Free Tejano Music, a Rice Harvest Parade, and a Texas Songwriting Legend Around Houston (Oct 3-4)

There's no better month to be out in the Houston area than October — the heat finally starts to break, and every suburb seems to throw its own fall festival at once. I spend my weekends in the areas I sell in, so I keep free weekly guides for four corners of the metro, each refreshed every Friday. Here's what caught my eye for the weekend of October 3–4.

In Houston, the easy call is the 47th Annual Festival Chicano at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park — two free nights of Tejano and conjunto, Friday and Saturday at 7, with Little Joe y La Familia and David Lee Garza on the bill. Reserve a covered seat ahead of time or just bring a blanket for the hill. If you'd rather eat your way through Saturday, the Original Greek Festival is back in Montrose with gyros, spanakopita, and folk dancers — a tradition the whole city folds into every fall.

Out in Katy, the town's signature fall weekend kicks off with the Katy Rice Harvest Festival Parade, stepping off at 9 a.m. Saturday through Old Katy — floats, school groups, and community entries, free to watch and an easy, happy start to the day. If the kids want more, Central Green turns into a Halloween party Saturday night for the Monster Mash costume contest.

Up in Cypress, the headliner for families is Cy-Fest at Lone Star College–CyFair on Barker Cypress — a free fall festival Saturday from 10 to 2 with a pumpkin patch, food trucks, bounce houses, and a kids' STEAM zone, rain or shine. Close to home and easy on the wallet.

And over in Tomball, one of the true elder statesmen of Texas songwriting, Ray Wylie Hubbard, plays Main Street Crossing both Friday and Saturday night — doors at 6, show at 8, in a small table-seating room that turns people into fans for life. On the Spring side, the Pearl Fincher Museum opens four brand-new exhibitions Saturday, and admission is free.

Getting out and spending a Saturday somewhere is honestly one of the best ways to figure out whether a part of Houston fits your life — the drive, the pace, the weekend routine. If wandering one of these areas ever has you wondering what it'd be like to live there, that's a conversation I'm always glad to have, no pressure and no obligation. You can reach me, Kevan Pewitt, REALTOR® and Broker at Houston Prime Realty, at 281-500-7077.

Read more — this weekend's guides on the Houston Prime Realty blog

• Things to Do in Houston This Weekend — Festival Chicano at Miller, the Original Greek Festival, Southern Smoke, and Oktoberfest on the bay at Kemah, refreshed every Friday.
• Things to Do in Katy This Weekend — the Rice Harvest Festival Parade, the Monster Mash costume contest at Central Green, and free morning yoga and markets.
• Things to Do in Cypress This Weekend — Cy-Fest at Lone Star College–CyFair, Cy-Fair Friday football, Dewberry Farm's pumpkin patch, and live music on Towne Lake.
• Things to Do in Spring & Tomball This Weekend — Ray Wylie Hubbard at Main Street Crossing, four new exhibitions at the Pearl Fincher Museum, and the Tomball farmers market.