As May bleeds into June, you'll find more eccentricity in our weekend event planner. All the activities are still worth your while, but they tend to be a bit off the beaten path.
Below are your 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 29
Mockingbird Station presents Summer Luau Pool Party
Summer is almost here, and when it gets hot, there's no better activity than hanging out by the pool. Mockingbird Station is opening up its pool at The Lofts for a Summer Luau Pool Party, complete with free food and drinks, hula girls, music from DJ Blake Ward, and a great view of the sunset from the rooftop deck. Actual swimming is optional.
John Waters: This Filthy World
Writer/director John Waters is responsible for some of the most lurid films in history, like Pink Flamingos and A Dirty Shame. This Filthy World, playing one night only at The Kessler, is a one-man show in which Waters recounts how he got started in the movie business and his dealings with Hollywood.
If that's not enough Waters for you, you can also head to Texas Theatre on Friday night for a screening of Hairspray, complete with pre-screening discussion and contests for dance and costumes. Waters is not scheduled to be there himself, but stranger things have happened.
Friday, May 30
Improv Addison present Rob Schneider
The name Rob Schneider still has a certain cachet in the comedy world despite the fact that Schneider is not quite as prominent as he once was. The former Saturday Night Live cast member has had some ups and downs in both movies and television, a career which he'll likely mine for his stand-up act at Improv Addison through Sunday.
Tune-yards in concert with Sylvan Esso
Tune-yards, or if you want to go with the funky "correct" spelling, tUnE-yArDs, is actually just one person, Merrill Garbus, who uses drum loops and other trickery to put on a memorable show. With opening act Sylvan Esso, she appears at the Granada Theater in support of her third album, Nicki Nack.
Saturday, May 31
Dallas Heritage Village presents Front Porch Showdown
If you love bluegrass music, there is no better place to be this weekend than Dallas Heritage Village for the Front Porch Showdown. Ten bands play for 15 minutes each to prove that they are the bluegrassiest of the bluegrass, with the audience voting for their favorites. The event, which also includes food trucks and arts and crafts, ends with a performance by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Bluegrass Band, who put a bluegrass spin on classic Beatles songs.
Texas Ballet Theater presents Swan Lake
As usual, Texas Ballet Theater has bounced back and forth between Dallas and Fort Worth for the 2013-2014 season, but Fort Worth is the sole beneficiary of the final show, Swan Lake. The classic ballet that tells the tragic story of Odette, a girl turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer, plays at Bass Performance Hall Friday through Sunday.
Sunday, June 1
BFD 2014
The name of this festival at Gexa Energy Pavilion is a pretty big clue as to what kind of music to expect: hard rock, and lots of it. Five Finger Death Punch is the headliner, with Steel Panther, Theory of a Deadman, Hellyeah, Killswitch Engage, Pop Evil, The Pretty Reckless, Tom Keifer of Cinderella and Nothing More rounding out the lineup.
Dallas Museum of Art presents Cities and Cultural Investment: A Snapshot
The Dallas Museum of Art is part of one of the best arts districts in the country, and this free event is a conversation about why it's so important for cities to invest in culture. DMA director Maxwell L. Anderson moderates the discussion, which is the only public event of the ongoing conference of the Association of Art Museum Directors.
Neon Trees in concert with Smallpools and Nightmare & the Cat
Neon Trees have been on an upward trajectory since their debut in 2010, thanks to songs like "Animal" and "Everybody Talks." Still, they have yet to hit the big time, as they play at the House of Blues Dallas in support of their 2014 album, Pop Psychology, with Smallpools and Nightmare & the Cat as opening acts. Catch them now or you'll be swimming with the masses at a bigger venue next year.
Rob Schneider is the headliner at Improv Addison May 30 through June 1.
Crystal Charity Ball 2024 chairman Cheryl Joyner and Richard Joyner.
Photo by Ashley Gongora