Weekend Event Planner

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

This weekend around Dallas is notable for the number of big-name concerts playing on nostalgia. No fewer than four concerts will feature singers or groups who made their names years ago yet still know how to draw a crowd. There will also be a big Broadway musical, a cat film festival, and three great comedy shows.

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, August 22

Dallas VideoFest presents #DVFCatFest
Dallas VideoFest presents CatFest, curated by the annual NY Cat Film Festival. The festival is a philanthropic celebration through film of humankind's relationship with the mysterious felines who share our world. Dallas Pets Alive! will be the event's beneficiary, with 10 percent of the box-office proceeds benefiting their work on behalf of cats and dogs in need of fostering and adopting in Dallas. The event takes place at Texas Theatre.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Broadway Series: Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory … to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. The Broadway musical will play at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.

Marc Maron: Hey, There's More Tour
For more than 20 years, Marc Maron has been writing and performing raw, honest, and thought-provoking comedy. He has appeared on Conan O’Brien's multiple shows more than any other comedian. He starred in his own sitcom, Maron, on IFC, co-stars in GLOW on Netflix, and continues to put out two episodes a week of his podcast, WTF with Marc Maron. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Improv Addison presents Chris Redd
Chris Redd is an actor, writer, standup, sketch, and improv performer who most recently joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. He's appeared in movies like Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping, The House, A Futile and Stupid Gesture opposite Will Forte, and Fat Camp. He's also been on TV shows like Disjointed, Love, and more. He'll perform standup comedy at Improv Addison six times through Sunday.

Mary J. Blige and Nas in concert
Two of hip-hop and R&B’s most legendary artists — Mary J. Blige and Nas — will come to Dallas together for the first time ever. The hit-making heavyweights will be bringing a stacked setlist of songs spanning both of their careers. Blige's most recent album was 2017's Strength of a Woman, while Nas' latest album was 2018's Nasir. The concert will take place at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Friday, August 23

Heart in concert with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Elle King
Classic and modern rock will join forces at Dos Equis Pavilion on Friday night. Heart is primarily known as a '70s and '80s group, but they continue to release new music, including 2016's Beautiful Broken. Joan Jett is also rock royalty for her time with The Runaways and as leader of the Blackhearts for the past 40 years. Elle King hopes to live up to that reputation one day, and she's off to a good start, thanks to songs like "Ex's and Oh's."

Saturday, August 24

The Smashing Pumpkins in concert with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
While both The Smashing Pumpkins and Noel Gallagher (formerly of Oasis) continue to make music, many of their fans likely still love them because of their output in the late '90s/early 2000s, when both were at or near the top of charts. The concert at Dos Equis Pavilion will have the Smashing Pumpkins playing in support of their 2018 album, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun, with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds serving as opening act.

Desus & Mero in concert
If you don't already know who Desus Nice & The Kid Mero are, it's time to catch up, as they are quickly taking over the podcast world and late-night game. The comedians and podcasters are known for their podcast, The Bodega Boys, a late-night show on Viceland, and their new weekly late-night show on Showtime, Desus & Mero. They'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, August 25

TLC, Nelly, and Flo Rida in concert
The weekend will close out with a throwback hip-hop concert featuring TLC, Nelly, and Flo Rida at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. All three groups/artists are mostly working on nostalgia at this point in their careers, as TLC's latest album was 2017's TLC, Nelly's latest album was 2013's M.O., and Flo Rida's latest album was 2012's Wild Ones, although he is scheduled to release a new album later this year.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will play at Winspear Opera House through September 1.

$Ronald Dahl\u2019s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory$

Photo by Joan Marcus

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will play at Winspear Opera House through September 1.

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Rivers wild

Ethan Hawke narrates new documentary that deep-dives into Texas rivers

Cropped still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The Rio Grande is one of the stunning subjects of Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.

One Texas film icon passes the torch to another for a deep dive on Texas' river ecosystems in the upcoming documentary Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers. Matthew McConaughey narrated the original 2022 film, Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Now Ethan Hawke narrates the follow-up, which will be in theaters September 25.

Deep in the Heart 2 is directed by Ben Masters, a nature-obsessed Texan who was born and raised in Amarillo and has followed wildlife around the state and beyond. Working with his crew at Fin & Fur Films, Masters explores the Rio Grande, the Sabine River, and the Neches River, a press release says, coming across otters, turkeys, alligator snapping turtles, and more.

This underwater shot was taken in San Marcos.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The original Deep in the Heart took a broad view of Texas — both its landscapes and their inhabitants — while the "sequel," as the release calls it, specifically highlights water. Conservation is an important angle, and viewers will get a chance to consider how they could connect with and protect the ecosystems on their screens.

"Most of my favorite memories are on Texas Rivers," said Masters in the release. "I grew up on the Canadian, fell in love on the Brazos, got married on the Guadalupe, found adventure on the Rio Grande, and am raising my kids on the Colorado."

The filmmaker says that spending three years filming his natural subjects gave him "a newfound appreciation" for rivers and how distinct they are from one another.

Amazing cinematography was a hallmark of the original film, and the sequel offers more beautiful shots.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

"We spent months filming mountain lions on the Pecos, snapping turtles on the Neches, otters on the Sabine, fatmuckets on the Llano, and whooping cranes in the Guadalupe's Estuary," Masters said. "Editing the majesty of Texas Rivers into 80 minutes was a huge challenge, and I'm just incredibly grateful to work with such a talented team of cinematographers, editors, producers, and musicians."

Hawke, born in Austin and raised in Fort Worth, is known for acting in the Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, the Richard Linklater films Boyhood and Blue Moon, and more. He has taken up causes in environmental advocacy for years and appeared in other ecology-focused films, including the intense fictional First Reformed (2018) and a goofy anti-littering PSA with TxDOT (2023).

Some unexpected guests in the Rio Grande.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The film was made in association with H-E-B, a regular supporter of ecological documentaries and initiatives, and conservation organization Texan by Nature. Other collaborators include producer Josh Winkler, editor Sam Klatt, assistant editor Chet Stefan, and composer Noah Sorota. The musical score is performed by Dallas Chamber Symphony.

animals documentaries ecology ethan hawke film matthew mcconaughey movies nature texas wildlife