Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

This weekend in Dallas will be a bit unusual, in that most of the events on our list will take place only once. There are four repeating events, including a film festival and three local theater productions, but for everything else, it's one and done. Choices include celebrity dancers, a legendary band, two big-time comedians, a Chinese New Year celebration, a former secretary of state, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, February 7

Dallas VideoFest presents Alternative Fiction Fest
Dallas VideoFest presents Alternative Fiction Fest, the final series of films in its 31st season. AltFiction features dozens of narrative features, TV-focused episodes, and short films. The narratives that make up the majority of AltFiction Fest explore this moment in time at the intersection between media and how cinema artists can create original work in this new world. The festival will take place at Angelika Film Center in Dallas through Sunday.

Undermain Theatre presents An Iliad
Undermain Theatre is establishing a repertory series to honor the gems of its production history, starting with a reboot of An Iliad, which had a landmark production in 2012. An Iliad is a modern-day retelling of Homer's classic with a lone figure onstage as a storyteller, possibly Homer, possibly one of the many bards who followed in his footsteps. The production will run through March 3.

Dancing with the Stars: Live!
Dancing with the Stars: Live! will feature fan favorite professional and troupe dancers in a brand-new production showcasing every type of dance style as seen on ABC’s hit show, Dancing with the Stars. Performers will include Jenna Johnson, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater, Sasha Farber, and more. The performance will take place at The Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Fleetwood Mac in concert
The legendary, Grammy Award-winning Fleetwood Mac comes back to Dallas as part of their new North American tour. After an acrimonious breakup with Lindsey Buckingham, the tour will feature the new line-up of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie, along with newcomers Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. The concert will take place at American Airlines Center.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents La Llorona: A Love Story
Tradition, superstition, and love collide in this story of an American executive, Jeffrey, and his pregnant wife, who find themselves in Mexico City, moving into the home of Carlos and Irma who have been forced to rent it in order to support themselves. Jeffrey loves his wife and is willing to do anything to make her happy. Irma loves her husband so she ignores the warnings of La Llorona, who cautions of dire consequences for her family. The production will play at Bishop Arts Theatre Center through February 24.

Friday, February 8

TITAS presents Beijing Dance Theater
Founded in 2008, Beijing Dance Theater is led by its choreographer Wang Yuanyuan, who prides herself on being rooted in Chinese traditions, while at the same time producing innovative, authentic, and thought-provoking contemporary dance works for the world stage. This one-night-only performance will take place at Winspear Opera House.

Echo Theatre presents High Dive
Playwright Leslie Ayvazian's heart-warming comedy, High Dive, is a one-woman show co-starring the audience. An American woman finds herself poolside in Greece celebrating her 50th birthday with her family. While terrified of heights, she accepts her daughter's dare to jump off the high dive, and it is there she finds herself somewhat paralyzed in contemplation of all that has been and what might be. The production, playing through February 23 at Bath House Cultural Center, invites the audience to jump in and play various characters in the show from their "poolside" seats.

Jim Jefferies: The Night Talker Tour
Jim Jefferies entertains audiences with his controversial, belief-challenging, and thought-provoking comedy. A new voice in late night, The Jim Jefferies Show is a weekly Comedy Central series, coming back in March, that features Jefferies traveling across the globe to tackle the week’s top stories and the controversial issues of the day. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Saturday, February 9

Crow Museum of Asian Art presents Chinese New Year Festival
Celebrate the Year of the Pig as the Crow Museum of Asian Art presents its 20th annual free Chinese New Year Festival, taking place for the second straight year at NorthPark Center. The signature event offers a wealth of family-friendly activities, including dragon and lion dances, musical and martial-arts demos, art making and calligraphy, specialty booths, wellness activities, must-see entertainment, and cultural performances, plus giveaways throughout the mall.

