Weekend Event Planner

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

If you're a fan of artist Vincent van Gogh, this is your weekend as there will be not one but two separate events featuring his artwork in Dallas. There will also be the return of Broadway to the area, a trio of big concerts, two local theater productions, a great comedian, a celebration of a local hero, and the closing of a notable art exhibition.

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

Thursday, August 5

Galleria Dallas and Dallas Museum of Art present "Van Gogh and the Olive Groves" preview
Galleria Dallas will partner with the Dallas Museum of Art to offer a “sneak peek” of "Van Gogh and the Olive Groves," which opens at the DMA on October 17. The preview offers families a glimpse into the artistic and educational exploration through select reproductions of Van Gogh’s works from the olive groves series; the originals will be presented in the museum’s exhibition. The display will provide links to online resources allowing people to further explore the exhibition. The preview will be located on Level I on the gallery wall across from Apple through August 31.

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Wicked
Broadway makes its return to Dallas with Wicked, which looks at what happened in the Land of Oz … but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin — smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships … until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.” The musical will play at the Music Hall at Fair Park through September 5.

Blackberry Smoke in concert with The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers, and Jaimoe
Blackberry Smoke will come to Irving as part of their "Spirit Of The South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock and Roll." They'll be joined by special guests The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, Jaimoe. The show at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory will conclude with a unique collaborative finale, which will feature Blackberry Smoke, The Allman Betts Band, The Wild Feathers, Jaimoe, and additional surprise guests showcasing the inspirations of Rock, Blues, Gospel, and Soul music.

Improv Addison presents Maz Jobrani
Comedian Maz Jobrani is a founding member of The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which first aired on Comedy Central. He has had three Showtime specials: Brown and Friendly, I Come In Peace, and I’m Not a Terrorist but I’ve Played One on TV. He is also a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. He'll perform five times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

Junior Players presents 12th Night: A Rock Musical
In collaboration with Shakespeare Dallas, Junior Players presents 12th Night: A Rock Musical. Illyria is the new Coachella when The Bard becomes the new sensation as his text is mixed into original infectious rock/pop style melodies in a new production out of California of this classic gender-bending comedy. The madness for love unfolds after a shipwrecked Viola falls onto the Illyrian Shores. The production will play at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through Sunday.

Pegasus Theatre presents Death on Delivery!
In Death on Delivery!, the setting is City Hospital where Lt. Foster’s wife has just given birth to their first child, Harriet. But danger lurks around every corner. The intrepid trio must solve a mysterious string of murders before a madman claims one of their own. The production by Pegasus Theatre uses RadioVizion, which focuses on evoking the experience and glamour of being in a live radio studio of the 1930s and 1940s. It will run through August 21 at Bath House Cultural Center.

Friday, August 6

Cypress Hill in concert
Hip hop group Cypress Hill has been around for 30 years, releasing nine albums, but they're still best known for their 1993 No. 1 hit "Insane in the Brain" off their triple platinum album Black Sunday. They recently released a new single, "Champion Sound," their first new music since their 2018 album, Elephants On Acid. They'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit in concert (UPDATE: This concert has been canceled. Isbell is still scheduled to perform in Fort Worth on August 13.)
Country singer Jason Isbell is an old-school musician in that he's taken the long road to success. He's been paying his dues for the past 20 years, slowly but surely building a fan base. That hard work has paid off, as his last three albums have each landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts, as well as the top 10 of the Billboard 200. He and his band, The 400 Unit, will play at The Factory in Deep Ellum.

Saturday, August 7

Immersive Van Gogh
Immersive Van Gogh is a digital art experience that invites audiences to enter the works of van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement, and imagination. The exhibition merges state-of-the-art technology, theatrical storytelling, and world-class animation, transporting guests inside the artist's most famous paintings. It will take place at Lighthouse Dallas through October 31.

