Weekend Event Planner

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

Memorial Day weekend means a lighter load of events in and around Dallas, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do. Among the worthy choices are two national Broadway tours, two more entries in the Soluna Festival, and the annual return of Margaritaville.

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 26

Dallas Summer Musicals presents Ragtime
This musical that takes place at the dawn of a new century, when everything is changing and anything is possible. The production, running through June 5 at Music Hall at Fair Park, tells the stories of an upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant, and a daring young Harlem musician in New York, all of whom are united by their desire and belief in a brighter tomorrow.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents Cabaret
As part of their 50th Anniversary Season, Roundabout Theatre Company will present the national tour of Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall’s Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret. The musical, playing at Winspear Opera House through June 5, features some of the most memorable songs in theater history, including “Cabaret,” “Willkommen,” and “Maybe This Time.”

Friday, May 27

2016 Soluna Festival: Jaap van Zweden Conducts Mahler
One of the main events of the Soluna Festival, this concert highlights Gustav Mahler's Das klagende Lied, an imaginative fairy tale of chivalry and ambition in which two knights vie for the hand of the imperious queen. The concert, which will showcase the entire 175-member symphony, will play twice at Meyerson Symphony Center, once each on Friday and Saturday.

Dallas Wings vs. Atlanta Dream
The Dallas Wings, the area's new WNBA team, continue their inaugural home stand at College Park Center on the UT Arlington campus with a game on Friday against the Atlanta Dream and another on Sunday against the Chicago Sky. Star Skylar Diggins, who's coming off an injury, played limited minutes in the home opener but will hopefully have her role expanded in forthcoming games.

Saturday, May 28

Color Fun Fest 5k & Carnival
At the Color Fun Fest 5K & Carnival, participants are encouraged to wear their whitest running clothes and get ready to be showered with more than 10,000 pounds of color as they navigate the 1.8-mile course. Taking place at Myers Park and Event Center in McKinney, runners have the option of running the course multiple times or choosing between a day or night run; night runners will be showered with glow-in-the-dark colors.

Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band in concert with Jerry Jeff Walker
Jimmy Buffett has managed to maintain an almost godlike level of popularity for more than 40 years, mostly because he's stuck to his escapist roots. He, the Coral Reefer Band, and Texas legend Jerry Jeff Walker will play at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, but everybody knows the real party takes place in the parking lot before, during, and after the concert.

Sunday, May 29

Caliber Collision presents Dallas Memorial March
Every year, the national relay Carry the Load concludes at the Dallas Memorial March at Reverchon Park. The Dallas Memorial March was created as a way to raise awareness for veterans and military families. The 20-hour-and-16-minute family-friendly walk finishes on Monday and is a way to restore the meaning of Memorial Day and support our military heroes.

2016 Soluna Festival: Our Heroes
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present their own Memorial Day tribute with this special concert at Klyde Warren Park. DSO maestro Jaap van Zweden conducts a program with patriotic favorites and beloved classics in honor of Dallas' veterans and first responders.

The Color Fun Fest 5K & Carnival will take place at Myers Park and Event Center in McKinney on May 28.

Photo courtesy of Color Fun Fest

The Color Fun Fest 5K & Carnival will take place at Myers Park and Event Center in McKinney on May 28.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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