• Home
  • popular
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Charity Guide
  • children
  • education
  • health
  • veterans
  • SOCIAL SERVICES
  • ARTS + CULTURE
  • animals
  • lgbtq
  • New Charity
  • Series
  • Delivery Limited
  • DTX Giveaway 2012
  • DTX Ski Magic
  • dtx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Your Home in the Sky
  • DTX Best of 2013
  • DTX Trailblazers
  • Tastemakers Dallas 2017
  • Healthy Perspectives
  • Neighborhood Eats 2015
  • The Art of Making Whiskey
  • DTX International Film Festival
  • DTX Tatum Brown
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Dallas
  • DTX McCurley 2014
  • DTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • DTX Beyond presents Party Perfect
  • DTX Texas Health Resources
  • DART 2018
  • Alexan Central
  • State Fair 2018
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Zatar
  • CityLine
  • Vision Veritas
  • Okay to Say
  • Hearts on the Trinity
  • DFW Auto Show 2015
  • Northpark 50
  • Anteks Curated
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving
  • Maggie Louise Confections Dallas
  • Gaia
  • Red Bull Global Rally Cross
  • NorthPark Holiday 2015
  • Ethan's View Dallas
  • DTX City Centre 2013
  • Galleria Dallas
  • Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty Luxury Homes in Dallas Texas
  • DTX Island Time
  • Simpson Property Group SkyHouse
  • DIFFA
  • Lotus Shop
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Dallas
  • Clothes Circuit
  • DTX Tastemakers 2014
  • Elite Dental
  • Elan City Lights
  • Dallas Charity Guide
  • DTX Music Scene 2013
  • One Arts Party at the Plaza
  • J.R. Ewing
  • AMLI Design District Vibrant Living
  • Crest at Oak Park
  • Braun Enterprises Dallas
  • NorthPark
  • Victory Park
  • DTX Common Desk
  • DTX Osborne Advisors
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • DFW Showcase Tour of Homes
  • DTX Neighborhood Eats
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • DTX Auto Awards
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2017
  • Nasher Store
  • Guardian of The Glenlivet
  • Zyn22
  • Dallas Rx
  • Yellow Rose Gala
  • Opendoor
  • DTX Sun and Ski
  • Crow Collection
  • DTX Tastes of the Season
  • Skye of Turtle Creek Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival
  • DTX Charity Challenge
  • DTX Culture Motive
  • DTX Good Eats 2012
  • DTX_15Winks
  • St. Bernard Sports
  • Jose
  • DTX SMU 2014
  • DTX Up to Speed
  • st bernard
  • Ardan West Village
  • DTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Taste the Difference
  • Parktoberfest 2016
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House
  • DTX Smart Luxury
  • DTX Earth Day
  • DTX_Gaylord_Promoted_Series
  • IIDA Lavish
  • Huffhines Art Trails 2017
  • Red Bull Flying Bach Dallas
  • Y+A Real Estate
  • Beauty Basics
  • DTX Pet of the Week
  • Long Cove
  • Charity Challenge 2014
  • Legacy West
  • Wildflower
  • Stillwater Capital
  • Tulum
  • DTX Texas Traveler
  • Dallas DART
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Alexan Riveredge
  • Ebby Halliday Realtors
  • Zephyr Gin
  • Sixty Five Hundred Scene
  • Christy Berry
  • Entertainment Destination
  • Dallas Art Fair 2015
  • St. Bernard Sports Duck Head
  • Jameson DTX
  • Alara Uptown Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival fall 2017
  • DTX Tastemakers 2015
  • Cottonwood Arts Festival
  • The Taylor
  • Decks in the Park
  • Alexan Henderson
  • Gallery at Turtle Creek
  • Omni Hotel DTX
  • Red on the Runway
  • Whole Foods Dallas 2018
  • Artizone Essential Eats
  • Galleria Dallas Runway Revue
  • State Fair 2016 Promoted
  • Trigger's Toys Ultimate Cocktail Experience
  • Dean's Texas Cuisine
  • Real Weddings Dallas
  • Real Housewives of Dallas
  • Jan Barboglio
  • Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
  • Hearts for Hounds
  • Okay to Say Dallas
  • Indochino Dallas
  • Old Forester Dallas
  • Dallas Apartment Locators
  • Dallas Summer Musicals
  • PSW Real Estate Dallas
  • Paintzen
  • DTX Dave Perry-Miller
  • DTX Reliant
  • Get in the Spirit
  • Bachendorf's
  • Holiday Wonder
  • Village on the Parkway
  • City Lifestyle
  • opportunity knox villa-o restaurant
  • Nasher Summer Sale
  • Simpson Property Group
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Dallas
  • Carlisle & Vine
  • DTX New Beginnings
  • Get in the Game
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • Dallas DanceFest
  • 2015 Dallas Stylemaker
  • Youth With Faces
  • Energy Ogre
  • DTX Renewable You
  • Galleria Dallas Decadence
  • Bella MD
  • Tractorbeam
  • Young Texans Against Cancer
  • Fresh Start Dallas
  • Dallas Farmers Market
  • Soldier's Angels Dallas
  • Shipt
  • Elite Dental
  • Texas Restaurant Association 2017
  • State Fair 2017
  • Scottish Rite
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • DTX_Stylemakers
  • Alexan Crossings
  • Ascent Victory Park
  • Top Texans Under 30 Dallas
  • Discover Downtown Dallas
  • San Luis Resort Dallas
  • Greystar The Collection
  • FIG Finale
  • Greystar M Line Tower
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • The Shelby
  • Jonathan Goldwater Events
  • Windrose Tower
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • State Fair of Texas 2016
  • Choctaw Dallas
  • TodayTix Dallas promoted
  • Whole Foods
  • Unbranded 2014
  • Frisco Square
  • Unbranded 2016
  • Circuit of the Americas 2018
  • The Katy
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Partners Card
  • Omni Hotels Dallas
  • Landmark on Lovers
  • Harwood Herd
  • Galveston.com Dallas
  • Holiday Happenings Dallas 2018
  • TenantBase
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2018
  • Hawkins-Welwood Homes
  • The Inner Circle Dallas
  • Eating in Season Dallas
  • ATTPAC Behind the Curtain
  • TodayTix Dallas
  • The Alexan
  • Toyota Music Factory
  • Nosh Box Eatery
  • Wildflower 2018
  • Society Style Dallas 2018
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital 2018
  • 5 Mockingbird
  • 4110 Fairmount
  • Visit Taos
  • Allegro Addison
  • Dallas Tastemakers 2018
  • The Village apartments
  • City of Burleson Dallas

