EVENTS
BIG BEND COUNTRY
ALPINE
Avenue Q: The Musical
April 3-5, 10-11
Sul Ross State University Theatre Department presents the Tony Award-winning musical comedy featuring both puppets and human actors facing the challenges of adulthood. Sul Ross State University, Motion Capture Sound Stage, 400 N. Harrison St. sulross.edu/theatre
ALPINE
Trappings of Texas
April 16-May 17
Considered one of the best Western art and custom cowboy gear exhibits and sales in the country, the 34th annual Trappings of Texas brings up-and-coming and well-established artists under one roof at one of the longest-running events of its kind in the country. Museum of the Big Bend, 400 N. Harrison St. 432-837-8143; museumofthebigbend.com
ALPINE
Alpine Gem and Mineral Show
April 17-19
For 30 years, the show has featured spectacular gemstone specimens, jewelry, and artwork, plus door prizes and demonstrations. Alpine Civic Center, 801 W. Holland Ave. 432-837-3301; cityofalpine.com
ALPINE
Shrimpfest and 5K Run
April 25
Participate in the 5K Fun Run and then cool down with a shrimp boil and live music that goes into the night. Kiowa Gallery, 105 E. Holland Ave. 432-294-1071; visitalpinetx.com
FORT DAVIS
Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic
April 12
The bunny is stopping by the park. Enjoy an Easter egg hunt and a picnic. Jeff Davis County Park, SH 17 S. 432-426-3015
VAN HORN
Building Bridges Art Show
April 22-24
Share the joy of art with a three-day event including sculptures, photography, stained glass, oil paintings, and watercolors by local and regional artists. Van Horn Convention Center, 1801 W. Broadway St. 432-283-2682; vanhorntexas.org
GULF COAST
BRAZORIA
Migration Celebration
April 25-26
Activities for children include archery, fishing for catfish, a BB gun range, bug sweeping, microscopes, and touch tanks. San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, 6801 CR 306. 844-842-4737; migrationcelebration.org
CLUTE
Brighton Beach Memoirs
April 24-26; May 1-3
Set in Brooklyn in the 1930s, Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical play is about a Polish-Jewish teenager struggling with adolescence and a chaotic family life. Center for the Arts and Sciences, 400 College Blvd. 979-265-7661; brazosport.org
CORPUS CHRISTI
Big Bloom Plant Sale and Garden Festival
April 4
The spring Garden Festival and only plant sale of the year has children’s activities, an orchid sale, specialty vendors, butterfly releases in the Butterfly House, ladybug releases, reptile shows, a parrot talk, food trucks, and plant experts on-site. Texas master naturalists provide walk-and-talk tours, kids’ touch-and-learn tables, and birding scopes on Wetlands Boardwalk. South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, 8545 S. Staples St. 361-852-2100; stxbot.org
CORPUS CHRISTI
Birdiest Festival in America
April 22-26
This festival spotlights South Texas’ peak spring migration in one of the country’s busiest flyways. The festival features optional guided birding field trips to regional birding hot spots, shorebird/wading bird sites, and private ranches. Various locations. 361-852-2100; birdiestfestival.org
FREEPORT
Schuster Home Open House
April 25
Built in 1917, the same year the city of Freeport was incorporated, the Schuster family home was a special place for family gatherings and holidays. The home serves as an example of family life during the founding of Freeport. Schuster Home, 1130 W. Second St. 979-297-0868; facebook.com/brazoshistoricalsociety
GALVESTON
The Grand Kids Festival
April 4
Presented by The Grand 1894 Opera House, this festival is designed to introduce children and their families to the arts. The festival offers live entertainment on four outdoor stages, as well as on The Grand’s indoor stage. It also features over 40 activity booths, each showcasing a variety of unique, hands-on activities. Postoffice Street. grandkidsfestival.com
GALVESTON
FeatherFest and Nature Photo Festival
April 16-19
This four-day event is one of the largest birding festivals in Texas and the only one with a dedicated nature photography track. Various locations. 832-459-5533; galvestonfeatherfest.com
HOUSTON
Sensitive Guys
Through April 5
At a small liberal arts college, two student-led support groups work to help mitigate sexual assault on campus. But a shocking allegation divides both the Men’s Peer Education group and the Women’s Survivor Support Group as they struggle to take effective action against the toxic culture of the school. Five women perform the male and female roles in this compelling satire about society, gender roles, and contemporary college life. Stages, 800 Rosine St. 713-527-0123; stagestheatre.com
HOUSTON
Hook’s Tale
April 10-May 3
A long-lost journal from the notorious—and much maligned—Captain Hook offers the true tale of Peter Pan, and nothing is as you have been told. Award-winning playwright John Leonard Pielmeier (Agnes of God) joins Stages favorite Donald Corren to create a oneman tour-de-force that tells the Peter Pan story from Hook’s point of view. Stages, 800 Rosine St. 713-527-0123; stagestheatre.com
HOUSTON
Pure Country: The Musical
April 14-26
Theatre Under The Stars presents this brand new Texas-themed musical. Based on the 1992 film starring George Strait, the musical tells the tale of a jaded country music megastar who suddenly walks away from his successful yet joyless career to return to his roots and rediscover his passion for life, love, and music. The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St. 713-558-8887; tuts.com
HOUSTON
The Queen’s Six in Concert
April 14
Established in 2008, the 450th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, the Queen’s Six is based at Windsor Castle and composed of members who are also lay clerks of St. George’s Chapel. As members of the Chapel Choir, the singers perform some eight services a week, as well as private and state occasions, often before England’s royal family. As a touring a cappella ensemble, the group offers a program that charts the progress of European Renaissance music through many political and musical upheavals. Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Ave. 281-846-4222; houstonearlymusic.org
HOUSTON
Salome
April 17, 19, 25, 28; May 1 Richard Strauss’s powerful psychodrama Salome returns to Houston Grand Opera for the first time in 20 years in a production directed by Francisco Negrin. The revolutionary score reinvents Oscar Wilde’s biblical drama of a deeply disturbed princess who has fallen in love with Jokanaan (John the Baptist). The performance is sung in German with projected English translation. Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave. 713-228-6737; houstongrandopera.org/salome
HOUSTON
Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market
April 17-19
Enjoy much of what you love about the Nutcracker Market, but in the spring. Approximately 160 merchants from across the country showcase unique seasonal items including summer apparel and accessories, novelties, gourmet food, and home decor items for spring and summer holidays. NRG Center, 1 NRG Park. 713-535-3279; houstonballet.org
HOUSTON
WorldFest: Houston International Film Festival
April 17-26
Founded in 1968, WorldFest is the oldest independent film and video festival in the world and one of the largest film and video competitions, with more than 4,500 category entries received from 74 countries in 2019. Cinemark Theatres in Memorial City, 310 Memorial City Mall. 713-965-9955; worldfest.org
HOUSTON
History and Songs of the Mardi Gras Indians
April 18
This interactive musical performance introduces children to the history of the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. Musician Joseph Dixon engages audience members in singalongs and chants of traditional call and response patterns and phrases that are still significant in contemporary music. Mangum-Howell Community Center, 2500 Frick Road. 281-440-4850; cypresscreekface.org
HOUSTON
The Magic Flute
April 24-May 8
Filled with captivating, interactive projections, this production by Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade uses a silent-film aesthetic with 21st-century technology to deliver a like no other. The classic story centers on the noble Prince Tamin’s quest to rescue Pamina, a beautiful princess. Along the way, he is tested by forces of darkness and must overcome evil to discover truth and justice. The performance is sung in German with projected English translation.
