Trying to figure out what to do this weekend? We pulled together 20 things happening around Beaumont, Orange, Port Arthur, Vidor and Lumberton from Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27. There's a little bit of everything: a classic movie at the Jefferson, live music, free museum stops, markets, family-friendly events and a full Saturday of free programs at Shangri La in Orange.
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Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress
Good news if you're planning to be outside: the weekend is expected to stay dry. Beaumont is looking at highs of 89 on Friday, 88 on Saturday and 90 on Sunday, with the heat index getting close to 96 on Saturday and Sunday. Rain chances stay below 15 percent, so the main thing to plan for is the heat. Bring water.
Friday Night: Movies, Live Music and Casino Night
If you want an easy Friday-night plan, Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin Street in Beaumont, is showing Some Like It Hot for Classic Movie Night. Doors open at 6 PM and the movie starts at 7 PM. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for kids under 12. You can buy them through the Beaumont Civic Center box office or Ticketmaster, and any remaining tickets will be available at the door starting at 5 PM. Seating is general admission.
Over on Calder, For The Record, 999 Calder Avenue, has four acts on the lineup: Cole & Brandy, East Nashville singer-songwriter Justin Alan Payne, Ariel Bush and Hot Grits. Doors open at 7 PM, music starts at 8 PM, and admission is $10 cash. It's all ages.
The Girls' Haven Casino Night runs 6:30 to 10 PM at the Downtown Event Centre, 700 Crockett Street, with Flight of the Keys on dueling pianos, a silent auction and raffles. A seat is $200 and comes with $500 in play chips. Proceeds support Girls' Haven, the Beaumont home for girls ages 6 to 18. Ticket questions go to (409) 832-6223.
The Beaumont Heritage Society's Crosswalks Downtown Walking Tour starts at 5:15 PM Friday and Saturday, $20 at beaumontheritage.org, with the meeting spot on your receipt. In Port Arthur, Sage Elmore plays Tia Juanita's Fish Camp, 7500 North Twin City Highway, from 6 to 9 PM.
The Bottom Line: Billy Wilder on Fannin, four bands on Calder, or dinner and chips on Crockett.
Action Item: Buy Crosswalks tickets online before you go. The tour is advance sale.
Free Things to Do This Weekend
Want to start Saturday early? The Beaumont Farmers Market runs from 8 to 11 AM at the Beaumont Athletic Complex pavilion, 6525 College Street. SNAP is accepted.
At Village Creek State Park, 8854 Park Road 74 in Lumberton, the Last Saturday Volunteer Workday runs 9 AM to noon on trail cleanup and restoration. Volunteers get in free for the day, tools are provided and closed-toe shoes are required. The park is open, with the primitive campsites and some trails still closed after storm damage.
In Port Arthur, Fall Into Wellness runs 11 AM to 1 PM at the Port Arthur Public Library, 4615 Ninth Avenue. Kisha "Coach K" Simmons of Kick Counseling & Consulting leads a free workshop on holiday stress, grief, family dynamics and boundaries.
The Art Museum of Southeast Texas, 500 Main Street in Beaumont, is free all weekend: 10 AM to 5 PM Saturday and noon to 5 Sunday. On view are A Legacy of Collecting, for the museum's 75th anniversary, and Samantha Harrison's Land and Light.
The Bottom Line: A market, a trail crew, a wellness workshop and a museum, all of it free.
Action Item: Workday questions go to the park at (409) 223-2229. Wear work boots if you have them.
Spending Saturday in Orange? Start Here
Shangri La Botanical Gardens, 2111 West Park Avenue in Orange, runs Up Close with Nature, its live animal program, from 11 AM to 2 PM Saturday. It's free and come-and-go. The garden's Outpost Tours leave at noon and 2 PM on a pontoon boat up Adams Bayou for about an hour and 15 minutes. Passes are free, first come first served at the garden entrance, and riders meet at the Nature Discovery Center 15 minutes before departure. Tours cancel if the heat index tops 100.
The Stark Museum of Art, 712 Green Avenue in Orange, holds its CREATE! Pumpkin Door Hanger workshop at 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM, two hours each. The $10 materials fee covers supplies, sessions cap at 20, and everyone registers online at starkmuseum.org. Ages 7 and up, with kids under 18 paired with a registered adult.