Lightwire Theater presents Dino Light
Lightwire Theater enthralls audiences with their unique combination of skill and grace as told through the technological innovations of moving light characters. Dino Light tells the story of a famous scientist with magic powers that brings a friendly dinosaur to life. When the dinosaur wanders away from home, he discovers a wonderful world full of creatures that light up the darkness and help him find the true meaning of love. The performance will take place at Winspear Opera House.

Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias: Beyond The Fluffy
One of America's most successful stand-up comedians, Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias comes to Dallas as part of his Beyond the Fluffy Tour. Iglesias is one of the most watched comedians on YouTube with over 300 million views. His new comedy special, One Show Fits All, was recently released on Netflix, and he will appear as a voice in the upcoming animated film, UglyDolls. He'll perform at American Airlines Center.

Sunday, February 10

DMA Arts & Letters Live: Madeleine Albright
Madeleine K. Albright is a professor, diplomat, bestselling author, and businesswoman who served as the 64th secretary of state of the United States, the first woman to serve in that role. In 2012 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. She will appear in conversation with Jim Falk, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, to talk about her book, Fascism: A Warning. The event will take place at Temple Emanu-el.

Fleetwood Mac will play at American Airlines Center on February 7.

Fleetwood Mac at The Frank Erwin Center in Austin Texas March 2015

Photo by David Brendan Hall

Fleetwood Mac will play at American Airlines Center on February 7.

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#Winning

Dallas Mavericks hire NCAA champion Dusty May as new head coach

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines has been named the Dallas Mavericks' new head coach.

The Dallas Mavericks officially announced Dusty May as their new coach just a few hours before entering the NBA draft with the ninth pick on Tuesday night, June 23.

May is making the jump to the NBA less than three months after leading Michigan to its first NCAA championship since 1989. He had a 64-13 record in two years with the Wolverines, including a 34-3 season that ended with a 69-63 victory over UConn in the national title game.

The Mavericks made their choice to replace Jason Kidd official on the same day they could select the next young player who would be part of building around 2025 No. 1 pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who turns 20 in December.

Dallas also has the final pick of the first round at No. 30 and the 48th choice in the second round, which will be held Wednesday.

“Dusty has won at every stage of his career because of his ability to build,” said new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, who let Kidd go about two weeks after getting hired by the Mavericks. “He develops players, creates accountability and brings people together around a shared standard of excellence. His work ethic is extraordinary, and his teams consistently reflect his values.”

May's title with Michigan came three years after he led Florida Atlantic to its only Final Four appearance. The Wolverines won the Big Ten Tournament in his first season after he inherited a team that went 8-24 under Juwan Howard. It was the school’s lowest win total since going 7-20 in 1981-82.

The 49-year-old May’s record in his last four college seasons was 124-26, an .827 winning percentage that was third best in all of major college men’s basketball over that span behind Houston’s Kelvin Sampson (.861) and Duke’s Jon Scheyer (.832). His overall college record is 190-82.

May spent 21 years in the college ranks after the Indiana native first served as a student manager for the Hoosiers and coach Bob Knight while he was in school there from 1996-2000. Florida, UAB and Murray State were among his stops as an assistant before debuting as a head coach with Florida Atlantic in 2018-19.

“This is one of the most respected franchises in professional sports, with passionate fans, a talented roster, and a clear commitment to building a championship organization,” May said.

Moving on from Kidd was the last part of putting the ill-fated Luka Doncic trade behind the Dallas franchise for good.

Nico Harrison, the engineer of the trade that brought the oft-injured Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers, was fired in November after the team started slowly in 2025-26. The Mavericks ended up missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season since reaching the NBA Finals and losing to Boston in five games.

Doncic and Kyrie Irving were the key players in that deep playoff run in 2024, two years after Doncic also reached the Western Conference finals with a mostly different supporting cast.

Irving remains on the roster amid lingering questions about his future after missing all of last season. Irving tore the ACL in his left knee in March of last year, a month after the Doncic trade.

“Dusty represents the type of leader we want guiding this franchise,” Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont said. “He has demonstrated throughout his career that success is built through preparation, character, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”

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