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    Weekend Event Planner

    These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

    Alex Bentley
    Jul 18, 2019 | 6:00 am

    There are a lot of interesting events to take in this weekend in and around Dallas. There are no fewer than five new theater productions, including a national tour of a Broadway favorite. There will also be a film festival of Asian movies, an art film from Solange Knowles, an Apollo 11 celebration, an appearance from a big comedian, and two big-name concerts.

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

    Thursday, July 18

    Dallas Summer Musicals presents Hello Dolly!
    The bold and enchanting Dolly Gallagher Levi, played by inimitable Betty Buckley, is a widow, matchmaker, and professional meddler. When she decides the next match she needs to make is for herself, she weaves a web of romantic complications for her newest client, the cantankerous “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder, his two clerks, a pretty hat maker, and her assistant. Hello Dolly!, playing at the Music Hall in Fair Park through July 28, features Broadway classics like “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” and the title number.

    Asian Film Festival of Dallas
    The Asian Film Festival of Dallas celebrates its 18th year with its largest amount of documentaries, comedies, and women-directed and produced films. Fifty-four films will screen throughout the week, including six short blocks (Drama, Experimental, Women’s, Students’, Late Night, and Documentary) and 32 feature films. The festival will take place through July 25 at Angelika Film Center Dallas.

    Nasher Sculpture Center presents Solange Knowles: When I Get Home
    Visual artist and singer/songwriter Solange Knowles presents an extended director’s cut of her interdisciplinary performance-art film When I Get Home, featuring new scenes and musical arrangements. The film is an exploration of origin and spiritual expedition that confronts how much of ourselves we have taken or left behind in our evolutions, and how much of that is determined by fear. The free screening is at Nasher Sculpture Center.

    Cry Havoc Theater Company and Kitchen Dog Theater presents Crossing the Line
    Based on interviews conducted in Dallas, via Skype, and at the border, Crossing the Line is an original documentary-style performance focusing on the immigration debate and the situation at the border. The co-production from Cry Havoc Theater Company and Kitchen Dog Theater will play at Trinity River Arts Center through August 4.

    WaterTower Theatre presents Godspell
    WaterTower Theatre in Addison will present a special, limited-engagement run of Stephen Schwartz’s beloved musical Godspell. Inspired by parables taken from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Godspell offers a fun, modern take on classic stories mixed with a vibrant score of pop, folk, and gospel music that brings these iconic stories to life for audiences of all ages. The production will run through July 28.

    The Firehouse Theatre presents Mamma Mia!
    In Mamma Mia!, ABBA's hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman's search for her birth father. The sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise where, on the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The musical will play at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch through August 11.

    Friday, July 19

    MainStage Irving-Las Colinas presents Boeing, Boeing
    In Boeing, Boeing, it’s the 1960s, and swinging bachelor Bernard couldn’t be happier. He has a fantastic flat in Paris and three gorgeous stewardesses all engaged to him. Of course, the ladies know nothing of each other ... yet. Bernard’s perfect life gets bumpy when his pal Robert drops in for a visit and a new and speedier Boeing jet throws off all of his careful planning. The farcical play will run at Irving Arts Center through August 3.

    Saturday, July 20

    Frontiers of Flight Museum presents Moon Day
    The Frontiers of Flight Museum will present Moon Day, the largest annual space-themed exposition in Texas. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 on the day it happened, the event will feature a full day of family-friendly, entertaining programs and activities and more than three dozen exhibitors. The first 200 students will receive a special lunar sample bag.

    Hyena's presents Andrew Dice Clay
    Andrew Dice Clay is proud to be one of America's most controversial and outrageous comics. Over the last few years, Clay’s career has experienced a resurgence, with roles in movies like Blue Jasmine and A Star is Born, and recurring roles on Entourage and Vinyl. He'll perform stand-up comedy at Hyena's Comedy Club in Plano on Saturday and Dallas on Sunday.

    Chris Young in concert with Chris Janson and Jimmie Allen
    Country singer Chris Young has been a star since his 2009 album, The Man I Want to Be, and 2011 album, Neon, yielded five No. 1 hits in a row, including "Gettin' You Home," "Voices," and "You." He hasn't hit No. 1 again since, but he's always been near the top of the charts. His new album, Raised on Country, will come out soon, but fans can enjoy all of his old songs in this concert at Dos Equis Pavilion.

    Sunday, July 21

    Korn and Alice in Chains in concert
    Hard rock legends Korn and Alice in Chains will be in Dallas to co-headline their North America Summer Tour. Korn's most recent album was 2016's The Serenity of Suffering, while Alice In Chains released Rainier Fog in 2018. They will be joined at Dos Equis Pavilion by opening acts Underoath, Ho99o9, and FEVER 333.