Let's Eat Orange County Restaurant Week ends Sunday, with 31 restaurants taking part. Pick up a passport at any of them, collect a sticker or a manager's signature per visit, and turn it in by September 30. Prizes start at three stickers. Specials are in the Orange County EDC listing.
The Bottom Line: Animals and a bayou boat ride at Shangri La, pumpkins at the Stark, then lunch on a passport.
Action Item: Get to Shangri La early for the noon boat. Passes go in order.
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Subscribe free →Live Music on Saturday Night
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder play the Lutcher Theater, 707 Main Avenue in Orange, on Saturday, September 26, at 7 PM, the first show of its 2026 to 2027 Performing Arts Series. Skaggs is a 15-time Grammy winner and a Country Music Hall of Fame member. Tickets are $33 to $93, fees included, at lutcher.org or (409) 886-5535.
Parker McCollum plays Doggett Ford Park, 5115 I-10 South in Beaumont, at 7:30 PM, with Vincent Mason and Jackson Wendell opening. Parking is $15 prepaid through ParkMobile or $20 on the day. Ticket questions go to the venue at (409) 951-5400.
In Vidor, the Golden Triangle Big Band plays The Big Phat Concert, a free tribute to the late bandleader Gordon Goodwin, at 7:30 PM in the Vidor High School Auditorium, 500 Orange Street. The band plays swing, funk, Latin and cinematic charts. Earlier in the day, Lamar volleyball hosts Southeastern Louisiana at 1 PM in McDonald Gym for Club Day.
The Bottom Line: Bluegrass in Orange, country on I-10, or a free big band in Vidor.
Action Item: Prepay McCollum parking on ParkMobile and save $5.
What to Do on Sunday
The McFaddin-Ward House Museum, 1906 Calder Avenue in Beaumont, gives free guided tours Sunday: the carriage house and garden at noon, for all ages, and the three-floor house at 1 PM, for ages 8 and up. Book online at mcfaddin-ward.org. Walk-ins join if there's room.
At the Jefferson Theatre, Alberto Mayagoitia presents Mi Cristo Roto, a stage play performed in Spanish, with doors at 4 PM and the show at 5. Adapted from Father Ramón Cué's reflections, it follows a young priest handed a broken crucifix by an elderly man. Tickets are at the Civic Center box office and Ticketmaster.
On campus, Lamar women's soccer hosts Nicholls at 1 PM at the LU Soccer Complex. And the Art Museum of Southeast Texas is open noon to 5, free.
The Bottom Line: A free house tour on Calder at lunch, then theater in Spanish downtown.
Action Item: Reserve the McFaddin-Ward tour online. Call (409) 832-2134 with questions.
Planning beyond this weekend? We keep the rest of the upcoming local events on our Southeast Texas events calendar.
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Weekend Guide FAQs
What is there to do in Southeast Texas this weekend?
There are 20 events and activities on this weekend across Beaumont, Orange, Port Arthur, Vidor and Lumberton. Highlights include Some Like It Hot at the Jefferson Theatre on Friday, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder at the Lutcher Theater on Saturday, and Parker McCollum at Doggett Ford Park Saturday night.
What free things to do are there in Southeast Texas this weekend?
Saturday has the biggest selection of free options. Shangri La Botanical Gardens has a free live-animal program from 11 AM to 2 PM plus free pontoon tours at noon and 2 PM. The Golden Triangle Big Band also has a free concert in Vidor at 7:30 PM, and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas is free all weekend.
What is open on Sunday in Southeast Texas?
On Sunday, September 27, McFaddin-Ward House Museum has free guided tours at noon and 1 PM. The Art Museum of Southeast Texas is also open from noon to 5 PM with free admission, and Mi Cristo Roto starts at the Jefferson Theatre at 5 PM.
What is the weather for Southeast Texas this weekend?
The forecast is dry in Beaumont. Friday should reach 89, Saturday 88 and Sunday 90, with the heat index near 96 on Saturday and Sunday. Rain chances stay under 15 percent, so if you're doing something outside, earlier in the day will be more comfortable.