The City of Grapevine presents Wally Funk Community Celebration Parade
The City of Grapevine will honor resident and hometown hero, Wally Funk, for her history-making experience aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital space tourism rocket. The event will feature a parade along Historic Main Street, immediately followed by a presentation by aviation leaders, peers, Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate, and Grapevine City Council. The parade will then head south on Main Street from Wall Street toward Dallas Road, and will culminate on Peace Plaza at Grapevine Main Station, with remarks by dignitaries and Funk.

Sunday, August 8

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière - Towards No Earthly Pole" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view "Concentrations 63" at the Dallas Museum of Art. 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.

Pegasus Theatre presents Death on Delivery at Bath House Cultural Center through August 21.

Photo by John Harvey

Pegasus Theatre presents Death on Delivery at Bath House Cultural Center through August 21.

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Park News

Ground breaks on new neighborhood greenspace in northeast Dallas

TPL

Bushmills Neighborhood Green

Ground has broken on a new greenspace in northeast Dallas: Bushmills Neighborhood Green, a 5.4-acre site at 10600 Black Walnut Dr. which sits along the Jackson Branch of White Rock Creek, began construction in mid-August and is expected to be completed in early 2026.

Once completed, Bushmills Neighborhood Green will provide a neighborhood greenspace within a 10-minute walk for 2,100 residents in the area.

Bushmills is the first of a five-site pilot program to expand access to greenspace across Dallas — part of the Dallas Greening Initiative (DGI), executed by the Trust for Public Land (TPL), in partnership with the City of Dallas, with 15 greenspaces planned over the next five years.

Bushmills Neighborhood Green was the first DGI site selected for community engagement, beginning in November 2023.

Neighborhood leaders and residents participated in three public meetings—including a pop-up park in partnership with Better Block—where they expressed a clear desire for passive, nature-based recreation where they could reconnect with nature. This feedback informed and shaped the greenspace's design, features, and amenities.

"We know that access to nearby nature improves health, reduces stress, and cools neighborhoods by several degrees,” says TPL Texas State Director Molly Morgan in a statement. “The groundbreaking at Bushmills Neighborhood Green is about honoring the voices of neighbors who asked for a place to enjoy the benefits of nature close to their home.“

The park will feature winding trails, benches, picnic areas, lighting, and a wildlife viewing station overlooking the restored creek.

Its centerpiece is a central pond, once hidden by overgrowth, that is now restored to provide scenic beauty, habitat for wildlife, and natural stormwater management thanks to Greenspace Dallas. Native plantings and a pollinator garden will further support environmental resilience and neighborhood cooling, while City-facilitated maintenance and volunteer “Friends of” groups ensure long-term stewardship.

The partnership also includes Greenspace Dallas, which is leading site cleanup and environmental preparations and has already restored visibility of the central pond, making it a scenic focal point once again for the neighborhood.

Dallas Greening Initiative
The Dallas Greening Initiative was launched in 2022 at the request of Mayor Eric Johnson, who called for an inventory of vacant city-owned land that could be transformed into parks. Mayor Johnson tapped Trust for Public Land to lead, develop, and deliver the program, with catalytic leadership and vision from Greening Czar Garrett Boone.

“The Dallas Greening Initiative is about elevating neighborhoods by turning overlooked spaces into community treasures,” Boone says in a statement. “Bushmills is the first step in that vision - a place where natural beauty is uncovered, neighbors are elevated, and everyone is welcome. Together, we’re creating a space that reflects the resilience, equity, and vitality we envision for the future of Dallas.”

Each DGI site budget is capped at $750,000, showing the affordability of the program to deliver benefits for residents. Ten percent of each site’s budget is allocated for ongoing maintenance, which will be carried out by Dallas Park & Recreation in partnership with local volunteers, with whom TPL works to form with Dallas Park and Recreation.

In Texas, TPL has preserved nearly 45,000 acres of land for public access to create several natural places treasured by Texans, including Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin, the popular Palo Duro Canyon in Canyon, Eagle Mountain Park in Fort Worth, and Buffalo Bayou in Houston.