Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's a relatively light weekend for new events around Dallas, but there are still plenty of interesting choices. They include a competition for young pianists, new local theater, concerts from three legendary singers or bands, the annual Dallas Pride celebration, a festival honoring volunteers, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, May 30

Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival
The Second Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival will feature 23 young pianists competing for the title. Taking place through June 8, early rounds will be at Caruth Auditorium on the SMU campus, with the final round concert taking place at Meyerson Symphony Center. The festival will also feature a variety of free events, starting with a concert at Klyde Warren Park on Thursday.

The Classics Theatre Project presents Summer and Smoke
One of Tennessee Williams’ most subtle and tender works, Summer and Smoke explores the conflict between the hedonistic body and the lofty spirit. Set in Mississippi, Alma Winemiller, the minister’s daughter, has grown up loving the boy who lives next door. John Buchanan, the doctor’s son, is a wild, adventurous, mischievous pleasure seeker. The romance that almost blooms between the two of them is among the most engaging and heartbreaking love stories in Williams’ canon. The production will run at Margo Jones Theatre at Magnolia Lounge through June 22.

Friday, May 31

Judas Priest in concert with Uriah Heep
The list of bands still going strong after more than 40 years on the scene is very small. Judas Priest debuted in 1974 with Rocka Rolla, and they've rarely gone more than four years between albums ever since. They'll play at the Bomb Factory in support of their latest album, 2018's Firepower, their highest-charting album ever. They'll be joined by opening act Uriah Heep.

Saturday, June 1

Crow Museum of Asian Art presents Master Shen-Long: "Future Retrospective" opening day
The Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas will open "Future Retrospective: Master Shen-Long." Boasting items never before seen in a U.S. museum, it will feature sculptural and dynamic works dating from the 1980s to the present, offering visitors an immersive installation to explore and experience the artist’s practice. The exhibit will remain on display through August 23, 2020.

Dallas Pride Weekend
Dallas Pride Weekend, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, includes a festival featuring music, community and merchant vendor booths, pet adoptions, live entertainment, and more at Fair Park on Saturday. That will be followed by the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade on Sunday, which will wind through the Fair Park grounds with parade announcers, and food and beverage along the route.

VolunteerNow presents Voly in the Park
VolunteerNow will bring to life its innovative volunteer-matching platform VOLY.org at the sixth annual Voly in the Park. Taking place at Klyde Warren Park, the event will feature an afternoon of hands-on volunteer projects, live entertainment, and 75 nonprofits in need of volunteers. Attendees can connect with nonprofits, play tic tac toe with the Ronald McDonald House, meeting some of Equest’s mini horses, and more.

TITAS presents Command Performance
Command Performance always delivers one of the most exciting performances of the year. It features artists from leading dance companies delivering spectacular, surprising, and jaw-dropping performances. Taking place at Winspear Opera House, it includes works created specifically for this gala performance by some of the world’s leading choreographers, such as Twyla Tharp, Jessica Lang, Bridget L. Moore, and Wang Yuanyuan.

Joe Jackson in concert
Another musician who's been at it for a long time, Joe Jackson, will bring his Four Decade Tour to Majestic Theatre. Jackson will draw on five of his albums, each representing a decade: Look Sharp (1979), Night and Day (1982), Laughter and Lust (1991), Rain (2008), and his new album, Fool (2019). The concert will include a couple of songs from other albums and some new covers.

Sunday, June 2

An Acoustic Evening with John Hiatt
The weekend closes with yet another legendary musician making his return to Dallas. John Hiatt also released his debut album in 1974, and he has been extremely busy ever since, releasing 24 albums in 45 years, including 2018's The Eclipse Sessions. This concert at The Bomb Factory will be a special acoustic one featuring songs from throughout his illustrious career.

TITAS presents Command Performance at Winspear Opera House on June 1.

Photo courtesy of AT&T Performing Arts Center

TITAS presents Command Performance at Winspear Opera House on June 1.

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Racket sports

Trendy Austin padel club Padel39 lobs first DFW location into Carrollton

Photo by Juan J Valdes

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A popular padel club from Austin is serving up its first location in Dallas-Fort Worth: Padel39 has purchased and taken over the existing Dallas Padel Club, at 3000 Belmeade Dr.

According to a release, multimillion-dollar renovations are underway and are expected to be complete by summer 2026. The revamp includes:

Seven new outdoor courts are being added to the current three indoor courts (with completion expected by March 2026).
Full food and beverage capabilities for a premium sports bar that is open to the public.
A fitness area for members that is affiliated with HYROX, recovery areas, wellness facilities (sauna, cold plunge, etc.), upscale locker rooms.
Upscale lounging and coworking space.

For those not up on their racket sports, padel is a cousin of pickleball, tennis, and racquetball. The sport has been wildly popular in Spain and Latin America for decades and is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. Like pickleball, it's a doubles game played on a small court, and players hit off glass walls.

Padel was invented in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera; Padel39 bears the first two numbers of all Acapulco ZIP Codes.

Padel39 co-founders Will and Naomi Boyce.Photo by Juan J Valdes

The company was founded in 2024 by husband-and-wife William Boyce and Naomi Boyce; William played tennis for the University of Texas at Austin.

Padel39 currently has two locations in Austin, with a third opening in March. They say they aim to open 12 to 15 Padel39 clubs in Austin, Dallas, and Houston by 2028. After Carrollton, a location will open in central Dallas in late 2026/early 2027, they say.

“We currently introduce 200+ new players to the sport each month, while maintaining a core group of repeat clients who return for the fitness, competition and vibrant community,” William Boyce says in the release. “Each new location fulfills our vision to put Padel39 and Texas at the epicenter of the padel community.”

In addition to offering courts to play on, Padel39 features on-court programming, tournaments, social events, and physical wellness opportunities such as courtside Pilates and morning yoga.

Padel39 Padel39 courts and lounge areas at a location in Austin. Photo by Josh Graziadei

While Padel39 offers memberships, all guests are welcome to play, they say. According to the website, each club is priced differently. At the flagship location in Austin, Padel39 memberships start at $89 per month or $890 per year, but players can also rent courts as needed for 90 minutes at $30.

“We set out to create a modern take on a country club; a place where members and guests could ‘play and stay,’” Boyce says. “We’ve built that and more. We work to improve the experience for our guests each day.”

Outdoor construction on the Carrollton club is expected to be completed by March. Indoor food and beverage, fitness and lounging renovations will be finished by summer, they say. The club will remain open during renovations.

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