It's going to be a music-heavy weekend around Dallas, including not one but two big-name concerts taking place at the former home of the Texas Rangers. The slate of events also includes a new Halloween season event, a visit from a country music legend, comedy from a provocateur, two new theater productions, and a singer who'll take State Fair attendees down "Old Town Road."
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, October 10
Howell Farms presents Pumpkin Nights
Pumpkin Nights is a new interactive Halloween experience and festival in DFW. Visitors are transported into an enchanted world with multi-sensory Halloween displays and seven Pumpkin Lands created with more than 3,000 artistically hand-carved real and synthetic pumpkins. Featuring lands like Forbidden Pumpkin City, Great Pumpkin Hall, Pumpkin Pirate Cove, and Enchanted Pumpkin Forest, the family-friendly event will be at Howell Family Farms in Arlington through November 3.
Maverick Theatre Company presents Harvey
In Harvey, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary, 6 1/2-foot-tall rabbit. Playwright Mary Chase won the Pulitzer Prize for this delightful and insightful comedy about seeking happiness, identity, and acceptance of those who are different, and courtesy toward others in our everyday lives. The play will run at the Studio Theatre at UT Arlington through Sunday.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
Dizzying pyrotechnics and soaring melodies have given Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto a treasured place in pianists’ repertoire and in the hearts of audiences. Pianist Joyce Yang will be featured in this concert, which will include Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 and the Dallas premiere of Michael Ippolito’s Nocturne. There will be four performances through Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.
Tanya Tucker in concert
Country music legend Tanya Tucker has been a force in the industry for almost 50 years. Making her debut in 1972 at the tender age of 14, she's notched top 10 albums on the country charts in four different decades. That includes her new album, While I'm Livin', her first album in 10 years. She'll play at the Granada Theater.
Kacey Musgraves in concert with Lucius
Before heading back down to the Austin City Limits Festival this weekend, country singer Kacey Musgraves will play two straight nights at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. There's been no hotter singer in the genre than Musgraves since her debut in 2013, with all three of her studio albums going to No. 1 on the Country charts. 2018's Golden Hour even earned the rare feat of winning both Best Country Album and Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
Eric Andre: Legalize Everything
Eric Andre is the creator and host of Adult Swim’s hit series The Eric Andre Show, in which he has rattled the minds of TV censors, celebrity guests, and viewers alike since 2012 as the world’s most unstable talk show host. You can expect the unexpected when Andre comes to the Majestic Theatre as part of his Legalize Everything World Tour.
Friday, October 11
Jason Aldean in concert
It's country music heaven in Dallas-Fort Worth this weekend. Just as Kacey Musgraves takes the stage in Irving, Jason Aldean will step up to perform at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Aldean's last four albums have reached No. 1 on both the Country and Billboard 200 charts, and there's no reason to believe that his next album, 9, won't do the same when it's released in November. He'll be joined by Kane Brown, Carly Pearce, and DJ Silver.
Teatro Dallas presents Villa
A regional premiere, Villa is a story about reclaiming one's country. In this slyly surprising and gripping play, Guillermo Calderon puts the audience in the room with three women charged with deciding the future of the Villa Grimaldi, an infamous detention camp of Chile’s Pinochet government. The production will run at Teatro Dallas through November 2.
Toadies in concert
It's always a good day when Fort Worth originals Toadies take the stage again. This concert at South Side Ballroom will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Rubberneck. The concert, which will include performances by Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights and The Bluebonnets, will also feature a variety of other songs from their long career.
Saturday, October 12
Billy Joel in concert
It's been over four years since Billy Joel made an appearance in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and he's making his return count by performing in the unique venue of Globe Life Park in Arlington. It's been almost 20 years since Joel released his last studio album, but his catalog of hits like "Piano Man," "Just the Way You Are," "Tell Her About It," and "We Didn't Start the Fire" are more than enough to entertain a ballpark full of fans.
Sunday, October 13
The Women’s Chorus of Dallas presents 30th Anniversary Concert: That’s Our Jam!
The Women's Chorus of Dallas will present its 30th Anniversary Concert, That's Our Jam!, featuring favorite songs, old and new, with TWCD alumnae and Turtle Creek Chorale back onstage together. Before the concert at Moody Performance Hall, guests can view the exhibit "30 Years of Music and Memories" with a champagne reception. Artist Erica Stephens will present original paintings inspired by the music performed at the concert.
State Fair of Texas presents Billy Ray Cyrus
Some 27 years after taking the world by storm with "Achy Breaky Heart," Billy Ray Cyrus has made a name for himself once again by collaborating with Lil Nas X on perhaps the song of the year, "Old Town Road." The rapper won't be present for this free concert at the State Fair of Texas, but you can fully expect Cyrus to play those hits and more at Fair Park.
Billy Joel will play at Globe Life Park in Arlington on October 12.
