Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

UPDATE: The Bulladora Music Experience, which was on this list when it first published, has been canceled due to weather.

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The first weekend in June is deceptively busy around the Dallas area. While we only list 10 events below, many of them include multiple activities that span the spectrum of theater, music, art, movies, television, comic books, and more. In other words, you'll have no trouble finding something to do.

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, June 2

Vitruvian Nights Live Concert Series
Starting Thursday, Vitruvian Park in Addison is hosting a bi-weekly concert series featuring live music; gourmet food trucks; drinks; mobile boutiques, and giveaways from radio stations like 106.1 Kiss FM, 102.1 the Edge, and Lone Star 92.5. Kicking things off is Warehouse, a Dave Matthews Band tribute group.

Audacity Theatre Lab presents 2016 Dallas Solo Fest
The Dallas Solo Fest, presented by Audacity Theatre Lab, features eight one-person shows that include a mix of local and national solo performers. Taking place at Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park through June 12, the purpose of the festival is to celebrate extraordinary solo theater, as well as increase awareness and appreciation for the form in the North Texas area.

Friday, June 3

Soluna Festival finale
The Soluna Festival is coming to a close with three final events. The highlight includes three performances, Friday through Sunday, by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra of Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony, complemented by two performances at Nasher Sculpture Center by artist Mai-Thu Perret: Figures on Thursday and O on Saturday.

Red Bull Global Rallycross Dallas
Completing an exceptionally busy weekend at Fair Park is Red Bull Global Rallycross, which makes a return to the Lone Star State with its inaugural Dallas event. The competition pits star-driven, production-based cars against each other in door-to-door racing featuring dirt, asphalt, and tabletop jumps. There will be racing on both Friday and Saturday.

Fan Expo Dallas
The largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event in Texas, Fan Expo Dallas features a slew of big names from movies, TV, and comics. The three-day festival at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center includes special events like a free presentation with William Shatner, Sci-Fi Speed Dating, a forum with Jay and Silent Bob, and Breakfast with Stan Lee.

WaterTower Theatre presents Outside Mullingar
The latest from WaterTower Theatre is Outside Mullingar, written by Pulitzer-, Oscar-, and Tony Award-winning author John Patrick Shanley. The play is a romance about Anthony and Rosemary, two introverted misfits in rural Ireland. Anthony is oblivious to the longing of his neighbor Rosemary, but when his father threatens to disinherit him, it spurs a delightful tale about love and its many surprises. The production runs through June 26.

R. Kelly in concert
R&B singer R. Kelly has been unapologetic in making his music as sexy as possible, with examples like his biggest hit, "Bump n' Grind," and his 2013 album, Black Panties. The always memorable performer is playing at American Airlines Center in support of his 2015 album, The Buffet.

Saturday, June 4

VolunteerNow presents Voly in the Park 2016
Voly in the Park, a daylong event at Klyde Warren Park, is Dallas’ only volunteerism festival, featuring 75 nonprofit agencies, hands-on volunteer projects, live entertainment, and more than 5,000 attendees. This festival showcases VolunteerNow’s volunteer matching program, Voly.org, an online platform that makes it quick and easy for volunteers to connect with more than 1,000 North Texas nonprofits.

Kenny Chesney in concert with Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen, and Old Dominion
The first big concert of the summer is this monster at AT&T Stadium, featuring country superstar Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen, and Old Dominion. Chesney is touring in support of his forthcoming 2016 album, Some Town Somewhere, while Lambert is still riding high off the success of her 2014 album, Platinum.

Dallas Solo Fest takes place at Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park through June 12.

Photo by Erik Carter

Dallas Solo Fest takes place at Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park through June 12.

theater concerts event-planner races music symphony movies sports

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.

movies film

Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Dallas Solo Fest takes place at Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park through June 12.

Movie Review

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

Michelin-recognized chef brings Korean barbecue to Dallas' Bishop Arts

Massive retail village with restaurant and event barn to debut in Plano

Dallas visionary joins 18 DFW billionaires on new Forbes' richest list