From Anime Matsuri to Ariana Grande to BBQ Fest, Houstonians got out of the house for local events

Houstonians get out for local weekend events

From Anime Matsuri to the Sugar Land Wine and Food Festival, there were dozens of events this weekend that attracted locals out on the town. Continue clicking to see the highlights from the various events from the weekend. less Houstonians get out for local weekend events

From Anime Matsuri to the Sugar Land Wine and Food Festival, there were dozens of events this weekend that attracted locals out on the town. Continue clicking to see ... more Photo: ©Kim Christensen Photo: ©Kim Christensen Image 1 of / 240 Caption Close From Anime Matsuri to Ariana Grande to BBQ Fest, Houstonians got out of the house for local events 1 / 240 Back to Gallery

This weekend wasn't a boring one for Houstonians as thousands of locals went out on the town for local concerts, festivals and parades.

The weekend started off on Friday with the Sugar Land Wine and Food Affair where foodies flocked to enjoy wine pairings with national and local chef talents, including Bryan Caswell of Reef and Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar.

Also on Friday, the tenth annual Anime Matsuri Japanese Culture Convention kicked off and from Friday to Sunday, the convention hosted over 30,000 attendees. The highlights of the convention included a cosplay fashion show featuring local designers.

DRINK UP, EAT UP: Sugar Land hosts food and wine festival

The fun continued into Saturday as the 30th annual Art Car Parade showed off as it rolled through the streets of Houston. Thousands of eager onlookers crammed the streets around Hermann Square in downtown to catch the parade and the more than 250 uniquely decorated vehicles.

For Saturday night, fans of pop star Ariana Grande flocked to the Toyota Center to see the 23-year-old perform during her Dangerous Woman World Tour. While concert-goers were all smiles prior to the show, the performance didn't produce an optimistic review by Houston Chronicle music critic Joey Guerra.

"As they were presented, the numbers lacked punch and power and personality. And because of that, many songs simply ran together into one midtempo lull," Guerra wrote in his review. Read the whole critique here.

GRANDE STRUGGLES: Ariana Grande gets lost in the dark in Houston during show

Sunday's festivities continued as guests of the fifth annual Houston Barbecue Festival filled NRG Park to enjoy the Texas tradition of perfectly smoked meat. About 2,300 smoked meat aficionados came hungry to enjoy unlimited samples of local barbecue greats such as Killen's Barbecue and out-of-towners like Louie Mueller Barbecue.

Click through the gallery above to see the Houstonians that were out at the multitude of events in the Bayou City.