The State Fair of Texas may have packed up and left town, but the great slate of events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area continues to roll on. This week includes the anniversary of a park that's already become an institution, the beginning of a new opera season and your last chance to catch two stellar plays.
Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, October 24
Klyde Warren Park First Anniversary Celebration
In its first year, Klyde Warren Park has played host to, among other things, concerts, food trucks, yoga and Zumba enthusiasts, lots of dogs and almost 1 million visitors. To celebrate its first anniversary, it's going to offer a little bit of everything over the course of four days through Sunday, showing off why it's almost instantly become one of the top destinations in Dallas. For its biggest offering, scroll down to Friday...
Margaret Cho in concert
You can't say Margaret Cho has ever had it easy in the comedy world, but her unique perspective - namely that she's female, Korean and bisexual - has certainly given her a deep well from which to draw her material. Also helpful has been her sometimes contentious relationship with her mother, which plays a big part in her current tour named, well, Mother, stopping at the Majestic Theatre on Thursday.
Friday, October 25
Dallas Opera presents Carmen
The Dallas Opera kicks off its 2013-2014 season with style, putting on Bizet's classic Carmen at the Winspear Opera House and offering a free simulcast of the opera at Klyde Warren Park. The showing at the Winspear will be your usual black tie affair, but at the park you can come as you are, get a special look inside the Winspear and participate in a sing-along. The production continues at the Winspear through November 10.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Hitchcock!
Great films often owe a debt of gratitude to the film scores that helped make them iconic, and there's no better example of that than the films of Alfred Hitchcock, who used the work of composers like Bernard Herrman and Lyn Murray to heighten the horrors he put on screen. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will honor those composers' legacy with concerts on Friday and Saturday night at Meyerson Symphony Center.
Saturday, October 26
Paramore in concert with Metric and Hellogoodbye
The rock band Paramore has been on a steady climb since its debut in 2005, never really hitting it big but keeping its name out there thanks to contributions to movie soundtracks like Twilight and Transformers. The band's self-titled most recent album, Paramore, went to No. 1 when it was released in April, making the band hotter than ever. The group will show why at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, with Metric and Hellogoodbye as opening acts.
Jason Aldean in concert with Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett
Although it's been a month since the last concert there, the 2013 Gexa Energy Pavilion season officially comes to a close with yet another country concert. Jason Aldean is the reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year, thanks to his nearly incessant touring and his 2012 album Night Train, his third No. 1 album. He'll be joined by up-and-coming opening acts Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett.
2013 TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art
The annual TWO x TWO event at the Rachofsky House in Dallas is not just a chance to support a couple of great causes, but to get some top flight entertainment as well. The proceeds from the dinner and art auction will benefit both amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Dallas Museum of Art. To top it off, R&B/soul legend Gladys Knight knows how to put on a show even without the Pips.
Sunday, October 27
Dallas Theater Center doubleheader
Sunday is your very last chance to catch Dallas Theater Center's A Raisin in the Sun and Clybourne Park, and in arguably the most ideal way. Catch the matinee of Lorraine Hansberry's classic at 2 pm, spend a couple of hours eating dinner or maybe relaxing at Klyde Warren Park, then come back to Wyly Theatre at 7:30 pm for the equally excellent offering from playwright Bruce Norris. The companion pieces deserve to be seen together, and any theater fan will regret not taking the chance when they had the opportunity to do so.
Jason Aldean will close out Gexa Energy Pavilion's country-heavy 2013 season on October 26.
