It's another big weekend in and around Dallas, with events to please a variety of tastes. Choices include the No. 1 event of the week — CultureMap's Tastemaker Awards — plus a big golf tournament, four theater productions, a symphony concert, four other notable concerts, two festivals, a well-known comedian, and a dance troupe.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, May 1
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the PGA Tour's annual stop in the Dallas area, will feature some of the best pro golfers in the world. Participants include defending champion Taylor Pendrith, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, and more. The tournament takes place through Sunday at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.
2025 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards
After months of anticipation, CultureMap's Tastemaker Awards — celebrating Dallas' top restaurant and bar talent for 2025 — have arrived. Winners will be announced in categories such as best restaurant, chef, and bar, as well as the best new restaurant of the year, and there'll be a grand tasting with nearly two dozen chef-prepared bites and specialty drinks. The annual event will take place at a new location: the Astoria Event Venue in Irving.
Undermain Theatre presents H*llo K*tty Syndrome
HK is a little lost. They just quit their job as a police officer, broke up with their cowboy-partner, and made a vendetta with their brother-in-law. In Brian Dang’s genre-bending comedy, they find themselves caught in the throes of a family drama, noir, and romance. And worst of all, nobody will stop commenting on the fact that they are wearing a Hello Kitty™ mascot costume - though it’s slightly off because of copyright laws. The production runs through May 25 at Undermain Theatre.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Jaap van Zweden Conducts Shostakovich and Mozart"
Conductor Jaap van Zweden returns to Dallas to lead Shostakovich’s eloquent Fifth Symphony. Pianist Conrad Tao joins the Conductor Laureate and the orchestra for Mozart’s elegant Piano Concerto No. 23. Opening the concert is Prokofiev’s charming Haydn-inspired “Classical” Symphony. There will be three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.
Patti LaBelle in concert
R&B legend Patti LaBelle comes to Dallas as part of her 80/65 tour, a celebration of both her 80th birthday (she turned 80 in 2024) and her 65 years in the music industry, which started with her first singing group, The Ordettes, in 1960. Her long solo career, which began in 1977, has resulted in 18 studio albums, most recently Bel Hommage in 2017 (a new album, 8065, was announced for 2024, but has not yet been released). She'll perform at Majestic Theatre.
Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents A Dallas Hedda
A Dallas Hedda is Bishop Arts Theater Center's playwright-in-residence Franky D. Gonzalez's reimagining of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, which explored the psyche of a woman whose labyrinthine soul and longing for freedom from a world that sought always to control her. Gonzalez's concept will pick up the conversation that Ibsen began and continue to explore freedom through the lens of the conversations that we in the United States have been having around the intersections of race, religion, feminism, and social class. The production runs through May 10 at Bishop Arts Theatre Center.
Broadway at the Center presents Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations is a Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's a story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal during a decade of civil unrest in America, set to the beat of the group’s hits, including "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Get Ready," and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." The national tour of the production will be at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.
Friday, May 2
Dallas International Guitar Festival
The Dallas International Guitar Festival is the largest and oldest guitar show in the world, blending musicians, fans, collectors, and celebrities together into one huge musical extravaganza. Visitors can buy, sell, trade, or just browse among the thousands upon thousands of new and vintage guitars, basses, amps, banjos, mandolins, and more. There will also be performances by more than 50 local, regional, and national bands, including headliners Ian Moore, Sonny Landreth, and Andy Timmons. The festival takes place through Sunday at Dallas Market Hall.
Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents The Sunshine Boys
Willie Clark and Al Lewis are an aging vaudeville comedy duo whose partnership ended bitterly after over 40 years. A dozen years later, Willie's nephew tries to reunite them for a TV special. Despite their animosity, they agree to perform together once more. Their rehearsals as they re-stage their classic comedy sketch are fraught with tension and bickering, leading to hilarious situations as they struggle to recapture their former chemistry. The production runs through May 17 at Irving Arts Center.
Improv Addison presents Maz Jobrani
Maz Jobrani is a comedian, actor and best-selling author of I'm Not a Terrorist But I've Played One on TV. His latest standup comedy special, 2023's The Birds & the Bees, is now available for streaming on YouTube. He is also a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Addison.
Trisha Yearwood in concert
Country star Trisha Yearwood has managed to maintain a high profile for over 30 years. The first 10 years of her career, starting in 1991, were marked by a string of top 10 hits, including No. 1 songs like "She's in Love with the Boy," "XXX's and OOO's," and "Perfect Love." While each new album, most recently Every Girl in 2019, has continued to sell well, she's added other ventures like Trisha's Southern Kitchen on Food Network, collaborations with husband Garth Brooks, and more. She'll play at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.
TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo is the world’s foremost all-male comic ballet company. Famed for hilarious performances en pointe and en travesti, The Trocks will celebrate more than 50 years of artistic hilarity at this performance. They'll perform on both Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.
Saturday, May 3
Cottonwood Art Festival
Cottonwood Art Festival is a semi-annual event that features works from the nation's top visual artists. Jurors select over 240 artists to exhibit their museum-quality work in a variety of categories. The festival also features local bands performing in genres like rock, country, jazz, blues, swing and folk. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Cottonwood Park in Richardson.
Rauw Alejandro in concert
Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro is the Latin singer of the moment. He's been at the top of Billboard's Top Latin Albums charts since releasing his debut album in 2020, with two of them going to No. 1. That includes his latest, Cosa Nuestra in 2024, which also almost made it to the top of the overall Billboard 200, maxing out at No. 6. He's had collaborations with fellow Latin stars like Bad Bunny, Romeo Santos, Rosalia, and more. He'll perform at American Airlines Center.
Sunday, May 4
Black Violin in concert
For nearly two decades, Black Violin - comprised of Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste - has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way. They've had a couple of Grammy nominations, including one in 2023 for “The Message,” a collaboration with Blind Boys of Alabama. They have released five albums in their career, most recently Give Thanks in 2020. They'll play at Majestic Theatre.
