As the COVID-19 vaccination effort reaches more people, it appears that more organizations are becoming comfortable with hosting in-person events again. This weekend is the first time in a long time where all of the entries on our list will take place outside of the house, a possible harbinger of things finally get back to normal in a pandemic world.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend.

Thursday, April 29

Dallas Cowboys Draft Day Party
Like Charlie Brown thinking Lucy will one day keep the football on the ground, Dallas Cowboys fans have maintained their allegiance despite the team winning just four playoff games in the 25 years since their last Super Bowl win. Hope will spring eternal again at the Cowboys' annual Draft Day Party, taking place at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco. In addition to see what player(s) the Cowboys will take in the first round, there will also be interviews from the War Room, live music and a DJ, performances by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and more.

Friday, April 30

Dallas International Guitar Festival
The Dallas International Guitar Festival blends musicians, fans, collectors and celebrities together into one huge musical extravaganza. At the festival, taking place at Dallas Market Hall through Sunday, visitors can buy, sell, trade, or just browse among the thousands of new and vintage guitars and other music paraphernalia. There will also be local and regional bands performing, including Samantha Fish, Celisse Henderson, Frank Hannon from Tesla, George Lynch, and Mark Lettieri from Snarky Puppy.

Raul Malo in concert
Raul Malo, the frontman of the band The Mavericks, has a free-wheeling, swaggering style that seamlessly blends neotraditional country, rock ’n roll, and Latin rhythmic fervor, and prominently features his baritone. He's penned hits like “Here Comes the Rain,” “What A Crying Shame,” “Dance The Night Away,” “Back In Your Arms Again,” and “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.” Taking a breather from The Mavericks, he'll play four solo shows through Saturday at The Kessler.

Pocket Sandwich Theatre presents Drac in the Saddle Again
Drac in the Saddle Again is a clever melodrama that pokes fun at classic horror movie sequels. The aging Transylvanian bloodsucker has found new life in the Old West, and where else but Tombstone? He meets sweet young things, cowboys, Indians, and Frankenstein's daughter. The comedy spoof will play at Pocket Sandwich Theatre every weekend through June 19.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Mahler Symphony No. 1
One of two concerts from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra this week, this unique collaborative event will benefit the MET Orchestra Musicians Fund and the DFW Musicians COVID-19 Relief Fund. It will be the first time many of the non-DSO musicians will have had the opportunity to perform to a live audience since the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020. The full-sized orchestra will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 at Meyerson Symphony Center on Friday and Saturday, with Fabio Luisi conducting.

Saturday, May 1

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden events
Saturday will be opening day for the return of ZimSculpt to the Dallas Arboretum, a collection of more than 100 hand-selected, modern Zimbabwean stone sculptures that features the talent of several contemporary Zimbabwean artists. To celebrate the opening, the Arboretum will also host their first-ever Black Heritage Celebration, which will include cooking demonstrations, Black-owned businesses showcasing and selling their crafts, a fashion show highlighting local Black designers, and a performance by the Don Diego Band. ZimSculpt will be on display through August 8.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Mozart & Haydn"
The second concert of the week from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will feature conductor Fabio Luisi returning to lead this all-new concert featuring Principal Oboe Erin Hannigan. Selections for the concert will include Mozart's Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546 and Oboe Concerto in C major, K. 314, and Haydn's Symphony No. 82 in C major, “The Bear.”

Carbaret Drive-In presents Hedwig and the Angry Inch (UPDATE: Due to predicted rain on Saturday, this event has been postponed until May 22.)
After a five-month break, CarBaret will open its second season with the 2001 John Cameron Mitchell adaptation of his own off-Broadway musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. They'll also premiere the new North Texas short film That, and host a pre-show live performance by Harley Deville. The drive-in event will take place in the parking lot outside of Brizo in Richardson.

Sunday, May 2

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière - Towards No Earthly Pole" opening day
Berlin-based French-Swiss artist Julian Charrière creates work that bridges the realms of environmental science and cultural history. This focused exhibition — Charrière’s first solo museum exhibition in the U.S. — provides immersive encounters with the artist’s melancholic and beautiful portraits of nature in the human era, culminating with his most recent video project, Towards No Earthly Pole. The exhibition will remain on display through August 8.

Conductor Fabio Luisi will lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in two separate concerts at Meyerson Symphony Center on April 30 and May 1.

Photo by Barbara Luisi

Conductor Fabio Luisi will lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in two separate concerts at Meyerson Symphony Center on April 30 and May 1.