The Weekly Dispatch
City of Waco Warming Center, The Year of the Punk with 9 O’clock Shots, Girl Dinner & Keep The Kids, and Mahjong for a Mission
With temperatures dropping into dangerous territory for the next few days, the City of Waco is opening a public warming center this weekend. The center will operate from 8 pm Friday through 11 am Tuesday at the Waco Multi-Purpose Facility on Elm Avenue, offering a safe indoor space, basic supplies, and accommodations for people—and pets (in crates)—who would otherwise be exposed to the cold. It’s a temporary measure, but one that quietly shows how housing insecurity, public health, and emergency planning intersect when conditions turn.
This is one of those moments worth paying attention to because it demonstrates how Waco responds when the margin for error disappears.
More information is available online.
We’ve got our fingers crossed that The Year of the Punk show still happens on Saturday because it’s a reminder that Waco has a room where loud, fast, all-ages music happens without apology. Local and regional bands like 9 O’clock Shots, Girl Dinner, and Keep The Kids take over The Performing Arts Community Center for a night built on sweat and feedback.
Call it a pit, a dance floor, or something in between; the point is energy, not polish.
On the surface, this is Monday-night mahjong at Milo. Underneath, it’s a small experiment in how community forms when games and philanthropy overlap on purpose rather than by accident. Mahjong for a Mission brings structured learning and open play into the same room, creating space for newcomers and regulars to sit at the same tables and share the same stakes.
There’s guided instruction for those who want it, open play for those who don’t—and a setting that rewards engagement over performance.
Form & Function at Balcones Distilling
On a recent trip to Balcones Distilling in downtown Waco, the tasting room was still open, and craft cocktails arrived as advertised. Yet production operations were paused last August—leading to 17 people being laid off—and aren’t scheduled to restart until this June.
The latest episode of Your Waco Weekend asks: Where exactly are you being invited when a place keeps running after the work that defined it has stopped?
Upcoming Events
Events subject to change. Visit Waco Insider for complete event and ticket details, venue info, and newly added/updated listings.
Have an event you’d like listed? Visit our event submissions page.
Thursday, January 22
Career Hiring Fair | Waco Convention Center | 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Wine Social Hour | Hotel 1928 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Cooking Well with Diabetes | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service | 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
KRIS with a K Music Bingo | Waco Ale Co. | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Chess Tournament | The Performing Arts Community Center | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Live Piano | BLVD Steakhouse | 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Slap Stix Karaoke | Torchy’s Tacos | 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Trivia Night | Brotherwell Brewing | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Ruth Chou Simons: The Way of the Wildflower | Fabled Bookshop & Cafe | 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Heart of Texas Road Gang | Waco Lions Den | 7:00 pm – 9:15 pm
Aristo Sham & The Waco Symphony Orchestra | Waco Hall | 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Huser Brothers | The Tavern | 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Service Industry Night | Hemingway’s Watering Hole | 9:00 pm – midnight
Friday, January 23
Fossil Friday | Mayborn Museum Complex | 10:30 am – noon
Homeschool Skate Day | Skate Waco Bellmead | 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Wine Social Hour | Hotel 1928 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Darrell “D-Rail” Ray | Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Jacob Erler | The Grape Wine Bar & Bistro | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Live Piano | BLVD Steakhouse | 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
2026 Barkin’ Ball: Rio Carnival | BASE at Extraco Events Center | 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Claire Ruland | Segovia Wine Bar | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Lucas Jon Turner | Uncle Worm’s Smoke House | 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s A Grand Night For Singing | Waco Civic Theatre | 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Brazos Brothers | Lounge ’93 | 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Guest Recital with Tali Morgulis | Waco Hall | 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Colin Dexter | Blue Pup Wine & Martini Bar | 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Chris Whitten | Twisted Sisters Patio Bar | 8:00 pm
Texxas Trouble | Papa Joe’s Texas Saloon | 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Chris Colunga Single Release Party | The Buckle | 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday Night Karaoke | The Will | 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Warming Center | City of Waco Multi-Purpose Facility | 8:00 pm – 11:00 am (Tuesday)
