With winter (hopefully, fingers crossed) finally behind us, we can thankfully indulge in outdoor events again. This weekend in and around Dallas will include the first festival of the year, as well as an outdoor concert. Indoors will be a fun historical exhibit, an unusual opera, fantastic dancers, two legendary music groups at one concert, a well-known celebrity comedian, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend.

Thursday, March 3

George W. Bush Presidential Center presents "Liberty & Laughter: The Lighter Side of the White House" opening day
This new special exhibit at George W. Bush Presidential Center goes behind the scenes into the lighter side of life in the White House. Entertaining first family anecdotes, interactive multimedia, and amusing artifacts unveil presidential pranks, inside jokes, and more. Revealing how humor has evolved from our Founding Fathers to the present day makes one thing readily apparent — laughter remains vital to a thriving democracy. The exhibition will be on display through December 31.

Friday, March 4

North Texas Irish Festival
The North Texas Irish Festival returns for the first time since 2019, bringing with it music, dance, culture, and excitement to celebrate the rich tradition of Irish and Celtic culture. In celebration of their 40th festival, the event’s theme, "40 Shades of Green," recognizes the rich culture of Irish music and the organic growth of this Irish tradition in North Texas. The family-friendly event features live music, dancing, storytelling, chef demonstrations, and more on multiple stages, both indoors and outdoors, throughout Fair Park. The event goes on through Sunday.

Dallas Opera presents Flight
In Flight, a violent storm has grounded all flights, forcing a group of passengers and crew members to spend the night together in an airport departure lounge. The group gets to know each other very, very well, including a refugee, who’s been living in the airport for almost 20 years, pining for the icy air traffic controller. The opera is based on a real-life story that also inspired Steven Spielberg’s movie The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks. The opera, which will be sung in English with English supertitles, will have four performances through March 12 at Winspear Opera House.

TITAS/Unfiltered presents A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham: An Untitled Love
Bold, refreshing and completely relevant, An Untitled Love is Kyle Abraham’s newest evening-length work. With music by Grammy Award-winning R&B legend D’Angelo, this highly entertaining and captivating work celebrates culture, family, and community. There will be two performances — one Friday and one Saturday — at Moody Performance Hall.

The Temptations and The Four Tops in concert
The Temptations and The Four Tops will co-headline this special concert at The Statler. The Temptations are one of the most significant R&B vocal groups of all time, with songs covered by scores of luminary musicians from Otis Redding and Luther Vandross, to The Rolling Stones and Hall & Oates. The Four Tops have had classic hits like "Baby I Need Your Loving" and "I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)."

Saturday, March 5

Jeff Tweedy in concert
As the founding member and leader of the Grammy Award winning American rock band Wilco, and before that the cofounder of the alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy is one of contemporary music’s most accomplished songwriters, musicians, and performers. He'll play at Majestic Theatre in support of his most recent solo album, 2020's Love Is The King.

Tim Allen in concert
Comedian Tim Allen has rarely been out of spotlight since the start of his first sitcom, Home Improvement, in 1991. In the 30 years since, he's become one of the biggest stars around thanks to indelible roles in The Santa Clause and Toy Story series, a lead role in the cult classic Galaxy Quest, and the sitcom Last Man Standing, which ran for even longer than Home Improvement. He'll get back to his first love, stand-up comedy, with this event at McFarlin Auditorium.

Sunday, March 6

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents esperanza spalding
The Dallas Symphony presents four-time Grammy winner esperanza spalding in a one-night-only performance at Annette Strauss Square. Spalding is an acclaimed bassist and vocalist who has won four Grammy Awards. She has released eight albums in her career, most recently 2021's Songwrights Apothecary Lab. The performance will not feature any members of the DSO.

Dancing with the Stars Live
Dancing with the Stars Live will feature favorite dancers from the hit ABC show, as well as special guest star Kaitlyn Bristowe. The all-new production, taking place at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie, will feature fan-favorite routines from the TV series and new numbers choreographed just for the live audiences. The show will showcase the professional dancers in every type of dance style, ranging from Tango to Foxtrot, Cha-Cha to Waltz, and everything in between.

The North Texas Irish Festival takes place at Fair Park, March 4-6.

  

Photo courtesy of North Texas Irish Festival

The North Texas Irish Festival takes place at Fair Park, March 4-6.