Creativity Converges

North Texas comes alive this spring with returning art and music festivals

Take in the spring weather and see some engaging art.

Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Arts Festival

This May, North Texas will bloom with creativity, color, and sound as two of the region’s most beloved events return: the Cottonwood Arts Festival in Richardson and the Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival in Galatyn Park. Together, they showcase the best of local and national talent, transforming the area into a vibrant celebration of art, music, and community.

Cottonwood Arts Festival: A Celebration of Creativity
Taking place May 2-3, the award-winning Cottonwood Arts Festival brings together more than 200 artists from across the country, offering an inspiring weekend of visual art, live music, delicious food, and craft beer. From paintings and sculptures to ceramics and mixed media, the festival highlights a wide spectrum of artistic expression in a lively, outdoor setting.

The 2026 featured artist, Julia Gilmore, brings a deeply personal and energetic body of work shaped by a lifelong journey through music, design, and visual storytelling. Working from her studio in New Hampshire, Gilmore is known for her bold, textured oil paintings that transform everyday subjects into vivid, iconic imagery full of color and movement.

Beyond the artist booths, Cottonwood also emphasizes community engagement, offering programs that introduce students to the creative process and encourage the next generation of artists to explore their own potential.

The festival takes place in Cottonwood Park, located at 1321 W. Belt Line Rd.

Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival: Where Music Takes Center Stage
Then, in mid-May, Richardson shifts into full festival mode again as the Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival returns for its annual three-day celebration, May 15-17. What began in 1993 as a small community gathering has grown into one of North Texas’ premier cultural events.

With more than 100 bands performing across multiple stages, Wildflower delivers a genre-spanning lineup that includes rock, country, indie, blues, and pop. The 2026 roster features major acts such as George Thorogood & The Destroyers, KALEO, Blues Traveler, Lit, and OK Go, alongside rising talent and regional favorites.

It's more than a music fest, it's a full-scale cultural experience. Photo courtesy of Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival

But Wildflower is more than just a concert series. Festivalgoers can explore artisan markets, interactive art installations, performance spaces, and family-friendly zones designed for all ages. Food vendors offer everything from classic festival bites to local Texas specialties, creating a full sensory experience from morning to night.

Produced by the City of Richardson, the festival remains deeply rooted in community identity, supporting local artists, businesses, and creative programs while drawing visitors from across the region.

Creativity Comes Alive
Together, Cottonwood and Wildflower highlight the cultural pulse of North Texas, rooted in artistic expression, live performance, and community experiences. Whether exploring gallery-style art booths or singing along to a favorite band under the Texas sky, festival-goers will find no shortage of inspiration this spring.

Join Wildflower! at Galatyn Park Urban Center, located at Galatyn Parkway and U.S. 75.

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Season announcement

Mystic Pizza's Dallas premiere leads new AT&T PAC Broadway season

Photo courtesy of Lively McCabe Entertainment

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The 2026-2027 Broadway at the Center season at Dallas' AT&T Performing Arts Center will feature a mixture of new and returning shows, including several recent Tony Award-nominated productions.

According to a release, the main season will consist of five musicals: Mystic Pizza: A New Musical, Shucked, Beetlejuice, The Who’s Tommy, and The Wiz. All productions take place at Winspear Opera House in downtown Dallas.

They will be joined by two previously-announced co-productions with Broadway Dallas - The Notebook and Hadestown - as well as TITAS/Dance Unbound co-production, Dance Me - The Music of Leonard Cohen.

First up will be Dance Me - The Music of Leonard Cohen, a creation inspired by the work of famed Montreal-based poet, artist, and songwriter Leonard Cohen, performed by Ballet Jazz Montreal.

The homage to the iconic artist evokes the grand cycles of existence in five seasons, as described in Cohen’s deeply reflective music and poems. There will be performances on September 18 and 19, 2026.

The first theater production will be Mystic Pizza: A New Musical, making its Dallas premiere. It is based on the 1988 rom-com that tells the story of three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love, and family in a small-town pizza joint.

The score features megahits of the '80s and '90s, including songs originally recorded by Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, John Cougar Mellencamp, and more. It will run November 20-22, 2026.

After the Broadway Dallas co-production of The Notebook, running January 12-24, 2027, the season picks up again with the return of Shucked, which played at the Music Hall at Fair Park in December 2024.

In the Tony Award-winning comedy, the corn that protects a small community starts to die. The town needs answers. But who will dare to venture beyond the borders of Cob County?

The Broadway hit, running March 19-21, 2027 is about an unlikely hero, an unscrupulous con artist, and a battle for the heart and soil of a small town.

Hadestown will follow shortly thereafter, running March 30-April 4, 2027, before the third Broadway Dallas co-production of the season, Beetlejuice, running April 28-May 2, 2027.

The musical, which previously came to Dallas in early 2024, is based on Tim Burton’s 1988 film and tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

June 2027 will bring the final two productions of the season, The Who’s Tommy (running June 3-5) and The Wiz (running June 10-13).

The Who's 1969 rock opera is about the young Tommy Walker whose innate knack for pinball catapults him from reticent adolescent to celebrity savior. It features the anthems “I’m Free,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Sensation,” and “Pinball Wizard.”

The Wiz, which just came to Dallas in September 2025, is a groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz that features soul, gospel, rock, and '70s funk that puts Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

“This season is designed to welcome both longtime subscribers and new audiences with a lineup that celebrates the full range of Broadway - from high-energy crowd pleasers and reimagined classics to bold contemporary storytelling,” said Warren Tranquada, CEO and President of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, in a statement.

For the first time in their partnership with Broadway Dallas, Broadway at the Center subscribers will enjoy early access and full subscriber benefits for Beetlejuice through May 1.

After May 1, all ticket purchases, customer service questions, and support for Beetlejuice will be handled directly by Broadway Dallas.

The Center offers a flexible subscription package that allows patrons to choose four or five shows from the season lineup, with the option to add or remove shows by contacting the box office directly.

Subscription package prices range from $150-$660, and sales begin on Monday, April 13, 2026. Packages may be purchased by phone at 214-880-0202, or online at attpac.org/broadway.

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