Black Sheep Carnival | The Tavern | 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Karaoke | Chapter 11 | 9:00 pm – 2:00 am
Austeros de Arranque | T’kila y Ch’las | 11:00 pm – 1:00 am
Saturday, January 24
Waco Downtown Farmers Market | Bridge Street Plaza | 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Half Price Pet Adoptions | Pet Circle Regional Animal Center | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Controlled Chaos Solid Axle Monster Trucks Racing | HobbyTown | noon – 3:00 pm
New Year New Gear Workshop | Harley-Davidson of Waco | noon – 4:00 pm
3D Printing Club | HobbyTown | noon – 5:00 pm
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s A Grand Night For Singing (matinee) | Waco Civic Theatre | 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Wine Social Hour | Hotel 1928 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Trojan Table with Colton Hawkins & Cody Ellinger | West Knights Of Columbus | 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
The Year of the Punk: 9 O’clock Shots, Girl Dinner & Keep The Kids | The Performing Arts Community Center | 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Live Piano | BLVD Steakhouse | 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Songs for a New World | Waco Civic Theatre | 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Michael Jacobson & Evan Klaras | Marie’s Wine Bar | 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
IAMLopez | Private Hip-Hop HQ | 8:00 pm – midnight
Spirits of Mars | The Fawkes Landing | 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Collin James Band | Twisted Sisters Patio Bar | 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
The Ballou’s Cats | The Will | 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Dr Pepper Paranormal Experience | Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute | 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tim Branch | Papa Joe’s Texas Saloon | 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Karaoke | Chapter 11 | 9:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday, January 25
Sensory Sunday | Cameron Park Zoo | 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Half Price Pet Adoptions | Pet Circle Regional Animal Center | 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Mahjong 103 & Open Play | Social House | 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Songs for a New World (matinee) | Waco Civic Theatre | 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Day Party with DJ Mojamz & Strawberry Chic 5th Annual Vision Board Party | Marie’s Wine Bar | 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Wine Social Hour | Hotel 1928 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Matthew Kim: We Follow Christ & What’s God Saying Here? | Fabled Bookshop & Cafe | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Open Mic | Cricket’s Grill & Draft House | 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Sunday Family Special | 1424 Bistro | 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Parents’ Night Out | The Performing Arts Community Center | 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Monday, January 26
Wine Social Hour | Hotel 1928 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Mahjong for a Mission | Milo All Day | 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Monday Night Trivia | Cricket’s Grill & Draft House | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tuesday, January 27
Fabled Book Club: The Sunshine Man | Fabled Bookshop & Cafe | noon – 1:00 pm
Holocaust Remembrance Day | Michaelis Academic Center | 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Wine Social Hour | Hotel 1928 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Pokemon League | Nexus Waco | 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Smarty Pints Trivia | Southern Roots Brewing Co. | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Open Mic Night | Lakeside Bar | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wednesday, January 28
The Meetup | Startup Waco | 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Rural Health Book Club: The Cancer Factory | Texas AHEC East | noon – 1:00 pm
Wine Social Hour | Hotel 1928 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Wine Wednesday with Stan Wilfong | Segovia Wine Bar | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Donnafugata Wine Dinner | Di Campli’s Italian Ristorante | 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Slap Stix Trivia Night | Torchy’s Tacos | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
The Wine Cellar at Hotel 1928: Aperture Cellars | Hotel 1928 | 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Toast: The Ultimate Bread Experience | Waco Hippodrome Theatre | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wine Jam Wednesday with Claire Ruland | Blaine’s Restaurant & Wine Shoppe | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Music Bingo | Brotherwell Brewing | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Need to know when to staff up for large events? Click here to view business and social events that may not be listed above.
Coming Next Week
The Armadillo Mudflaps, Waco Walks: Church Architecture, and Level Up 2026 Conference
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