Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Now that March has arrived, it's officially festival season in Dallas-Fort Worth. In addition to two festivals that will take advantage of the stellar weather we're enjoying, you can attend the first showings of a Tony Award-winning play, a new opera, concerts from R&B stars young and old, and a performance by one of the world's biggest dancing stars.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, March 3

George W. Bush Presidential Center presents Path to the Presidency
Just what does it take to get elected as President of the United States? At the new Path to the Presidency exhibit, on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Center through October 9, visitors can see campaign and election-related memorabilia, including documents, photographs, and artifacts from the library and museum’s holdings, as well as items from other presidential libraries.

Dallas Theater Center presents All the Way
Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Texas native Robert Schenkkan, All the Way is a suspenseful new play about one of the most powerful Texans, Lyndon B. Johnson, from the moment of his sudden ascension to the presidency in 1963 to his hard-won landslide election a year later. A co-production with Houston's Alley Theatre, at which the same cast recently wrapped a month-long run, the play will be put on by Dallas Theater Center at Wyly Theatre through April 3.

Friday, March 4

Southwest Celtic Music Association presents The North Texas Irish Festival
The annual North Texas Irish Festival, themed Legends and Legacy this year, will highlight some of the legends of Irish music, including crowd favorites Altan and Solas, among other featured performers from around the world. The festival, running through Sunday at Fair Park, also features dancing, cultural presentations, traditional Irish food, drinks, a kids zone, and more.

Dallas Opera presents Manon
The penultimate production of Dallas Opera's 2015-2016 season, Manon is set in late-18th century France and is a timeless tale of young love and the allure of life’s unavoidable temptations. Can a woman with a taste for the best things in life sacrifice it all for the one man whose love is both unconditional and never-ending? The opera will play four times at Winspear Opera House through March 12.

Mavis Staples in concert with Nick Lowe
R&B/gospel singer Mavis Staples is a music legend, having been a force in the industry since her debut album in 1969. She never really stopped producing music, but she's enjoyed a resurgence in the 21st century, releasing five albums in the past 12 years, including the just-released Livin' on a High Note. She'll play at The Kessler on both Friday and Saturday, with help from Nick Lowe.

Andra Day in concert
Leon Bridges may hold the title for hottest soul singer in the country right now, but R&B/soul singer Andra Day is hot on his heels. Day released her debut album, Cheers to the Fall, in 2015, for which she earned two Grammy nominations, including one for her hit song, "Rise Up." She'll play at the Granada Theater with help from opening act Desi Valentine.

Saturday, March 5

2016 All Out Trinity
All Out Trinity is a daylong event designed to get people moving. It starts off with the Trinity River Levee Run, and continues with a variety of fitness activities on the Continental Avenue Bridge, West Dallas Gateway, and Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Among the activities are cycling, yoga, boxing, a shopping marketplace, and more.

Michael Flatley - Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games
Following his acclaimed Broadway debut, Michael Flatley will bring the Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games tour to Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie. Flatley himself will headline in what will mark his final onstage appearances as a performer following a remarkable 20-year run as the creator and star of the Lord of the Dance franchise.

Sunday, March 6

W Dallas Victory presents W Fashion Closet
The W Dallas Victory Hotel and Luxury Garage Sale will present an exclusive pop-up shop, at which you can peruse one-of-a-kind finds from designers like Chanel, Hermes, Celine, and more. Enjoy beats by DJ Ducati and complimentary champagne while you mix, mingle, and shop chic finds at the spring soiree.

The Dallas Opera will present Manon at Winspear Opera House four times between March 4 and 12.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Opera

The Dallas Opera will present Manon at Winspear Opera House four times between March 4 and 12.

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History on Display

Landmark Nelson Mandela exhibition to kick off in Dallas during World Cup

Photo courtesy of Lawrence Jenkins

Mandela: The Official Exhibition will open at The African American Museum, Dallas on June 13.

The African American Museum in Dallas will capitalize on an expected influx of global tourists by hosting Mandela: The Official Exhibition, opening on June 13 to coincide with the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The exhibition will offer an attraction in Fair Park, which will also host a Fan Festival for the World Cup.

The World Cup will take place June 11-July 19 in locations throughout North America. Nine World Cup games will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington between June 14 and July 14.

Making its debut in Texas, Mandela: The Official Exhibition explores the life of late South African president Nelson Mandela, one of the world’s most recognizable champions of freedom and justice.

Mandela also had strong ties to soccer, embracing the sport as a tool for unity and hope in post-apartheid South Africa. From organizing matches while imprisoned to championing the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Mandela demonstrated how soccer could bridge deep divisions.

His appearance at the tournament’s closing match, when he donned South Africa’s national team jersey, became an enduring symbol of sport’s power to unite a nation and inspire the world. Mandela died in December 2013.

“Nelson Mandela devoted his life to justice and to the fight against apartheid, enduring 27 years in prison before becoming South Africa’s first democratically elected president,” said Lisa Brown Ross, president and CEO of the African American Museum, Dallas, in a statement. “This exhibition tells the full arc of his life and affirms the Museum’s role as a vital cultural destination for North Texas and for visitors from around the world.”

According to the release, the exhibition will span all four galleries and unfold through multisensory experiences, tracing Mandela’s extraordinary journey from his rural childhood in the Eastern Cape to his decades of resistance against apartheid and his election as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

His journey to becoming the “Father of South Africa” and a globally revered figure is presented in personal and revealing ways. Through his own reflections and stories shared by his family and those who knew him best, visitors will see Mandela - respectfully called Madiba - in a new light. Madiba is his Thembu clan name and is used as a sign of respect and affection.

One gallery will be transformed into a fully immersive, multimedia environment that places visitors within defining chapters of Mandela’s life. Guests will encounter rarely seen films, photographs and personal artifacts on loan from the Mandela family, as well as museums and archives worldwide, illuminating the people, places and pivotal experiences that shaped one of the 20th century’s most remarkable leaders.

The exhibition will remain on display through November 1. Admission to the museum is free, and it is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 am-5 pm and Saturdays from 10 am-5 pm, with special summer hours to be announced. Free self-parking is available in nearby lots.

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