Free Events in Houston

I've got some hot tips on the city's happiest, happy hour, a film festival and where to see some jazz.

If you want your friends to describe you as hip and cool, send them an e-mail reminder, to update their outlook calendar with three of the coolest, free events in Houston.


Free Usher Tickets

Monday, the House of Blues plays host to the Houston Pavilion's Happy Hour, where they plan to make the first 100 people even happier by giving them free drink tickets. Even if you miss out on the free drinks, you can cast your name in the drawing to win two tickets to the Usher concert. Check Houstonpavalion.com for mo' details.

Midtown Houston Event

The fine folks over at Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) invite the public to join them at the Rice Media Center, in Midtown Houston, to kick-off their ” Cinema and Media Arts Festival, November 20 - 23, 2008.

The acclaimed and influential film and video maker Alex Rivera will discuss his career, early autobiographical work and demonstrate the new on-line art project Low Drone about the Mexico/U.S. border. Rivera's productions bridge the divide of feature filmmaking, video art, and interactive new media.

Several local venues are hosting local events too, the Aurora Picture Show and the Museuem of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). Other media artist showcased during the cinema festival include Margarita de la Vega-Hurtado, film scholar and curator and Lynn Heersman Leeson, who will do a live demonstration of her interactive on-line archive on Second Life, Life Squared.

A 360 Degree View of Jazz

Thursday's are always free at Houston's museums, so why not visit the exhibition: On the Downbeat.

The MFAH have cued-up their collection of books and photographs on jazz, to express how the American-born and breed music's fervent emotions, of the artist and audience, combine to paint a visual tapestry.