Celebrate Earth Day Through Music

The Polyphonic Spree and young performers shine at Earth Day Texas

Earth Day Texas is a free weekend festival featuring environmentally focused events, programs, businesses and organizations. The festival, April 26-27 at Fair Park, also promotes local talent — an eco-friendly way to enjoy live music.

Because touring can cost millions of dollars and leave a large carbon footprint, the less an artist has to travel, the better for the environment. To that end, Earth Day Texas is excited to announce the headliner for the event is the The Polyphonic Spree. Additional performances will take place by up-and-coming young musicians.

“There’s just something special about The Polyphonic Spree that makes you want to get up, dance and celebrate,” says Michael Cain, executive director of EDTx.

The Polyphonic Spree, the Dallas-based 21-member choral and symphonic pop band, has gained an international reputation for high-spirited performances, and local fans look forward to the group’s Holiday Extravaganza in Dallas each year.

“There’s just something special about The Polyphonic Spree, something that makes you want to get up, dance and celebrate the world around you. And that’s exactly the experience we hope to bring people at this year’s event,” says Michael Cain, executive director of EDTx.

Wearing their trademark choir robes, the band will make its last 2014 U.S. appearance at Earth Day Texas before beginning its UK tour in June. (If you’ve missed any of The Polyphonic Spree’s recent music, the group released an album last year titled Yes, It’s True.) Free wristbands for The Polyphonic Spree concert will be available Saturday and Sunday, 10 am-5 pm, in the Earth Day Texas indoor information booths at Fair Park.

There are a limited number of seats, so pick up your wristbands early. The concert will begin at 6 pm on Sunday, April 27, with opening act Howler Jr., a local band made up of Booker T. Washington graduates.

Earth Day Texas will also feature performances of musicians between the ages of 13 and 19 in the inaugural Earth Day Texas Rising Stars Music Competition and Talent Showcase.

“Music and education are extremely important to EDTx,” Cain says. “The EDTx Rising Stars Music Showcase is a great way to celebrate young talent and show event attendees that no matter how young you are, you can make a difference in this world.”

Attendees can also enjoy performances by Broadway Bound, a program offered by Dallas Summer Musicals Academy of Performing Arts. This troupe of young actors and singers travels around Dallas-Fort Worth and performs hits from both current and classic Broadway shows.

Earth Day Texas 2014 and the organization’s ongoing community outreach efforts are possible thanks to the support of its 2014 partners, including BMW of America, NBC 5, Home Depot, Samsung, DART, Radio Disney, Sewell Automotive Companies and U.S. Trust.

All ages are welcome to join Earth Day Texas. Admission is free, and you can even take DART’s Green Line to the Fair Park stop.

For the latest information about Earth Day Texas, visit the website or follow the organization on Facebook and Twitter (@EarthDayTexas). You can also download the iPhone app.

The Polyphonic Spree will headline Earth Day Texas at Fair Park.

Photo courtesy of Earth Day Texas

The Polyphonic Spree will headline Earth Day Texas at Fair Park.

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family values

Dallas sees Texas' biggest one-year jump in cost of raising kids

Courtesy of SmartAsset/iStock

Raising a child in Dallas will cost parents over $23,000 this year.

Raising a child is not an easy or inexpensive feat, and a new study has determined Dallas parents are saddled with the second-highest costs for childrearing in Texas, with expenses jumping higher than any other metro statewide since 2025.

SmartAsset's latest report, "Cost of Raising a Child in Major U.S. Metros – 2026 Study," calculated year-over-year changes in the annual cost of raising a child (factoring in childcare, additional housing costs, food, transportation, medical costs and other necessities) in the 48 largest U.S. metro areas. MIT's Living Wage Calculator was used to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults.

Childrearing costs in Dallas-Fort Worth have grown 4.5 percent since last year, totaling $23,340 for a family of three in 2026. That's over $1,000 more than what it took to raise a child in 2025, and it's $1,414 higher than what it took in 2024.

This is how SmartAsset broke down the cost for raising a child in Dallas:

Cost of childcare: $10,736
Cost of food: $1,826
Other expenses: $10,778

Though Dallas has the second-steepest costs for raising a child in Texas, the metro is actually much more affordable than most other places in the U.S.: DFW ranked 39th in SmartAsset's national list of cities with the highest childrearing costs in 2026, making it the 10th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a family.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in California topped the list with the highest childrearing costs in the U.S., at $43,171. The cost for raising a child in this California metro soared nearly 11 percent higher since last year.

Memphis, Tennessee ranked dead last as the most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child in 2026. Families will spend less than $20,000 to raise a child in Memphis, only 3.24 percent more than what was needed in 2025.

Raising a child in other Texas metros
It may come as no surprise that Austin is the most expensive place to raise a child in Texas, and it appeared as the 31st most expensive U.S. metro for families. Parents will spend nearly $25,000 to raise a child in the state's capital city, which is $703 higher than it was a year ago.

Meanwhile, San Antonio-New Braunfels is the most affordable metro in the Lone Star State for raising a family, and it's the third-most affordable place for raising a child nationwide. San Antonio parents will spend $21,393, or $448 more than last year, on their childrearing costs.

Houston also ranked among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child, landing in 7th place nationally, with childrearing costs adding up to $22,605 in 2026. That's only $737 more than last year.

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Memphis, Tennessee ($19,922)
No. 2 – Nashville, Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee ($21,216)
No. 3 – San Antonio-New Braunfels ($21,393)
No. 4 – Birmingham, Alabama ($21,684)
No. 5 – Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, Virginia ($22,314)
No. 6 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia ($22,470)
No. 7 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($22,605)
No. 8 – Richmond, Virginia ($22,658)
No. 9 – Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky ($23,270)
No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($23,340)

family dallas fort worth arlington smartasset reports livability