Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's another huge weekend in and around Dallas, with a wide variety of events from which to choose. There will be a trio of major concerts, a big golf tournament, another Broadway musical, a film festival, two new local theater productions, the opening of two new art exhibitions, and a chance to celebrate local chefs and restaurants with us here at CultureMap Dallas.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, May 12

CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards
The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards is our annual celebration of Dallas' top restaurant and bar talent, as selected by their peers. Our mission is to shine a spotlight on the people making the local restaurant scene special and honor their innovation, energy, and creativity. At the signature tasting event and awards ceremony at Fashion Industry Gallery, we’ll celebrate all of the nominees and unveil the winners, and guests will get to sample bites and sip specialty drinks along the way.

AT&T Byron Nelson
The annual PGA Tour stop in Dallas is now the precursor to the PGA Championship, taking place May 19-22 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Consequently, the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney serves as a chance for a bunch of top players to tune up their game in advance of the second major of the year. Among the players competing will be world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, defending champion K.H. Lee, hometown hero Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and more.

EarthX Film Festival
The 2022 Earth X Film Festival will feature four days of film, music and interactive environmental programs and events. With a theme of "A Celebration of the Outdoors," the festival will also include speakers, local food and culture, and more to be an immersive weekend of celebrating our planet. The event will take place at multiple venues around the Dallas Arts District.

The Other Art Fair
Coming a few weeks after the annual Dallas Art Fair, the appropriately titled The Other Art Fair is a global art event dedicated to showcasing independent artists. Taking place through Sunday at Dallas Market Hall, the event features 130 independent and emerging artists alongside guest artist Anna Marie Tendler. Visitors can meet artists in person and discover thousands of original artworks and limited edition prints across various media, including painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and more.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Waitress
While Mean Girls is finishing up its run at the Music Hall at Fair Park, this other Broadway musical will settle in for a short run at Winspear Opera House. Jenna is a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life. When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Featuring original music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, the production will run through Sunday.

Lyric Stage presents A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Set in Ancient Rome, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum is a nonstop musical laugh-fest that combines the 2000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The light, fast-paced, fully-staged concert production will have five performances through Sunday at Majestic Theatre.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Luisi Conducts Beethoven 9"
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Luisi Conducts Beethoven 9," featuring conductor Fabio Luisi and the Dallas Symphony Chorus under the direction of Joshua Habermann. Selections for the concert, playing four times through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center, include the Dallas premiere of Bruce Adolphe's Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! (This Kiss to the Whole World!) and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, “Choral.”

The Firehouse Theatre presents Big Fish
Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest … and then some. Edward’s incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him — most of all, his devoted wife, Sandra. But their son Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father’s epic tales. This new, small-cast version of the Broadway musical plays through May 29 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.

Friday, May 13

Ray LaMontagne in concert
Singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne has been a favorite of folk rock fans for many years, dating back to his debut album, Trouble, in 2004. Since then, he has released seven more albums, including the acclaimed God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise in 2010 and his latest, 2020's Monovision. He'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Saturday, May 14

Nasher Sculpture Center presents Magali Reus: "A Sentence in Soil" opening day
In her second major U.S. show, Dutch-born, London-based artist Magali Reus presents an installation that examines the relationships between people and objects through the distortion of common images. Reus reimagines commonly found objects such as “No Parking” signs or dehumidifiers to take on new lives. These objects and their new functions reflect the disjointed character of contemporary life, where digital production and consumption makes our interactions with objects a more isolated and alienated process. The exhibit will be on view through September 11.

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity" opening day
The Dallas Museum of Art will present "Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity," a major exhibition that traces the inspirations from and adaptations of Islamic art and design by Louis Cartier and the designers of the great French jewelry Maison for the creation of jewelry and objects from the early 20th century to the present day. Dallas is both the U.S. premiere and the only North American venue for the exhibition, which will remain on display through September 18.

Dave Matthews Band in concert
If there was one touring band you could count on to make an appearance in Dallas every year, it was the Dave Matthews Band, who have appeared at Dos Equis Pavilion on almost the same weekend in May for years. But the pandemic means that this is the first time in three years they've been able to honor that commitment, and it will surely be an emotional release for both the band and their loyal fans.

Olivia Rodrigo in concert
Some artists take years to get noticed, and some get shot out of a cannon. Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo belongs solidly in the latter category. Making a clean break from her years working for Disney, she released her debut album, Sour, in 2021, immediately hitting the zeitgeist thanks to hits like "Drivers License," "Deja Vu," and "Good 4 U." She'll perform at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving (For more must-see concerts coming up this summer, check out this story.)

The Broadway musical Waitress will be at Winspear Opera House through May 15.

Cast of national tour of Waitress musical

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

The Broadway musical Waitress will be at Winspear Opera House through May 15.

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Movie Review

Rose Byrne fights for her life and car in new movie 'Tow'

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Rose Byrne in Tow.

Actor Rose Byrne had a banner year in 2025, getting her first Oscar nomination for her starring role in If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You. Although she came up short in that race, she’s getting another chance to prove her acting bona fides in the new film, Tow.

In the “inspired by a true story” movie, Byrne plays Amanda, a down-on-her-luck woman who lives in her car and can’t find a job. Living in Seattle, she tries to stay in touch with her daughter, Avery (Elsie Fisher), who lives with her dad in another city, but circumstances sometimes limit their communications, especially when her car is stolen.

The good news is that her car is found relatively quickly. The bad news is that the tow company is charging her to get her car back, money she can’t afford. Now truly homeless, she does everything in her power to right the wrong, even taking the company to court. Without much luck, she has to start staying in a women’s shelter run by Barbara (Octavia Spencer), where she makes friends with Nova (Demi Lovato) and Denise (Ariana DeBose), among others.

Directed by Stephanie Laing and written by Jonathan Keasey and Brent Boivin, the film has relatively low stakes going for it and never really tries to make the story feel deeper than it is. The situation Amanda finds herself in is clearly a tough one, and any empathetic person would feel for her and want her to overcome her plight. But the filmmakers keep things light and never try to up the drama in any significant way.

The issue Amanda is dealing with, being price gouged by a predatory towing company, is one with which many people can relate. But aside from helpfully underscoring Amanda’s frustration by showing the increasing number of days she is without a car, they never establish why they felt this particular story was one worth telling. Her personal issues, including a growing estrangement with her daughter, fail to conjure any big emotions.

The filmmakers are very loose with their storytelling, especially when it comes to side characters. The presence of the women she meets at the shelter, and Kevin (Dominic Sessa), the young lawyer who offers to help her, never makes full sense other than a need for her to have other people with whom to interact. A tighter focus on what Amanda was going through would’ve helped both her and people around her feel more important.

Byrne is a dynamic performer who’s shown great skill at both drama and comedy, but there’s nothing special about her performance here. Hampered a bit by a blonde wig and false teeth, she feels out of sorts for much of the film. The unusually high-powered supporting cast - both Spencer and DeBose are Oscar winners - makes things interesting on first blush, but none of them outside of Sessa is given much to do, so they’re mostly wasted.

Tow will be a disappointment for anyone hoping to see more great stuff from Byrne. While she remains a fine actor, her performance and the story as a whole are nowhere near the level shown in her previous film. The real life predicament shown in the film also never rises to the level of being of something worth showing to the masses.

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Tow is now showing in theaters.

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