Following a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 25 and an open house Nov. 29, Grand Events HTX is now open in Kingwood. 

Meet the owners: Owned by Priscila Navarro and Eduardo Vargas, the micro-event venue is able to host intimate gatherings with up to 50-75 guests, such as weddings, bridal and baby showers, corporate mixers and other milestone events.

What they offer: Per the website, the venue features a modern black-and-white interior with gold accents, and offers package options and add-ons, including an open-air photo booth and an audio guest book. 

• Opened in late November 
• 1310 Northpark Drive, Ste. 800, Kingwood 

Check out what's happening in the Lake Houston area this weekend, Jan. 23-25.

Hops n’ Hot Sauce Festival: Attendees can shop from over 75 vendors offering hot sauces, salsas, jams, jellies and more during this 10th annual festival. The event will also include craft beer, a hot pepper eating contest, live music, food trucks, and a kids' play area and coloring contest.

• Jan. 24, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• $10 (at the door admission), free (age 16 and younger)
• Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble

• Jan. 25, 1-4 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• Holocaust Garden of Hope, 1660 W. Lake Houston Parkway, Houston

Houston’s housing market returned to a more balanced pace in 2025, with single-family sales climbing and prices largely holding steady as inventory expanded, according to a year-end update from the Houston Association of Realtors. 

What this means: HAR reported total property sales in the region finished 2025 up 2.3% from 2024, while total dollar volume rose 4.5% to $42.9 billion. Single-family home sales increased 3.8% year over year, with 88,634 homes sold in 2025 compared to 85,373 in 2024. 
A key driver of the shift was more inventory, active listings climbed through the year and hit a record high of 39,490 in July, when the market reached a 5.5-month supply—the highest level since June 2012, per HAR. 

Keep in mind: As supply grew, prices moderated, according to the HAR report the median home price was essentially flat year over year at $334,990, while the average home price rose 0.9% to $426,558 in 2025.

Houston will host the National Cheerleaders Association's All-Star National Championship in late February, drawing an estimated 65,000 competitors and spectators to the city’s downtown.

At a glance: This marks the first year the event has been held in Houston, according to a Jan. 6 news release from Houston First Corporation, operator of the George R. Brown Convention Center and other venues across the city.

The competition will be held Feb. 27-March 1 inside the GRB, with other activities extending to Discovery Green and the Toyota Center. Houston will host the championship for the next three years, as the NCA contracted with Houston First through 2028, per the release.

Two-minute impact: The championship event is expected to generate $150 million in spending in Houston over the course of the three-year commitment, according to the announcement. Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman said in the release that the event will also bring business to more than 150 hotels in the Houston area.