Openings Galore

More than 25 new restaurants and venues are coming to Irving Music Factory

Tori Amos will perform at one of Irving Music Factory's venues in November.

Tori Amos/Facebook

The show is about to go on at the Irving Music Factory, beginning on Labor Day weekend. The 250,000-square-foot entertainment center in the Las Colinas business district will debut with a weekend-long set of shows, then roll out more than 25 restaurants and entertainment venues, culminating in a grand opening celebration December 8-10.

The first venue to open will be The Pavilion, a convertible indoor-outdoor venue with three configurations: an intimate theater option with 2,500 seats; an indoor, upscale arena with seating for 4,000; and an open-air pavilion that seats 8,000.

Inaugural performances will kick off August 31 and September 1 with a sold-out show featuring comedian Dave Chappelle. September 2 is Brad Paisley's Weekend Warrior World Tour 2017, followed by Jeff and Larry's Backyard BBQ on September 3 with Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Eddie Money. The weekend closes out with Lifehouse & Switchfoot: Looking for Summer Tour on September 4.

More concert announcements continue to roll in, including the just-announced date with Tori Amos, who will perform at The Pavilion on November 16 to support a new album out in September called Native Invader. Amos is collaborating with Ticketmaster for a pre-sale initiative using the Verified Fan technology that gives fans optimal access to tickets; find it at toriamos.tmverifiedfan.com.

Some of the 25-plus restaurant and entertainment options scheduled to open include the following, with more to be announced:

Alamo Drafthouse eight-screen movie theater
Bar Louie
Bar Manzanilla
Boi Na Braza Brazilian Steakhouse
Burgerim
C-Bar
Freshii
Gloria’s Latin Cuisine
Grimaldi’s Coal Brick Oven Pizza
Highway 61 South
Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
Martini Ranch
MaxFrut, Texas' First Frozen Whole-Fruit Bar
Nosh & Bottle
Sambuca
TCBY
Texas Jam House & Marketplace
Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill
Top Round Roast Beef
Uncle Gino's Cucina Italiana
Yard House

Every venue will feature custom designed interiors and generous outdoor patios for guests to enjoy their meal under the vast Texas sky. Many will offer private rooms with A/V equipment for business meetings and private parties, and live music throughout the week.

The development revolves around a central town plaza, like a town square, where guests can wander the space freely with food and cold drinks. The plaza is designed with abundant greenery and open spaces that will serve as a community gathering place for city events, live music, fashion shows, and farmers markets.

Soccer Fever

Dallas radio station The Ticket to expand soccer show during World Cup

Photo courtesy of Cumulus Media

The KickAround hosts Andy Swift and Peter Welpton will be working overtime during the 2026 World Cup.

The long-running radio soccer program The KickAround, which currently airs on Cumulus Media’s Sportsradio 96.7 and 1310 The Ticket every Saturday, will expand to a nightly broadcast during the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to a release, every night during the quadrennial competition - which runs from June 11 to July 19 - hosts Andy Swift and Peter Welpton will provide recaps of the day’s matches, previews of upcoming fixtures, and real-time analysis of the biggest stories shaping the tournament.

Coverage will include an enhanced focus on the U.S. Men’s National Team, with select match days featuring live, on-location broadcasts and fan events tied to U.S. games, they say.

They'll be joined by longtime contributor and European soccer journalist Lars Sivertsen in studio to give the show an international perspective.

In all, the program will produce 36 shows and 44 hours of original programming throughout the tournament.

The KickAround started as a daily program during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Its success led to it becoming a weekly program later that year, and the show has since returned in expanded daily form for the World Cup every four years.

With the United States serving as the main host of the 2026 World Cup, and with nine matches being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the program expansion makes more sense than ever.

"Interest this year is at an all-time high with key tournament games being played in Dallas-Fort Worth," said Jeff Catlin, Program Director, Sportsradio 96.7 and 1310 The Ticket, in a statement. "The KickAround will be a destination for Ticket listeners and both soccer fans and casuals.”

The KickAround will air weeknights at 7 pm in addition to its regular 2-4 pm Saturday slot and select Sunday broadcasts. Special programming is also planned for the tournament final, including both a pregame preview show and post-match recap.

For a complete programming schedule and to stream The Ticket, fans can go to theticket.com.

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