Weekend Event Planner

These are the 8 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While the majority of events around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled, there are a few that have popped up to offer the masses some entertainment while still adhering to the social distancing necessary during the coronavirus pandemic.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While they're not all outside of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, August 13

Women Texas Film Festival
The fifth annual Women Texas Film Festival focuses solely on the work of visionary female filmmakers. Pivoting to an all-virtual presentation, it will open with Olivia Peace’s teenage comedy Tahara, and Lisa Donato’s Gossamer Folds will be the Closing Night Selection. The festival, taking place through Sunday, features LGBTQIA+ stories, provocative documentaries, and Texas-based female filmmakers throughout its lineup, which includes 11 feature films and 36 short films.

Ochre House Theater presents Mousey
Ochre House Theater Cinema is streaming its 2018 production of Mousey, a dark musical written and directed by Carla Parker. Available for free at any time on Ochre House's YouTube channel, Mousey tells the story of how things have gone rotten in the world of toys. Mrs. Mousey begins to suspect that there is more to life than just being a toy and launches into the dangerous journey that questions the very existence of their innocent lives. Rebellion and unrest erupt and turn the toys’ once-harmonious lives into bitter-sweet chaos, where once peace-loving and compliant toys turn on one another in search of a Utopia that does not exist.

Friday, August 14

Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum Reopening Day
As part of a coordinated plan among six downtown Dallas museums, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum will reopen to the public Friday. They are highlighting the special exhibition "The Fight for Civil Rights in the South," a photographic exhibit that chronicles the African American struggle for civil rights and social equality in the 1960s, including the burning of the Freedom Riders bus and the March from Selma to Montgomery.

Dallas Museum of Art Reopening Day
The Dallas Museum of Art will also reopen on Friday, greeting visitors with two new exhibitions. "For a Dreamer of Houses," which was to have opened in March, presents contemporary artworks that evoke personal spaces and consider the politics of places we identify with. The presentation will debut major recent acquisitions, immersive installations, large-scale works, and more. "Dalí’s Divine Comedy" showcases Salvador Dalí’s most ambitious illustrated series: his colored wood engravings of the Divine Comedy.

Addison Weekend Drive-In Concert Series
The Addison Weekend Drive-In Concert Series, where guests can listen to live music from a variety of Dallas-Fort Worth bands, returns. Attendees will be able to enjoy the shows from the comfort of their vehicles, or bring lawn chairs to sit next to a car. Music will be transmitted via both speaker system and FM radio. This weekend features performances by Extended PLAY on Friday and Joseph Veazie on Saturday.

Saturday, August 15

Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side
In Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side, the Tony Award-nominated actor best known for originating the role of George Washington in the cultural phenomenon Hamilton will perform songs from his favorite musicals, pop standards, and original material, and share stories from his time affiliated with In The Heights and Hamilton. Audience members for the virtual concert will also be invited to text in questions, some of which will be answered during the live event.

CarBaret's "Back to School Special" - Fast Times at Ridgemont High
CarBaret, which takes place in the parking lot outside of Brizo in Richardson, will present a "Back to School Special" featuring the 1982 Cameron Crowe coming-of-age classic, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Pre-show entertainment will be provided by Yippee Ki-Yays and DJ Devin Pike. The drive-in menu kitchen + bar will feature a menu of beer bratwurst, grilled kebabs, and veggie tacos that will be delivered to cars or chairs.

Sarah Jaffe in concert
Originally a live, in-person concert until, you know, COVID, singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe will take the virtual stage for a Texas Tunes concert. Streamed live from Medical City Lewisville Grand Theater in Lewisvlle, Jaffe will perform songs from throughout her career, including her most recent album, 2017's Bad Baby.

Sarah Jaffe will perform a virtual concert from Medical City Lewisville Grand Theater in Lewisvlle on August 15.

Photo by Brian K. Ullrich

Sarah Jaffe will perform a virtual concert from Medical City Lewisville Grand Theater in Lewisvlle on August 15.

theater event-planner concerts museums

Festival News

Sabrina Carpenter headlines annual 2025 ACL Music Fest in Austin

Photo courtesy of Sabrina Carpenter

undefined

Austin City Limits Music Festival is back for another year of big names including Sabrina Carpenter, Hozier, Doja Cat, Luke Combs, The Strokes, John Summit, Doechii and more. Austinites will take Zilker Park from October 3-5 and October 10-13.

Ticket sales start with three-day wristbands at noon on May 6 at aclfestival.com.

Just in terms of buzz alone, Sabrina Carpenter and Doechii are two big pulls that perhaps could have been expected, although there are never any guarantees. The pristine pop and artistic rap performers, respectively, are each on a meteoric rise. Their sets could echo Chappell Roan's last year, which stole headlines for sheer excitement and crowd size.

Hozier, Doja Cat, Luke Combs, and The Strokes are all returning artists. That means nearly half of this year's headliners are making their ACL Fest debut right at the top. One of those newcomers is John Summit, an who was speculated to show up in 2024 with Dom Dolla. Fans also expected to see Sabrina Carpenter in 2024 (in part thanks to a misleading advertisement on the "payphone" ACL Fest installed to tease its lineup), so thankfully they didn't have to wait long.

After the actual headliners, the top line of performers include Colombian reggaeton star Feid, who has collaborated with Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Karol G, and more; alternative rock band Cage the Elephant, who are back from a tumultuous patch; R&B star T-Pain, in the middle of a personal renaissance to remind people he can sing without autotune; Australian electropop duo Empire of the Sun, with alien operatic stage sensibilities; nostalgic solo artist Djo, the nearly incognito solo project of actor Joe Keery from Stranger Things; and iconic post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil, who are back in the studio again.

Locals receive a karmic second chance to see Passion Pit, the defining electropop group that recently dropped out of a 2025 South by Southwest showcase, leaving barely a trace. Japanese Breakfast also promises big crowds; a recent signing appearance at End of An Ear in South Austin created a line around the block for hours. Two more CultureMap favorites (if readers will indulge us) are Southern indie rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise and British indie, post-punk band Wet Leg; respectively hyper sincere and deadpan, but both fun and high-energy.

Among Austin artists, two stand out as recent festival favorites: Geto Gala and The Point. Geto Gala is a hip hop duo favoring smooth, nostalgic beats and a laid-back lyrical delivery. The Point, a rock group, spans many styles, but their live sets tend to show off high-energy, world-influenced, and mostly instrumental blues. Dylan Gossett, while not exactly a festival staple, is much higher up on the lineup and is becoming very well-respected as a country-folk songwriter.

A press release pulls out some additional notable acts from the lineup:

Fujii Kaze (W2)
ROLE MODEL
Gigi Perez
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso (W2)
Olivia Dean
Yoke Lore
flowerovlove
Royal & The Serpent
Amble
Good Neighbours
Celeste (W1)

And some from Texas:

Maren Morris (W1)
Dylan Gossett
Tanner Usrey
Asleep at the Wheel (W1)
INOHA (W1)
Johnny Stimson (W2)
SL Houser (W1)
Geto Gala (W1)
Farmer’s Wife (W2)
Alex Amen (W2)
Shallowater (W2)
Aaron Page (W1)
Huston-Tillotson University Jazz Collective (W2)
Disciples of Christ (W1)

A full lineup can be viewed here:

ACL's full 2025 lineup.Graphic courtesy of Austin City Limits Music Festival

Folks who can't make the festival can once again tune in on Hulu, returning as the festival's official streaming partner for performances, interviews, and more. Hulu will stream the first weekend, only.

music concerts festivals