Queer Things to Do in Houston This Weekend, Oct. 8 – 11
Your weekly roundup of LGBTQ happenings.
Know about an LGBTQ event we missed? Let us know by emailing us here or by copying and pasting [email protected] into your email app.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Houston Cinema Arts Festival through Oct 11
The 18th annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival brings independent, international, and Houston-connected films to theaters across the city. More than 35 feature films are joined by short film screenings, filmmaker conversations, workshops, and special programs, and several LGBTQ titles are featured. Ongoing through Sunday, Oct. 11. Various times, various venues. 713-429-0420.
Two Dykes and a Mic: Soaking Wet Tour
Queer comedians McKenzie Goodwin and Rachel Scanlon bring their live podcast/comedy show to Houston. The show is 18+. Thursday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m. Houston Improv, 7620 Katy Freeway.
The Immortal Ball
Coffin Angels’ annual event combines live music, burlesque, costumes, and a vendor market. Thursday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m. Warehouse Live Midtown, 2600 Travis St.
Laugh Track Drag Show
Michael’s Outpost turns Thursday night over to drag and comedy, with queens, kings, and other performers taking the stage. Thursday, Oct. 8, 9–11:30 p.m. Michael’s Outpost, 1419 Richmond Ave.
Friday, Oct. 9
Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) stars as Erika Mann in Paweł Pawlikowski’s Cannes Best Director winner, following Erika and her father, Nobel laureate Thomas Mann, on a 1949 road trip through a war-torn Germany split between American and Soviet control. August Diehl co-stars as her brother Klaus, and both siblings were openly queer writers and artists in their day. Shot in stark black and white, the film runs 82 minutes and opens nationally Oct. 23, so this is an early look. OutSmart is a media sponsor of the festival; read more in our festival preview. Friday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m. General admission. Lynn Wyatt Theater, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Kinder Building), 5500 Main St.
Scream Fest
Rich’s becomes a Halloween playground for the night, with horror visuals, costumes, DJs, and pop, dance, Latin, and rap music. Friday, Oct. 9, 9 p.m. Rich’s Houston, 2401 San Jacinto St.
Diva Royale Drag Dinner Show
The downtown drag revue mixes celebrity impersonations, audience interaction, and a rotating lineup of performers. Friday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m. 809 Congress St.
Saturday, Oct. 10
October 10: Coward at Houston Cinema Arts Festival
Lukas Dhont’s Cannes standout follows a group of World War I soldiers who keep their spirits up by staging a theatrical show, one that pushes the boundaries of what masculinity is supposed to look like. Its two leads won acting honors at Cannes, and Belgium has already picked it as its entry for the international feature Oscar. OutSmart is a media sponsor of the festival; read more in our festival preview. Saturday, Oct. 10, 4 p.m. Lynn Wyatt Theater, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Kinder Building), 5500 Main St.
October 10: Mickey at Houston Cinema Arts Festival
Dano García’s SXSW audience-award winner is an experimental documentary about Mis$ Mickey, a trans woman who grew up in a conservative corner of Mexico before finding her people in Mexico City. It’s paired with the Texas premiere of Saccharine Wonderland & Forces That Make Me Shiver, a two-channel 16mm fever dream about queerness, desire, and diaspora set to beat-driven montage. Stay after the screening for a discussion and Q&A with director Dano García and the film’s subject, Mis$ Mickey herself. OutSmart is a media sponsor of the festival; read more in our festival preview. Saturday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m. Rice Cinema, Rice Media Center, 2030 University Blvd.
To Be Black, SGL and Christian: Moving the Conversation Forward
Seek the Poet hosts a community conversation about faith, Christianity, and the experience of being Black and same-gender-loving, with an emphasis on listening and lived experience. Saturday, Oct. 10, 6–9 p.m. The Montrose Center, 401 Branard St.
Sapphic City: After Dark
The Black Lesbian Network celebrates International Lesbian Day with DJs, live performers, vendors, dancing, and Lesbian Bingo. Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 p.m.–2 a.m. LiV, 108 Main St.
Grip Strength: An Army of Lovers Shall Not Fail
KT Abadir-Mullally’s queer-focused exhibition explores desire, resilience, strength, and collective identity through sculpture and ceramics. It’s the final weekend—the show closes Saturday, Oct. 10. Gallery open 1–5 p.m. BOX 13 ArtSpace, 6700 Harrisburg Blvd.
