Weekend Event Planner

These are the 8 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It feels like the theme of the first full weekend in May is philanthropy and fun. Among the events in which you can partake are fundraisers for a theater company, education group, and lemonade makers, as well as a big arts festival, fantastic dancing, and two concerts with recognizable names.

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, May 5

Uptown Players presents 14th Annual Fundraiser: Broadway Our Way
The Uptown divas return for another entertaining weekend of Broadway music with plenty of twists, laughs, and surprises. Playing at Kalita Humphreys Theater through Sunday, the fundraising production will include songs from recent Broadway hits and revivals such as Motown the Musical, First Date, Kinky Boots, and Beautiful, as well as classic favorites like Cabaret, Funny Girl, Sweet Charity, Chicago, The Life, and Guys and Dolls.

Friday, May 6

Big Thought presents Big Night
The inaugural Big Night is a casual, adults-only evening under the stars at the Trinity River Audubon Center that benefits education nonprofit Big Thought. The event features live music by Paradise In the Sun, craft beer and wine, gourmet tapas, a s'mores bar, a student art exhibition, and a 90-minute bird show that includes audience interaction.

Texas Ballet Theater presents First Looks
Texas Ballet Theater's 2015-2016 season comes to a close with First Looks, featuring a trio of performances. Running through Sunday at Dallas City Performance Hall, it will include Without Borders, a world premiere by Val Caniparoli; Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16; and Voluntaries by American choreographer Glen Tetley.

Saturday, May 7

2016 Lemonade Day
On the annual Lemonade Day, kids will have lemonade stands set up all over Dallas and the surrounding area to learn about being an entrepreneur. Some of the larger areas around Dallas that will have stands set up are Highland Park Village and Preston Hollow Village. You can see every Lemonade Day location via this handy map.

Swiss Avenue Historic District Mother's Day Home Tour
Swiss Avenue in Dallas stands as one of the finest examples of an early 20th century neighborhood in the entire Southwest. Its eclectic mix of homes represents virtually every popular residential design style of the day. The weekend-long festivities include a vintage auto exhibit, children's area, live music, and an art fair. For a special treat, enjoy Mother's Day brunch in Savage Park with an advance reservation.

2016 Cottonwood Art Festival
Now in its 47th year, the semi-annual Cottonwood Art Festival is a juried show featuring over 240 artists exhibiting their museum-quality work in 14 different categories. The festival, taking place Saturday and Sunday at Cottonwood Park in Richardson, also features a variety of local bands and other fun activities.

Sunday, May 8

Kris Allen in concert with Luke Wade
Veterans of TV music competitions will collide at The Kessler on Sunday when Kris Allen, winner of season 8 of American Idol, and Luke Wade, who made the quarterfinals of season 7 of The Voice, will perform. Allen is touring in support of his new album, Letting You In, while Wade, who calls Fort Worth home, will soon release a new EP.

Paul Simon in concert
With icons like David Bowie, Merle Haggard, and Prince dying in 2016, we need to appreciate our music legends when they come to town. The 74-year-old (!) Paul Simon is still putting out great work, including the forthcoming album Stranger to Stranger, which makes him even more of a treasure. He will play at Winspear Opera House.

Music legend Paul Simon will play at Winspear Opera House on May 8.

Paul Simon/Facebook

Music legend Paul Simon will play at Winspear Opera House on May 8.

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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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