The first full weekend of April will bring the start of outdoor events for the year, which will naturally be greeted by some semi-nasty weather. If you'd rather stay inside, you can see some local theater, a Tony Award winning singer, a Fab Four tribute like no other, a celebrity chef, or one of the biggest gatherings of celebrities Dallas has seen in quite a while.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this holiday weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, April 5
Second Thought Theatre presents Empathitrax
What if repairing a broken relationship was as easy as taking a pill? For one couple, a new drug that allows them to experience exactly what the other is feeling could be their miracle cure. However, complications arise when medical advice is ignored, secrets are revealed, and one person’s struggle with depression threatens to consume two people. Empathitrax will play in Bryant Hall at Kalita Humphreys Theater through April 28.
Friday, April 6
2018 Deep Ellum Arts Festival
The Deep Ellum Arts Festival, celebrating its 24th anniversary, covers six city blocks of Main Street in Dallas’ Entertainment District. Over the course of three days, it features more than 200 juried fine artists, more than 150 performances by bands and solo musicians from all over Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond, and food from dozens of concessionaires and local restaurants. The adult-oriented festival will go on through Sunday.
Fan Expo Dallas
If there is any year to show up for Fan Expo Dallas, it is this year. The three-day pop culture convention at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will be absolutely packed with big name stars, including Ben Affleck, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Momoa, Chuck Norris, Val Kilmer, and many more. Even without last-minute dropout Michael J. Fox, it's a smorgasbord of celebrities you might not see in Dallas again anytime soon. The convention goes on through Sunday.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Sutton Foster
Sutton Foster is almost synonymous with Broadway, as she has won two Tony Awards (for her roles in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes) and starred in many others, including Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, and Shrek the Musical. She will join the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in a celebration of American song and musical showstoppers. There will be three concerts through Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents Rising Excellence
The penultimate performance of the season for Dallas Black Dance Theatre will be Rising Excellence, featuring The Sea Heaven by Takehiro Ueyama of TAKE Dance and Chasing Shadows by Jennifer Archibald of Arch Dance Company. The Sea Heaven blends the powerful athleticism of DBDT: Encore! with the delicate movements of Japanese heritage, while Chasing Shadows explores the relation of shadows with human instincts. There will be two performances — one Friday and one Saturday — at Moody Performance Hall.
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Playing for one night only at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, the show will feature all of the songs from that album, along with other Beatles favorites such as “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “Let It Be,” “Come Together,” “Hey Jude,” and more.
Saturday, April 7
2018 Dallas Book Festival
The Dallas Book Festival is a one-day event at J. Erik Jonsson Central Library that will feature award-winning national and local authors. Among those appearing will be Hillary Jordan, author of the award-winning novel, Mudbound; bestselling Christian fiction writer Lisa Wingate; and Canadian artist and writer Mariko Tamaki. The day will include lectures, panel discussions, readings, book signings, and more.
Kalachandji’s and Crow Collection of Asian Art presents The Festival of Joy
The Festival of Joy is a vibrant celebration of Indian culture and spirituality that will begin with a parade procession from the Dallas Museum of Art to Klyde Warren Park, with hundreds of people pulling a colorful chariot carrying the sacred deities of Jagannatha, Subhadra, and Balarama. The festival will include performances, traditional crafts, vegetarian cooking demonstrations, cultural displays, Indian dress-up, face painting, mehendi (henna tattoos), and more.
Family Gateway presents Day to Play
Family Gateway, a charity that supports children and families affected by homelessness in Dallas, will host its first family fundraiser at Annette Strauss Square. The day will introduce or reinforce the importance of helping others through activities and discoveries geared specifically to children, from lawn games and yoga to live music and crafts.
Prime Social Group presents Breakaway Music Festival
The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving is the first stop for the Breakaway Music Festival, and one of only five dates for the festival in 2018. The one-day festival features a diverse lineup mixing some of the biggest names in hip-hop and EDM, with Lil Dicky, Rich the Kid, Whethan, and YFN Lucci heading the bill. The lineup also features Justin Caruso, Niko X Swae, The Lost Boys, and more.
Sunday, April 8
Williams Sonoma NorthPark Center presents Giada De Laurentiis
If you watch the Food Network regularly, you can't avoid celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, as she stars on no fewer than five separate shows, including Giada at Home, Giada Entertains, and Giada in Italy. That last one is pertinent to her appearance at Williams Sonoma in NorthPark Center on Sunday, as she'll be promoting her new book, Giada's Italy.
Batman, aka Ben Affleck, will be one of a slew of celebrities on hand at Fan Expo Dallas, taking place April 6-8 at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
Donde Los Tacos is now open in Oak Cliff. Photo courtesy of Donde Los Tacos