Sunday, Oct. 11
October 11: The Blood Countess at Houston Cinema Arts Festival
Isabelle Huppert sinks her teeth into the role she was born to play: a fastidious vampire countess who wakes from a decades-long nap and teams up with her devoted maid (Birgit Minichmayr) to roam Vienna in search of the red elixir of life. Throw in a vegetarian nephew, vampirologists, and a psychotherapist, and director Ulrike Ottinger’s maximalist style turns into a gloriously deadpan comedy. Minichmayr sticks around for a Q&A after the screening. OutSmart is a media sponsor of the festival; read more in our festival preview. Sunday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m. Lynn Wyatt Theater, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Kinder Building), 5500 Main St.
Clarissa at Houston Cinema Arts Festival
Lagos society woman Clarissa is busy prepping for a party at her home when old flames and once-close friends from her youth turn up on the guest list. Over a single night, the group digs into their shared past, and memories of tangled relationships, passionate love, hidden desires, and abandoned dreams build toward a bittersweet reckoning. This Nigerian literary adaptation runs 134 minutes. OutSmart is a media sponsor of the festival. Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. Lynn Wyatt Theater, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Kinder Building), 5500 Main St.
The Coming Out Monologues
The UH LGBTQ+ Alumni Network marks National Coming Out Day with LGBTQ+ stories told by community members and actors. Proceeds support scholarships and crisis aid for LGBTQ+ UH students. Read OutSmart’s story on this year’s Monologues. Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Station Theater, 2000 Nance St. For tickets, go here.
HRC Houston Coming Out Day
HRC Houston gathers at Pearl Bar for National Coming Out Day, sharing community stories and supporting pro-equality candidates. Sunday, Oct. 11. Pearl Bar, 2811 Washington Ave.
Sunday Service Drag Brunch
Blackberri hosts Sunday Service at The Montrose Country Club with brunch, cocktails, and a rotating cast of drag entertainers. Sunday, Oct. 11. The Montrose Country Club, 202 Tuam St.
Crab & Shrimp Boil at Pearl Bar
Pearl Bar’s Sunday boil serves snow crab, Dungeness crab, and shrimp with potatoes, corn, and sausage—a tasty way to fuel up for Sunday Funday. Sunday, Oct. 11, 3 p.m. Pearl Bar, 2811 Washington Ave.
Ongoing
Romeo and Juliet
Alley Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s tragedy has several performances this weekend. Now through Sunday, Oct. 18. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave
Come From Away
Stages presents its Houston-produced staging of the Tony-nominated musical about the thousands of airline passengers diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, after the Sept. 11 attacks, and the residents who welcomed them. Sunday’s 2 p.m. performance has a Houston twist: a free post-show conversation with Diane and Nick Marson, whose real-life romance after landing in Gander became part of the show. Through Oct. 18. Stages at The Gordy, 800 Rosine St.
Save the Date
October 15: Out@TUTS: Mrs. Doubtfire
TUTS brings the Broadway musical based on the hit film to the Hobby Center, the story of a dad who goes undercover as a Scottish nanny to stay close to his kids. Stick around after the Oct. 15 show for the OutSmart-sponsored Out@TUTS Afterparty at Diana American Grill, hosted by Houston drag talent, with complimentary bites, drink specials, and a chance to mingle with the cast. The afterparty is free, and Out@TUTS tickets for this performance are 20% off. The show runs Oct. 13–25. Thursday, Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m. Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St.
Indigo Girls with Linda Perry
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers bring the Indigo Girls to Sugar Land with special guest Linda Perry, the songwriter, producer, and former 4 Non Blondes frontwoman. The duo has kept a devoted LGBTQ following for decades through their music, activism, and openness about their lives. Read OutSmart’s interview here. Thursday, October 15 at Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington Blvd., Sugar Land. 7 p.m.
October 16: AmistadesHTX Open House & 6-Year Anniversary
AmistadesHTX, Legacy Community Health’s program for Houston-area Latino/a/x men, closes out Hispanic Heritage Month with Amistades y Cultura, a celebration of six years of free HIV testing, linkage to PrEP and primary care, stigma reduction, and community building. Expect lite bites, cocktails, music, interactive activities, and free HIV testing, plus a chance to meet the familia behind the program’s Cafe con Leche discussion group and Como Soy/As I Am campaign. Check out OutSmart’s photos from last year’s party. Friday, Oct. 16, 6–9 p.m. 5420 Dashwood Dr.
Know about an LGBTQ event we missed? Let us know by emailing us: [email protected]
