Openings Galore

More than 25 new restaurants and venues are coming to Irving Music Factory

Tori Amos will perform at one of Irving Music Factory's venues in November.

Tori Amos/Facebook

The show is about to go on at the Irving Music Factory, beginning on Labor Day weekend. The 250,000-square-foot entertainment center in the Las Colinas business district will debut with a weekend-long set of shows, then roll out more than 25 restaurants and entertainment venues, culminating in a grand opening celebration December 8-10.

The first venue to open will be The Pavilion, a convertible indoor-outdoor venue with three configurations: an intimate theater option with 2,500 seats; an indoor, upscale arena with seating for 4,000; and an open-air pavilion that seats 8,000.

Inaugural performances will kick off August 31 and September 1 with a sold-out show featuring comedian Dave Chappelle. September 2 is Brad Paisley's Weekend Warrior World Tour 2017, followed by Jeff and Larry's Backyard BBQ on September 3 with Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Eddie Money. The weekend closes out with Lifehouse & Switchfoot: Looking for Summer Tour on September 4.

More concert announcements continue to roll in, including the just-announced date with Tori Amos, who will perform at The Pavilion on November 16 to support a new album out in September called Native Invader. Amos is collaborating with Ticketmaster for a pre-sale initiative using the Verified Fan technology that gives fans optimal access to tickets; find it at toriamos.tmverifiedfan.com.

Some of the 25-plus restaurant and entertainment options scheduled to open include the following, with more to be announced:

Alamo Drafthouse eight-screen movie theater
Bar Louie
Bar Manzanilla
Boi Na Braza Brazilian Steakhouse
Burgerim
C-Bar
Freshii
Gloria’s Latin Cuisine
Grimaldi’s Coal Brick Oven Pizza
Highway 61 South
Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
Martini Ranch
MaxFrut, Texas' First Frozen Whole-Fruit Bar
Nosh & Bottle
Sambuca
TCBY
Texas Jam House & Marketplace
Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill
Top Round Roast Beef
Uncle Gino's Cucina Italiana
Yard House

Every venue will feature custom designed interiors and generous outdoor patios for guests to enjoy their meal under the vast Texas sky. Many will offer private rooms with A/V equipment for business meetings and private parties, and live music throughout the week.

The development revolves around a central town plaza, like a town square, where guests can wander the space freely with food and cold drinks. The plaza is designed with abundant greenery and open spaces that will serve as a community gathering place for city events, live music, fashion shows, and farmers markets.

Figure skating show

Plano's Amber Glenn and more Olympians skate into Allen on 2026 tour

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

undefined

Fresh off the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, some of the best figure skaters in the world, including Plano's Amber Glenn, are coming to Allen on tour this spring.

The 2026 Stars on Ice Tour will stop at Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen on Friday, May 29.

Lucky Allen, which hosted back-to-back Skate America ISU figure skating competitions, in 2023 and 2024 - is the only Texas stop on the 26-city tour.

Besides Glenn, the skaters slated to appear include reigning world champions Ilia Malinin (aka "The Quad God"), Alysa Liu, and ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates, along with world silver medalist Isabeau Levito, former U.S. champion and fan favorite Jason Brown, "and many more elite athletes to be announced soon," says the tour announcement.

figure skating, Ilia Malinin Quad God Ilia Malinin will be on the Stars on Ice Tour. Facebook/ISU

"This spring’s Stars on Ice tour will bring together the very best in the world for an unforgettable, high-energy show filled with artistry, athleticism, and pure magic," the announcement says.

No doubt the Allen arena will be packed with hometowns fans of Glenn, affectionately known as "Ambergers." Glenn hails from neighboring Plano, where her parents live and her father is a longtime police sergeant. Though she moved to Colorado Springs to train in 2022, she still represents the Figure Skating Club of Dallas.

Glenn won her third consecutive U.S. Figure Skating Championships title in record-breaking fashion earlier this month, and is one of the favorites to make the Olympic podium. The Olympic figure skating competition begins with the team event on Friday, February 6.

figure skating, Chock and Bates It could be the last time to Chock and Bates perform, as they're expected to retire after this season. Facebook/ISU

Tickets to Stars on Ice (starting at $49) are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Group seating discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.

According to the tour website, meet-and-greet tickets are already sold out for the Allen show, but customers can sign up for the email list to receive updates.

tours figure skating figure skaters ice rink olympics amber glenn allen sports