    Holiday Event Planner

    The best holiday events in Dallas to make the most of the season

    Alex Bentley
    Nov 25, 2016 | 3:55 pm

    During the holidays, event organizers bring out all the stops to entertain the masses, making the Dallas area one big smorgasbord of holiday cheer. There is no shortage of events from which to choose, including theater, music, shopping, and more, the best of which you will find below.

    Ongoing events

    The Trains at NorthPark
    ​​The annual holiday tradition that is the Trains at NorthPark returns to NorthPark Center, albeit once again in a new location within the ever-changing mall. The exhibit, on display through January 8, features more than 750 railcars on a 1,600-foot intricate configuration of tracks set against local and national landmarks like Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Fair Park, Times Square, the White House, Mount Rushmore, and Golden Gate Bridge.

    George W. Bush Presidential Center presents A Season of Merriment and Melody: Christmas at the White House 2004
    Laura Bush selected "A Season of Merriment and Melody" as the White House holiday theme in 2004, weaving holiday music and traditional Christmas carols throughout the White House decor. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum brings this celebration back to life in this new exhibit, which features behind-the-scenes photographs and videos, a reproduction of the 2004 Blue Room decorations, and more. The exhibit is on display through January 8.

    Dallas Arboretum presents Holiday at the Arboretum
    Holiday at the Arboretum includes the return of the 12 Days of Christmas outdoor exhibit, which features 12 elaborate 25-foot-tall Victorian gazebos with charming costumed characters, whimsical animals, and winter scenes made famous by The Christmas Carol. New this year, the garden is open for evening hours for the 12 Days at Night exhibit, which is on display every weekend through December 30.

    Gaylord Texan Resort presents 13th annual Lone Star Christmas
    Gaylord Texan Resort’s 13th annual Lone Star Christmas event offers a variety of holiday activities, live entertainment, and displays to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. The property’s four-and-a-half acres of indoor gardens transform into a magical winter wonderland with 2 million holiday lights, 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice, 2 million pounds of real Texas snow, and more decorations than your brain can handle. You can experience Lone Star Christmas through January 1.

    2016 Texas Christkindl Market
    Now in its sixth year, the Texas Christkindl Market is one of the largest open-air holiday markets in the Southwest. Inspired by a cherished German tradition, the market features a unique shopping experience for holiday gifts, decorations, and one-of-a-kind finds. Going on every day through December 23, it also includes festive music and new features like Peppermint Park and a 200-foot-long Artic Blast Tubing Run.

    Prairie Lights 2016
    Upon arriving at the entrance of Prairie Lights, you're dazzled with 4 million lights set along two miles of path. Taking place at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie through January 1, it features hundreds of all-new displays in shapes of all kinds that line and arch over the roads. Halfway through the drive is the Holiday Village, which has food, gifts, Santa, the all-new indoor laser show, and the Holiday Magic Lighted Walk-Through Forest.