    Cry Havoc Theater Company and Kitchen Dog Theater presents Crossing the Line at Trinity River Arts Center through August 4.

    Crossing the Line
    Photo courtesy of Kitchen Dog Theater
    Cry Havoc Theater Company and Kitchen Dog Theater presents Crossing the Line at Trinity River Arts Center through August 4.
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    Skating into the holidays

    Downtown Dallas debuts CultureMap City Rink at dazzling tree lighting

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Dec 1, 2025 | 2:23 pm
    CultureMap City Rink tree lighting 2025
    Photo by Ashley Gongora
    Amber Barth from Skate VIDA performs during the CultureMap City Rink Tree Lighting Ceremony.

    A rainy Thanksgiving-weekend forecast wasn't going to stop the official grand opening of the first-ever CultureMap City Rink, presented by Verizon, at Main Street Garden in downtown Dallas.

    On Friday, November 28, representatives from Downtown Dallas, Inc., Verizon, and CultureMap gathered with the community for a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the outdoor ice rink that has transformed the downtown park into a magical winter wonderland.

    Just after sunset, at 6 pm, guests were welcomed from center ice by CultureMap editorial director Stephanie Merry; Downtown Dallas, Inc. VP of marketing and communications Monica Gonzalez, and Keli Ferguson of the Verizon team. As they were about to begin the countdown to light the tree, Santa and Mrs. Claus skated out to surprise the crowd.

    "I've made my list and checked it twice, and it turns out Dallas is very, very nice," Santa told the delighted audience. Then he counted down, "5-4-3-2-1!" and flipped the switch to illuminate the sparkling 35-foot tree.

    The majestic sounds of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Carol of the Bells" filled the air, and a group of young skaters from the Skate VIDA skating school glided onto the rink. They twirled, spun, and jumped like future Olympians on the ice.

    Amber Barth, a U.S. Figure Skating national-level competitor from Skate VIDA, gave a mesmerizing solo performance.

    CultureMap City Rink tree lighting 2025 Amber Barth of Skate VIDA performs after the tree is lit.Photo by Ashley Gongora

    When the rink re-opened to the public, kids (and their parents) slid and scurried onto the ice for the chance to skate and take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

    Families fueled up at Rudolph's Rinkside Cafe, presented by DRG Concepts (the folks behind Wild Salsa, Chop House Burger, Wicked Butcher). Warm barbacoa tacos, fried chicken sliders, nachos, churros, and hot chocolate hit the spot as the night grew chillier.

    Guests who were 21-and-up lingered at the Après Chalet lounge on the other side of the rink. The cozy gathering area features nooks with inviting Adirondack chairs next to pipe-stoves - the perfect place to warm up with cocktails showcasing Shiner Spirits or sip on a Yuegling beer.

    The CultureMap City Rink, nestled beneath the colorful tall buildings downtown, brings the fun and festive feel of Rockefeller Center to Dallas. (It's the only ice rink in downtown Dallas this holiday season - and yes, it is real ice.)

    CultureMap City Rink tree lighting 2025 The rink will be open through January 5, 2026.Photo by Ashley Gongora

    The rink will be open through January 5, 2026. Visitors can expect themed pop-ups and a full slate of programming designed for every kind of holiday reveler. From romantic Date Skate Wednesdays to Family Movie Nights and Shop + Skate Saturday Markets, there’s something new happening each week:

    • Dallas Holiday Parade Activation — Saturday, December 6
    • Cheap Skate Mondays — Select Mondays
    • Date Skate — Select Wednesdays
    • Family Movie Night — Select Fridays
    • Shop + Skate Night Market — Select Saturdays
    • Santa Skate — Select Sundays

    CultureMap City Rink tree lighting 2025

    Photo by Ashley Gongora

    Amber Barth from Skate VIDA performs during the CultureMap City Rink Tree Lighting Ceremony.

    Regular hours are Monday-Friday from 4-10 pm, Saturdays 10 am-10 pm, and Sundays 10 am-8 pm. During school holidays (December 19-January 4), hours expand to 10 am-10 pm Monday-Saturday and 10 am-8 pm on Sundays. Special holiday hours will take place December 24 & 31 (10 am-7 pm) and December 25 & January 1 (1 pm-7 pm).

    Tickets are $18 for all ages, and include skate rentals and 75 minutes of ice time. Advance tickets, group reservations, and private rink rentals are available at cityrink.culturemap.com.

    Scroll through the photos, above, to see highlights of the Tree Lighting Ceremony.

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