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Tag: Thanksgiving weekend

  • A Record 187 Million Shoppers Expected for Black Friday Weekend

    As the holiday shopping season begins, the latest data from the National Retail Federation (NRF) shows record crowds for Black Friday. That’s an estimated 186.9 million shoppers between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. At the same time, many consumers are finding fewer bargains and confronting higher prices across the board.  

    If you’re an entrepreneur, this moment offers more than a snapshot of retail trends, and it’s a call to action for our small businesses. 

    A call to action for founders

    So, why do this year’s Black Friday sales matter: 

    • When big-box retailers pull back on steep promotions and consumers tighten budgets, the spotlight turns to value—both in product and in relationship. 
    • That shift presents a critical moment for smaller, independent businesses to shine, whether by emphasizing that special, local connection, niche expertise, or community impact. 
    • Small business owners want to build trust, purpose, and distinctiveness, not just discounts. 

    Enter Small Business Saturday. 

    After Black Friday, don’t forget about Small Business Saturday. This year, more than ever, backing our local entrepreneurs is not just nice, it’s strategic. Whether you’re a founder, investor, supplier, or customer, here’s how you can tune into the opportunity: 

    • If you’re a founder, use this week to highlight your unique story: why you exist, whom you serve, and what difference you make. 
    • If you’re a partner or investor, re-think supply chains and marketing spend. Can you reallocate a portion to help local, under-represented businesses scale? 
    • Consumers, know that your dollars are super important. A purchase at a local business often circulates through the community more effectively than a purchase at a national chain. 

    Here’s to elevating small business success in 2025 and beyond. Let’s support the entrepreneurs who are defining the future by staying grounded in the local, the creative, the equitable. 

    Happy Small Business Saturday to all, and stay tuned. A special episode of The Big Idea drops this Saturday featuring Tina Wells, brought to you by PayPal. Tina is an entrepreneur, author, and brand strategist known for her work helping companies better understand and reach modern consumers. 

    Elizabeth Gore

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  • Houston Football Fan Thanksgiving Weekend TV Viewer’s Guide – Houston Press

    The holiday season is upon us, and with all due respect to Andy Williams, whose winter ditty “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” cites the Christmas season as just that, the most wonderful time of the year, if we are going to narrow it down to one weekend for football fans, Thanksgiving weekend is the most wonderful time of the year, hands down. 

    Starting late Thursday morning, once we get our token Turkey Trots and family touch football games out of the way, the holiday gods give us license to sit on the couch for four days. Unless you’re working, the only reason you should leave the couch is for bathroom breaks, drink refills, and leftover turkey sandwiches. 

    For folks in the Houston area, there is a ton of meaningful football being played over the next 72 hours, but you might need a map to navigate all of it. So, as James Taylor would say, “that’s why I’m here!” (Not sure why I keep quoting old, male singers. But I digress.) 

    So, for your gluttony and sloth benefit, here is my guide to football watching for the Houston football fan this weekend, with a brief blurb on each of these games, and what’s at stake:

    Thursday, November 27

    Chiefs at Cowboys, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

    Houstonians will have to pinch their nose and tolerate rooting for the Cowboys for a few hours on Turkey Day, because a Dallas win over the Chiefs would be a huge help to the Texans’ playoff hopes. 

    Bengals at Ravens, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

    The Bengals should be getting their quarterback Joe Burrow back in this one. Similar to the Cowboys, the Bengals can become the Texans’ best friends by damaging the 6-5 Ravens.

    Friday, November 28

    Texas at Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m. (ABC)

    Texas A&M can complete an historic undefeated regular season, clinch a slot in the SEC Title Game, and get one step closer to a first round bye in the College Football Playoff. Texas is trying to keep its microscopic playoff hopes alive. Oh, also, these two schools hate each other. 

    Saturday, November 29

    Texas Tech at West Virginia, 11 a.m. 

    The Red Raiders are a 24 point favorite, but stranger things have happened on the road in college football. A win clinches a spot in the Big XII Title Game for Tech, and gets them one step closer to the school’s first playoff berth.

    Houston at Baylor, 11 a.m.

    A win for the Coogs here gets them to 9-3 on the season, and should lock up a pretty substantial bowl berth, with several projections sending them to San Antonio and the Alamo Bowl. Baylor will be staying at home during bowl season, trying to figure out what to do with head coach Dave Aranda. 

    SMU at Cal, 7 p.m.

    Hey, we’ll throw a bone to some of the Houston area Mustang alum! A win for SMU clinches a spot in the ACC title game, and gets them one step closer to a second straight playoff appearance. 