    Christmas in the Square
    Christmas in the Square, taking place daily at Frisco Square through January 1, features the largest choreographed holiday lights and music show in North Texas. Now in its 12th year, the event features a show with over 175,000 lights set to music. It also includes "snow flurries" every 15 minutes on Fridays and Saturdays, an outdoor ice skating rink, and a special event on December 17 with holiday vendors, a trackless train, inflatables, a four-lane inner-tubing snow slide, and Santa Claus parachuting into the square to hear the wishes of all little girls and boys.

    Downtown Dallas, Inc. presents Downtown Wanderland
    Downtown Wanderland is season-long programming in downtown Dallas featuring Unbranded, a curated pop-up shop with rotating artists, fashion designers, and other unique merchandise; mini vending trailers and movie screenings in Pegasus Plaza; holiday markets at Main Street Garden; and more. Go to the official website for a full list of events going on December 1-17.

    Theater events

    Dallas Summer Musicals presents Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
    First airing in 1964, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has become a beloved Christmas classic, and now it soars off the screen and onto the stage at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Playing November 25-27, it features all of your favorite characters from the special, including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, the Misfit Toys, and, of course, Rudolph.

    Dallas Theater Center presents A Christmas Carol
    Kick off the holiday season with A Christmas Carol, a reimagined take on Dickens’ enduring classic in which the audience is immersed in the story with magical ghosts flying above, scary ghosts bursting out of the floor, and snow falling from the sky. Playing through December 28 at Wyly Theatre, this year's rendition from Dallas Theater Center features a female Scrooge for the very first time, played by Sally Nystuen Vahle.

    Texas Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker
    The final must-see holiday theater tradition, The Nutcracker, is once brought to life by Texas Ballet Theater. Playing at Winspear Opera House through December 4, the ballet features a score by Tchaikovsky and enduring characters such as Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Nutcracker Prince.

    Dallas Summer Musicals presents Broadway Christmas Wonderland
    Broadway Christmas Wonderland features glittering costumes, a dazzling cast, and the highest kicking Chorus Girls this side of the North Pole. The nostalgic Christmas journey, playing at the Music Hall at Fair Park December 6-18, includes songs like “White Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” and many more.

    Music events

    Christmas with Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant
    Once again rekindling their synonymous holiday music magic, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith bring their popular symphony-filled Christmas tour to Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on December 2. They are joined by Jordan Smith, Season 9 winner of NBC’s The Voice. The concert also features the Plano Symphony Orchestra.

    Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Christmas Pops
    Conductor Lawrence Loh leads the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for their Christmas Pops presentation, playing December 2-18 at Meyerson Symphony Center. They are joined by the Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas during matinee performances, the Dallas Symphony Chorus, and soprano Meredith Lustig in performing Christmas classics, holiday favorites and sing-along carols. They also put on a free abridged performance at NorthPark Center on December 13.

    The Polyphonic Spree 14th Annual Holiday Extravaganza
    The Polyphonic Spree's 14th Annual Holiday Extravaganza, taking place at Majestic Theatre on December 10, is an all-ages, family-friendly event featuring face painting and balloon animals for the kids, photos with the reindeer, Santa's sleigh, and Mr. & Mrs. Claus, and, of course, a performance by one of Dallas' most interesting bands.

    Combined events

    Celebrate the Holidays at Klyde Warren Park
    At Klyde Warren Park's annual Celebrate the Holidays event on December 3, activities include free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, holiday kids’ crafts, food trucks, activities and demonstrations from area cultural institutions, holiday music entertainment, and a holiday show culminating with the lighting of the Klyde Warren Park Christmas tree. Following the daytime event, visitors are encouraged to make the short walk over to ...

    AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Reliant Lights Your Holidays
    ... Reliant Lights Your Holidays at AT&T Performing Arts Center, featuring hundreds of thousands of LED lights placed on the center’s venues and trees; live performances by RaeLynn and A.B. Quintanilla y Elektro Kumbia; free photos with Santa; a special appearance by Miss America 2017, Savvy Shields; and a fireworks display in Sammons Park.

    Sally Nystuen Vahle is Dallas Theater Center's first-ever female Scrooge in the annual production of A Christmas Carol, running through December 28.

    Sally Nystuen Vahle as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
      
    Photo by Sergio Garcia
    Sally Nystuen Vahle is Dallas Theater Center's first-ever female Scrooge in the annual production of A Christmas Carol, running through December 28.
    theatershoppingkidsfamiliesholidaysconcertsnatureevent-plannerdance
    news/entertainment

    most read posts

    Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

    Dallas house for sale from the '50s is still in original condition

    Mom-and-pop Asian chain from Austin makes Dallas debut in McKinney

    Movie Review

    Dark comedy Friendship covers male bonding with copious cringing

    Alex Bentley
    May 16, 2025 | 4:16 pm
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

    Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

    Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara) and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

    He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin - a weatherman at a local TV channel - even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

    Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

    The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

    Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, there are many things in the story that go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

    Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

    There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

    ---

    Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

    moviesfilm
    news/entertainment
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Dallas intel delivered daily.
    Loading...