This Week's Hot Headlines

Dallas middle school named No. 1 in Texas and more popular stories

This school is at the top of the class.

William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted

Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week includes an A-plus for a local school and a pretty-in-pink bakery coming soon. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then visit our event planner for Halloween weekend fun.

1. Dallas middle school ranks No. 1 in Texas for 2026, per U.S. News. More than a dozen Dallas-Fort Worth elementary and middle schools have excelled on U.S. News and World Report's just-released list of the best K-8 schools in Texas for 2026, with one that's first in class.

2. Over-the-top bakery-candy shop puts Dallas' Bishop Arts in the pink. Dallas' Bishop Arts neighborhood is about to get a dazzling shot of hot pink, via Pinkitzel, a fabulously over-the-top candy shop, coming soon to 417 N. Bishop Ave.

3. 2 Dallas restaurants earn star status in new 2025 Texas Michelin Guide. The Texas restaurant scene is once again basking in the international spotlight. The Michelin Guide revealed its statewide selections at an invite-only ceremony held this week in Houston.

4. New neighborhood restaurant lounge opens in Dallas' Park Cities. There's a new restaurant concept coming to Dallas' Lovers Lane. Called The Devonshire Club, it will open in mid-November at 5757 W. Lovers Ln., in the space previously occupied by Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge.

Devon Coming soon: The Devonshire Club. Photo courtesy of The Devonshire Club

5. Dallas' Omni Hotels debuts holiday bar pop-up at 7 Texas properties. Dallas-based Omni Hotels is ringing in the holidays with an over-the-top cocktail experience that will debut at 27 hotels across the U.S., including seven in Texas and five in DFW.

Merry & bright news

Dallas makes Santa's nice list as 2nd most festive U.S. city in 2025

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Dallas sparkles and shines for the holidays.

In merry and bright news, Dallas has landed a coveted spot near the top of a 2025 ranking of America's most festive cities.

Home services platform Thumbtack analyzed holiday light installation requests from customers from October 2024 to 2025 to determine the most festive U.S. cities. Rankings were based on the "relative frequency" of requests after being adjusted for the population of each state and metro area.

Dallas comes in at No. 2.

Dallas has been resting easy at the top of Santa's nice list since 2022. But the city's festive spirit has yet to dethrone Austin, which has held on to the top spot for four years in a row.

There's plenty of dazzling shows illuminating Dallas-Fort Worth for the holidays, including drive-thru light parks and CultureMap's very own ice rink at Main Street Garden in downtown Dallas.

Other festive holiday events happening around Dallas include many more local ice rinks, pop-up bars, plus volunteer opportunities to give back to the local community. Readers can also keep up with all of Dallas' holiday happenings in CultureMap's season-long editorial series.

Other big Texas cities like Houston and San Antonio also all landed top-10 spots, proving the Lone Star State is much more festive than the rest of the country.

"From Texas to Florida, the South is setting the standard for holiday spirit, and in true Texas fashion, bigger is definitely brighter," the report said. "Mild winters and a strong sense of community keep the Lone Star State shining at the top."

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive U.S. cities in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Sacramento, California
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 10 – Atlanta, Georgia

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