    Sunday, November 30

    Texans at Colts, Noon (CBS)

    Not much needs to be said here, as several million of you, here in Houston, will be watching the latest “most important game of the season” for the Texans. 

    Jaguars at Titans, Noon (CBS)

    The Texans remain a game back of the Jaguars for second place in the division and a wild card spot in the postseason. The Titans are the worst team in football, and similar to the Cowboys, very painful for Houstonians to root for. However, a Titan upset would be huge for the Texans.

    Bills at Steelers, 3:25 p.m. (CBS)

    These are two teams the Texans are looking up at in the standings. The Texans just beat the Bills, so the Texans have the head to head tiebreaker, if they end up tied after the season. The Steelers beating the Bills is the play for which to root here, as the Steelers winning the AFC North doesn’t affect the Texans’ playoff standing. Buffalo falling to 7-5, combined with a Texans win, would vault the Texans past the Bills in the standings. 

    This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

    Sean Pendergast

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  • Orlando’s FusionFest celebrates culture, community and the power of showing up



    Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

    “When I saw people gathering together and sharing these cultural, artistic, community experiences, I really felt that this was the place that I wanted to be,” says FusionFest executive director María Fernanda Saavedra.

    And indeed, FusionFest succeeds because it imparts a sense of belonging to all present. Beyond borders and nations, at its best FusionFest demonstrates that all cultures have a place in Orlando’s ever-growing community through direct connection.

    Eight years since it debuted downtown, FusionFest returns to the Dr. Phillips Center’s Seneff Arts Plaza with its mission unchanged: Celebrate the cultures that shape Orlando through their food, dance, music, art and storytelling.

    FusionFest didn’t begin in a boardroom. It began in living rooms, community gatherings and conversations among neighbors as Orlando’s population exploded with new residents from across the globe. “We wanted to put together a nice space that everybody felt included in. I think that’s one of the big successes about this festival, that this festival is for everybody,” Saavedra says.

    What started as a generous handful of participants has since grown into a sprawling, collaborative event involving artists, performers, nonprofits and international organizations. This expansion hasn’t been a smooth climb. FusionFest, like many arts organizations, has faced a year that Saavedra describes as “one of the hardest yet.”

    “This has been a very difficult year, not just for FusionFest, but for arts and culture, social services, and all kinds of organizations that sustain themselves by grants,” Saavedra says. “We’re just trying hard, like every other organization, to keep it going.”

    Even amidst adversity there have been positives — collaborations with the Orlando Museum of Art, expanded community partnerships and the recent exhibition at Orlando International Airport featuring 10 visual artists, Art of Joy.

    “FusionFest is not a one-person organization,” Saavedra says. “It’s many people. We all contribute in different ways.”

    One program very close to Saavedra’s heart is the Migration Films project. “We pair one member of the community with one filmmaker and create these five-minute short films,” she says. “It shows how we are so alike and so different at the same time.”

    Saavedra says her own story mirrors that of many participants.

    “I am part of FusionFest because I felt that my country — I’m from Colombia — [should be] represented somewhere,” she explains. “Not just among Colombians, but in the community.”

    Amid contentious national debates over diversity and inclusion, Saavedra believes FusionFest’s mission is unchanged and resolute. “Diversity is the future. Inclusion is the key. And the world needs unity,” she says.

    This year’s festival features new additions, including a “Joyful Tent” presented by Joyful Orlando with Global Peace Film Festival 360, offering cross-cultural mental wellness and consciousness practices. Families can enjoy arts and crafts at a kids’ area, and there will even be a goat-petting zone (a unifier if there ever was one).

    “Don’t stay home,” Saavedra says. “Come to FusionFest. Bring your kids. Bring your friends. This festival is for everybody.”

    And for anyone who shows up, she promises real human connection, stripped of social media fog. “When you see all kinds of flags, colors and countries being represented, it makes a true statement that we genuinely want to be part of this organization,” she says. “Every time is a learning experience for me. It adds value to your life.”

    (FusionFest: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29-30; Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center, 445 S. Magnolia Ave.; fusionfest.org; free)

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    “Diversity is the future. Inclusion is the key. And the world needs unity.”

    The magic is tucked below and beyond the ship’s original shows, sophisticated performance venues and abundance of dining options

    A portion of event proceeds will support immigrant rights organizations and legal aid services

    This article appears in Nov. 26–Dec. 2, 2025.





    Emmy Bailey
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