In a fortuitous convergence for people who love big events, three huge festivals start their runs in Dallas-Fort Worth this weekend. One is full of local art and music, one is a showcase for art from around the world, and one is a chance for film lovers to see tons of great new movies.
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, April 9
2015 Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival
Hot on the heels of the Deep Ellum Arts Festival, Fort Worth gets its chance to shine with this gigantic event that takes over much of downtown. Spanning more than 27 blocks from the Tarrant County Courthouse to the Fort Worth Convention Center, the four-day fest features more than 200 artists, 100 musicians playing on three stages and much more.
2015 Dallas Art Fair
The annual Dallas Art Fair is arguably the place to see and be seen in Dallas this weekend. It includes not only the actual fair, which features exhibits from almost 100 prominent national and international art dealers and galleries, but also multiple ancillary events like the Preview Gala, MTV RE:DEFINE and Art Ball 50. The fair lasts through Sunday at Fashion Industry Gallery.
2015 Dallas International Film Festival
Over the next 10 days, nearly 170 feature films, documentaries and short films will be shown as part of the annual Dallas International Film Festival. There will be stars and filmmakers aplenty on hand, starting with Blythe Danner for the opening night film, I'll See You in My Dreams. Most screenings take place at Angelika Film Center Dallas, but other venues include Majestic Theatre, Texas Theatre, Klyde Warren Park, Annette Strauss Square, Perot Museum and Cinemark West Plano.
Dallas Summer Musicals presents The Illusionists
For its latest show, Dallas Summer Musicals welcomes a show that's not only not a musical, but also one that could barely even be called theater. And yet The Illusionists might be as entertaining as anything else you'd see on the Music Hall at Fair Park stage, as it features seven illusionists wowing the audience with dazzling magic. The show runs through April 19.
Friday, April 10
Dallas Opera presents Iolanta
For its final production of the 2014-2015 season, the Dallas Opera presents the rarely performed Tchaikovsky gem Iolanta. At its center is Iolanta, a young princess who's unaware of her own beauty and the power it holds on others because she was born blind. The opera puts on four performances at Winspear Opera House through April 18.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Cirque de la Symphonie
Some of the best classical music can make your heart soar, so just imagine how you'll feel when you're watching people soar above the stage while that music plays. For its Pops season finale, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra plays at Bass Performance Hall, while aerialists, acrobats, dancers, jugglers and contortionists show off their skills. The show goes through Sunday.
Saturday, April 11
2015 Atomic Music Festival
The newly reopened Bomb Factory made waves in its first weekend, and it aims to continue that trend with the first Atomic Music Festival. The day-long event features bands like Animals As Leaders, Tesseract, Entheos, The Red Chord, The Atlas Moth, In Search of Sight, Design of Destiny and Pardon Me, Devil.
Arts & Letters Live: Billy Collins and Aimee Mann — Poetry, Music and Conversation
The Dallas Museum of Art's Arts & Letters Live series occasionally necessitates a move to a bigger venue. Taking place at Winspear Opera House, former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins and acclaimed singer-songwriter Aimee Mann present a night of of poetry, music and conversation about their creative process.
Sunday, April 12
Bryan Adams in concert
The heyday for rocker Bryan Adams was in the 1980s, so even though he continues to put out the occasional new record, it's no surprise that his yesteryear hits are his bread and butter. In this special concert at Allen Event Center, he revisits his iconic 1984 Reckless album, which had hits like "Run to You," "Kids Wanna Rock," "Somebody," "Summer of '69," "One Night Love Affair" and "It's Only Love."
Playing It Cool, starring Chris Evans, is one of the must-see movies at the 2015 Dallas International Film Festival, running April 9-19.
