Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

There is a lot going on in and around Dallas this weekend, and the variety is so much that you can do something different and cool every day. The events include a chance to tour some really old airplanes, a thoroughly unique theater experience, a music festival featuring a TV star as a headliner, an honoring of a master filmmaker, and science on display right in front of your eyes.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, March 23

Frontiers of Flight Museum presents Wings of Freedom Tour 2017
The annual Wings of Freedom Tour is a rare opportunity to tour inside and out and fly on World War II aircraft like the Boeing B-17G “Flying Fortress” Nine-O-Nine, Consolidated B-24J “Liberator” Witchcraft, North American B-25J “Mitchell” Tondelayo, and North American TF-51D “Mustang” Toulouse Nuts. The tour is at the Frontiers of Flight Museum through Sunday.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Robot Planet Rising: An Intergalactic Nemesis Live-Action Graphic Novel
In Robot Planet Rising: An Intergalactic Nemesis Live-Action Graphic Novel, a sequel to The Intergalactic Nemesis: Target Earth, three actors voice the dozens of characters, a Foley artist creates all the sound effects, and a pianist plays a cinematic score while more than 1,250 individual full-color hi-res comic book panels tell a hilarious sci-fi adventure story visually from an enormous movie screen. There are three performances at Wyly Theatre through Saturday.

NPR presents Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!
Now in its 20th season, Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! is National Public Radio’s Peabody Award-winning quiz show in which host Peter Sagal leads a rotating panel of comedians, humorists and journalists, listener contestants, and celebrity guests through a comic review of the week’s news. Panelists for the show are Paula Poundstone, Roxanne Roberts, and Peter Grosz, and singer Charley Pride participates in the "Not My Job" segment. The show takes place at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

A Dallas Retrospective: JR Ewing Bourbon presents Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy
At this special event at Winspear Opera House, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy, two legendary icons from the television series Dallas, discuss their careers, inside stories, and the effect the popular television show had on the Dallas community and the world. The event, sponsored by JR Ewing Bourbon, is moderated by Dallas Morning News city columnist Robert Wilonsky.

Louie Anderson in concert
Iconic comedian Louie Anderson is one of the country's most recognized and adored comics, named by Comedy Central as "One of 100 Greatest Stand-up Comedians of All Time." His career has received a recent bump after he was cast to co-star along with Zach Galifianakis and Martha Kelly in the FX series Baskets, playing Christine Baskets, the matriarch of the Baskets clan. He performs at Granada Theater.

Friday, March 24

Toyota Texas Music Revolution 21
Country music star Kacey Musgraves and actor-turned-singer Kiefer Sutherland headline Toyota Texas Music Revolution 21 at Oak Point Park and Preserve in Plano. The two-day festival also features performances by Josh Ritter, Zane Williams, Castro the Band, The O’s, Red Shahan, Pail Cauthen, Kevin Deal, Austin Cunningham, 1100 Springs, Tejas Brothers, Max Stalling, Vandoliers, The Birddogs, and Buffalo Ruckus.

So What?! Music Festival
The 10th anniversary celebration of So What?! Music Festival takes over multiple venues in Deep Ellum on Friday, followed by two more days of music at AirHogs Stadium in Grand Prairie. Expect lots of 10-year album celebrations from bands like Mayday Parade, Envy on the Coast, Forever the Sickest Kids, Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, and We the Kings. The festival features performances from more than 100 bands on multiple stages, and it includes an array of musical acts including rock, metal, folk, dance, pop, and pop-punk.

Saturday, March 25

American Heart Association presents BeautyKind Unites Concert
The BeautyKind Unites Concert, benefiting the American Heart Association, is a chance for the audience to raise its voice; help build a community movement to change health disparities in the community; and sing along with music stars like Demi Lovato, Jake Owen, the Band Perry, Cole Swindell, and stroke survivor Randy Travis. The event takes place at AT&T Stadium.

Texas Theatre and USA Film Festival present An Evening with Whit Stillman
Writer/director Whit Stillman is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for movies like Metropolitan and Damsels in Distress. The Texas Theatre and the USA Film Festival in Dallas are honoring Stillman in conjunction with a double feature of two of his best-loved films, Love & Friendship and The Last Days of Disco. The evening includes screenings of both films and an on-stage Q&A session with Stillman.

Sunday, March 26

Brain Candy Live!
Adam Savage and Michael Stevens present Brain Candy Live!, a one-of-a-kind interactive, hands-on, minds-on theatrical experience. The master explainers bring along crazy toys, incredible tools, and mind-blowing demonstrations for a celebration of curiosity at Majestic Theatre. Members of the audience act as both test subjects and participants as they spend two hours laughing, learning, and exploring during a theatrical experience like no other.

Demi Lovato is one of the performers at the BeautyKind Unites Concert at AT&T Stadium on March 25.

Photo by Michelle Watson/Catchlight Group

Demi Lovato is one of the performers at the BeautyKind Unites Concert at AT&T Stadium on March 25.

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Big Tex Wrap-Up

State Fair of Texas bounces back with 2.1 million attendees in 2026

Crowds around Big Tex at 2026 State Fair of Texas

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

Almost 2.1 people attended the 2026 State Fair of Texas, up from 2025.

After experiencing its lowest total attendance numbers in seven years in 2025, the State Fair of Texas bounced back in 2026, welcoming nearly 2.1 million visitors, according to an official release.

That represents a slight bump up from the 2,020,064 that came through the gates in 2025. Both numbers are still down significantly from the highs of 2019 and 2022, when more than 2.5 million people attended the State Fair.

The uptick in attendance could be attributed to the concerted effort to make the Fair more affordable this year, including lowering ticket prices, making games and rides cheaper, expanding days for free student tickets, and offering a free day of parking.

As usual, the busiest day of the State Fair was Saturday, October 10, the date of the annual Texas-Oklahoma football game, with more than 203,000 fairgoers in attendance, including the 92,100 fans in the Cotton Bowl.

The average attendance for the other 23 days of the fair was around 82,500.

“We are grateful to every fairgoer who joined us this year, as well as the team members, vendors, and volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this season possible," said State Fair of Texas President Mitchell Glieber in a statement. "As a nonprofit organization, a successful Fair helps fuel our work throughout the year, and we are proud of the impact we continue to make through agriculture, education, and community.”

Other notable numbers from the 2026 State Fair of Texas include:

An all-new look for Big Tex, standing 55 feet tall, sporting a 95-gallon Resistol cowboy hat, a Cavender’s shirt measuring 245 by 192 inches, Levi’s 501 jeans measuring 380 inches wide by 290 inches long, size 96 Lucchese boots, and a Shiner belt buckle.
The unveiling of an official State of Texas Historical Marker from the Texas Historical Commission for Big Tex, honoring his enduring legacy as a beloved Texas icon and symbol of State Fair tradition.
An estimated 110,655 pounds of food were collected and donated to the North Texas Food Bank.
More than 28,600 members of the military and their families visited the Fair over 24 days, utilizing the special discount offer in gratitude for their service.
Approximately 500,000 prizes, valued at an estimated $1.8 million, were won at the State Fair Midway, enough stuffed animals and prizes to fill approximately 90 semi-trucks.
Approximately 450,000 Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs were enjoyed by fairgoers.
The State Fair of Texas is estimated to generate more than $600 million in economic activity each year, serving as one of the most impactful annual events in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

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