Weekend Event Planner

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

With Christmas falling on a weekend this year, it's holiday events galore. There's also a new pop-up exhibit, college football bowl game, concert from a hometown group, screening of a classic holiday film, holiday circus, and stand-up comedy.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Note: All of the events are happening as of press time, but COVID-19 is rapidly changing the events landscape. Best to check a venue's website for updates before heading out.

Thursday, December 23

Holiday events
If you haven't had a chance to check out a holiday event this year, there is no shortage of options. You can go the Instagram-route with Snowday and Santaland at Galleria Dallas; the Dallas traditional route with The Trains at NorthPark; the outdoor route with Holiday at the Arboretum; and many more. You can check out all the options on our event calendar.

Christmas lights
Some of the biggest displays around will be on for just a few more days, including the TV-famous Burkman Holiday Home of Frisco, which is ending its run early. Here is a complete list of the top drive-thru, immersive, commercial displays, and more. And here are the best neighborhoods to cruise through to see dazzling lights. Heading to Fort Worth this weekend? That list is here.

Sweet Tooth Motel presents Holiday Pop Up
Sweet Tooth Motel/Hotel is an Instagram-friendly exhibition that has been popping up all over Dallas-Fort Worth (Rewind is currently open in Allen). For the holidays, they'll present a special pop-up at AT&T Performing Arts Center. Guests can step inside the bright pink container on the Center’s campus between the Center Cafe and the Winspear Opera House and be transported to a magical winter wonderland. The free pop-up will be open on December 23, 26, and 30.

Frisco Football Classic: Miami (Ohio) vs. North Texas
Frisco is a prime location for the college football bowl season this year. Two days after the 4th annual Tropical Smoothie Cafe Bowl comes the inaugural Frisco Football Classic at the same location, Toyota Stadium. The game will have a local feel as the North Texas Mean Green will take the short trip down from Denton to take on Miami (Ohio) RedHawks from the Mid-American Conference.

Pentatonix in concert
Arlington's own Pentatonix got their big break when they won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011. Since then, the a cappella group has gone on to release five regular albums and five Christmas albums, including the brand-new Evergreen. You can expect the full spectrum of those Christmas albums during this concert, taking place at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Majestic Theatre presents It's a Wonderful Life
You could stay home and watch holiday movies or you could watch a classic movie in a historic theater. The Majestic Theatre, which opened to the public in 1921, is teaming up with the Texas Theatre to host a special screening of 1946's It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. An angel will get its wings when the people of Bedford Falls get together to support George Bailey.

December 24

A Magical Cirque Christmas
A Magical Cirque Christmas is a holiday production that features a variety of fantastic circus performers. Audiences at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie can experience the enchantment of Christmas as Magical Hostess Lucy Darling takes them through an evening of breathtaking cirque artists, accompanied by favorite holiday music performed live.

December 26

Sal Vulcano & Chris Distefano - A Night of Standup Comedy, Babes
Comedians Sal Vulcano and Chris Distefano will team up for a special night of post-Christmas fun. Vulcano is best known as a member of The Tenderloins, a comedy troupe that stars in the TruTV series Impractical Jokers. Distefano, who starred in the MTV shows Guy Code and Girl Code, co-hosts the podcast Hey Babe! with Vulcano. They'll perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Snowday at Galleria Dallas is just one of a host of holiday events continuing through the holiday season.

Photo courtesy of Snowday Dallas

Snowday at Galleria Dallas is just one of a host of holiday events continuing through the holiday season.

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Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week begins with a big accolade for an area city. Plus, a massive mixed-use development is on its way to McKinney, and we introduce you to the Tastemaker Awards nominees for Dallas Bar of the Year. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then visit our event planner for weekend fun.

1. Dallas-Fort Worth suburb blooms as No. 1 best place to live in U.S. One Dallas-area city took the top slot on a new list of "the 100 Best Places to Live in 2025." The list — from relocation marketing platform Livability.com — put Flower Mound at No. 1 for its appealing size and affordability.

2. Massive mixed-use development coming to key intersection in McKinney. McKinney is getting a new $1.3 billion mixed-use development. Called Long Branch, it will be a 155-acre project at the northwest corner of US-75 and the future 380 bypass, consisting of housing, retail, office, grocery, and hospitality.

Long Branch McKinney Long Branch development planned for McKinney Rendering courtesy of Creation

3. 10 best bars in Dallas for 2025 craft cocktails and community. It's time to toast the 2025 Bar of the Year nominees in our annual Tastemaker Awards. The list includes new and not-so-new bars, ranging from a subterranean lounge to a bar perched high in a downtown hotel.

4. 6 Dallas bars unveil new on-trend cocktail menus for spring 2025. Dallas restaurants regularly roll out menus these days that follow the season, keeping things fresh by taking advantage of whatever's being harvested. But bars are getting in on the action, too, unfurling creative drink menus that make the most of seasonal ingredients and flavor trends.

5. Wildlife authorities now find avian flu in mammals in Texas Panhandle. The avian flu creeps closer and closer: According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), recent testing has detected Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in mammal species in Texas including foxes, raccoons, striped skunks, and domestic cats located in the Texas panhandle.