool destination celebrates the day a week early.

Friday, March 10

Cockrell Butterfly Center Reopening at Houston Museum of Natural Science

Science "springs" to life at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), with a museum member preview of the Cockrell Butterfly Center's grand reopening. Explore the recently renovated rainforest conservatory and speak with Cockrell Butterfly Center manager Lauren Davidson. Or, join in the fun later on in the evening with special events including crafts, food trucks, cash bars, and endless strolls among the butterflies. Guests will even have the opportunity to release a live butterfly into its new home. 6:30 p.m.

Performing Arts Houston presents Ragamala Dance Company: The Fires of Varanasi
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The Fires of Varanasi is a large-scale, multidisciplinary dance work in which the choreographers (Ranee, Aparna & Ashwini Ramaswamy - mother and daughter) explore the liminal spaces in the birth-death-rebirth continuum to understand human experiences of migration - physical, cultural, emotional. French light/set designer/art director Willy Cessa has created a multi-sensory experience, while New Delhi-based visual artist Manav Gupta has designed a large-scale stage installation. 7:30 p.m.

Houston Symphony presents Brahms Piano Concerto 1 & Dvoák 8

Dvoák's enchanting Symphony No. 8 invites listeners on a sun-drenched jaunt through nature's endless charms, and the result is joyous, uplifting, and life-affirming. Surging with youthful fire, tender passion, and thunderous power, Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 looms large as one of music history's most monumental and stunning creative achievements. Pianist Stephen Hough joins Jonathon Heyward and the orchestra, and the concerts open with Carlos's Simon's Beethoven-inspired Fate Now Conquers. 8 p.m. (2:30 p.m. Sunday).

Saturday, March 11

Wellfest at CITYCENTRE
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CITYCENTRE will be welcoming guests this weekend to its first-ever Wellfest- a full day of approachable workouts, wellness events, and sustainable shopping in partnership with Life Time and Epic-Cycles. An event focused on bringing the community together through movement and wellness, Wellfest is free & open to anyone on any fitness journey. Guests can make their way around the plaza and experience such wellness vendors as juice and smoothie samples, massage therapists, kids programs and more. 8 a.m.

Houston St. Patrick's Parade and Celebration

Even though the actual day is next Friday, POST is hosting a day full of events to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy a day full of games, food, Irish performances, drinks, and the St. Patty's Day parade, which will start and conclude at POST. There will also be bagpipe performances, an outdoor flea market, a live DJ, and more. And let's not forget the Seltzerland festival, where ticketed attendees 21 years old and up can spend the afternoon tasting 100+ unique hard seltzers. 11 a.m.

To view the full list of events, visit our partners at Culturemap.