Weekend Event Planner

These are the 5 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, organizations have pivoted to virtual or socially distanced events to continue offering the masses some entertainment while we need it the most.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While not every event is out of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, January 21

Cirque Italia presents Paranormal Cirque
After a false start in Irving, Cirque Italia will now debut Paranormal Cirque in Mesquite. Under the black and red big top tent of Paranormal Cirque exists a crazy yet fun fusion between circus, theatre, and cabaret in perfect harmony with the evolution of a show that brings audiences back to when they dream ... and when they had nightmares and fantasies. The show, taking place at Town East Mall through Sunday before moving to Stonebriar Centre in Frisco January 28-31, is only for teenagers and above; no kids under 13 will be admitted.

Friday, January 22

The Texas Theatre Sunset Drive-In: Metropolis with live score
As part of their ongoing drive-in series, the Texas Theatre will screen the 2010 restoration of Fritz Lang's science fiction masterpiece Metropolis, which dramatizes the conflict between wealthy über-capitalists and rebellious subterranean laborers — orchestrated by a diabolical scientist capable of destroying them both. The screening, presented on both Friday and Saturday night, will be accompanied by a live original score by Austin composer and multi-instrumentalist David DiDonato. The new score includes elements of classical, electronic, metal, dance, vaporwave, industrial, and shoegaze.

Saturday, January 23

AURORA presents Jan Tichy: "Remote Pyramids"
AURORA will present the three-part collaborative artwork "Remote Pyramids" by Jan Tichy. It connects a group of resettled refugee teenagers from the Vickery Meadow neighborhood in Dallas with a group of teenagers with their own experience of migration from the Oak Cliff neighborhood. Viewers can begin by exploring the history of "Remote Pyramids" and its individual projects at remotepyramids.org. The works by the six "Remote Pyramids" participating young artists will be on view at Oak Cliff Cultural Center through their storefront gallery windows and closed door windows through February 6, and on the evening of January 23, a video projection in connection with the young artists’ artworks and the "Remote Pyramids" digital space will take place on Dallas City Hall.

USA Film Festival presents KidFilm
The USA Film Festival will present the 37th Annual KidFilm, the oldest and largest children’s film festival in the world. KidFilm, presented for free on Saturday and Sunday at Angelika Film Center Dallas, is saluting some of their favorite children's books, as well as celebrating diversity, equity and tolerance, empowerment, the importance of friends and family, animated adventures, imaginative journeys, nature, and environmental awareness. Tickets for all shows are free, but guests must RSVP in advance to request tickets. Tickets can be requested by calling the USA Film Festival office at 214-821-6300 from 10:30 am-5 pm through January 22.

Evil Dead with Live Commentary by Bruce Campbell
Actor Bruce Campbell will host a worldwide virtual viewing of the 1981 Sam Raimi classic, Evil Dead, with live commentary throughout by the star himself. Viewers can watch the film with Campbell as he shares memories, stories, and anecdotes from the film, and for a few lucky viewers, Campbell will even answer questions from the chat.

Paranormal Cirque will be at Town East Mall in Mesquite, January 21-24.

Photo courtesy of Cirque Italia

Paranormal Cirque will be at Town East Mall in Mesquite, January 21-24.

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Listen up

Underground hi-fi 'listening bar' Shyboy opens in downtown Dallas

Photo courtesy of Shyboy

Shyboy lounge is new on Main Street in downtown Dallas.

A new lounge is turning up the volume beneath the streets of downtown Dallas: Shyboy, billed as Dallas' first "hi fi bar," will debut at 1313 Main St., in the subterranean level of The Drakestone building.

According to a release, opening weekend events will take place March 4-7.

The new nightlife concept comes from The Headington Companies, the folks behind the Joule hotel and other Main Street developments.

"Inspired by hi-fi listening bars around the world, with roots in Tokyo’s post-WWII 'jazz kissas,' Shyboy offers a social and listening experience unlike any other nightlife space, with progressive, genre-bending programming, signature hi-balls and cocktails, and two state-of-the-art OJAS sound systems, designed by Devon Turnbull," says the release. (Turnbull's speakers have been used in projects with Mark Ronson, Public Records in Brooklyn, and more.)

Jazz kissas are cafes that specialize in the playing of and listening to recorded jazz music; here, jazz is played for active listening rather than as background serenade.

Piggybacking on that idea, Shyboy will offer "an immersive environment where design, lighting, and atmosphere are treated as essential elements of the performance, inviting guests into a unique experience that blurs the line between listener and participant," they say.

The 3,000-square-foot underground space, once a bank vault in the historic Davis Building (renovated and rebranded as The Drakestone residential building in 2017), will house one of the most advanced sound systems in the city within its historic concrete "bones." Interiors were designed by acclaimed Dallas-based 5G Studio Collaborative.

The venue includes two distinct spaces. The main room functions as a social listening environment, where towering speakers double as sculptural focal points beneath curved underground ceilings.

A second chamber, called The Vault, is designed as a more intimate lounge for private events, sound classes, performances, and art exhibitions. The Vault’s entrance features an installation from artist Lachlan Turczan’s Optical Resonance series, which uses water and light to visibly respond to sound waves, the release says. The room also includes a newly commissioned reflective sculpture by Florentine artist Duccio Maria Gambi.

Shyboy’s inaugural month will include a lineup spanning house, deep grooves, soul, and global dance sounds. Opening weekend, March 4-7, will welcome talent like JT Donaldson (Shyboy music director), Dallas legend Red Eye, Sound Advice Vol. 1, Skeme Richards, Patrice Scott + Brandon Epocha, and Wamono Nights.

The calendar later in the year will feature appearances by celebrated DJs and producers such as Theo Parrish, Derrick Carter, Eli Escobar, Kai Alcé, and the Los Angeles-based listening collective In Sheep’s Clothing.

Shyboy’s cocktail menu starts at $13, and the bar will serve soft-serve ice cream.

Throughout March, there will be no cover charge for entry; for more information, visit the venue's website.

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