There's some great stuff going on in and around Dallas this Labor Day weekend, including three music festivals, a one-weekend-only theater event, a different way to enjoy a classic movie, and a huge college football game.
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 30
Uptown Players presents Perfect Arrangement
Uptown Players closes out its two-weekend-only regional premiere of Topher Payne’s Perfect Arrangement, playing through Sunday at Kalita Humphreys Theater. It’s 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover.
Friday, August 31
The Black Academy of Arts and Letters Riverfront Jazz Festival
The 2nd annual Black Academy of Arts and Letters Riverfront Jazz Festival will feature three days of music performances, food, and vendor booths. Led by honorary chair and performer Erykah Badu, the festival, taking place through Sunday, will feature performances by Bobby Rush, Lalah Hathaway, Tito Puente, Jr., Julio Iglesias, Jr., Kenny Lattimore, Malik Woods, and many others. Each night will feature post-event parties at nearby hotels.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Jurassic Park
If you've been as disappointed in the Jurassic World movies as I have, this is a great chance to enjoy the movie that started the franchise in a unique setting. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Steven Spielberg’s thrilling dinosaur adventure will be shown in HD with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performing the celebrated score by John Williams. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.
Dallas Theater Center presents The Winter's Tale
The Winter’s Tale brings Shakespeare’s tale of mystery and magic to life as never before. Featuring Public Works Dallas’ signature blend of professional actors, community members, and special guests, this musical adaption will explode with authentic performances that come together to tell Shakespeare’s beloved fable of hard-won joy and the promise of renewal. There will be five performances through Sunday at Wyly Theatre.
Saturday, September 1
AdvoCare Champions Festival
The inaugural AdvoCare Champions Festival, preceding the AdvoCare Classic on Sunday, will be an entire day devoted to “Celebrating our Champions.” Teams from each branch of the U.S. military, first responders, and teams representing LSU, Miami, and AdvoCare will compete in a grueling 5K obstacle course. That will be followed by a music festival featuring performances by Fastball, Nate Kenyon, Medicine Man Revival, Kirk Thurmond, and more. The event will be at Viridian in Arlington.
Music Fest at Southfork Ranch
The inaugural Music Fest at Southfork Ranch in Parker will feature some big names in adult contemporary, country, jazz, and soul, including David Sanborn, Spyro Gyra, The Temptations, The Whispers, Peter White, Norman Brown, Najee, and many more. The event will also include food, arts and crafts exhibitors, and collectible official festival souvenirs.
Sunday, September 2
Dallas Museum of Art presents "Fine Lands" closing day
Mexican artist Minerva Cuevas' first U.S. solo museum presentation, "Fine Lands," comes to a close on Sunday at the Dallas Museum of Art. Her site-specific mural, which fills both the walls and the ceiling of the Museum’s main thoroughfare, engages directly with the history of Dallas. It is a panorama of the city told from the perspective of indigenous wildlife. Merging industrial and natural landscapes, the work encompasses themes as diverse as the militarization of civilian culture, pollution, and migration.
AdvoCare Classic: LSU vs. Miami
In one of the final games of the first big weekend of the college football season, the No. 25 LSU Tigers will face off against the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes at AT&T Stadium. It's an odd match-up for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but given the history of the two teams, one that's sure to be popular nonetheless. The teams have played each other 12 times over the years, most recently in the 2005 Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
Erykah Badu will be one of the performers at Black Academy of Arts and Letters Riverfront Jazz Festival, taking place August 31-September 2.
Amber Barth of Skate VIDA performs after the tree is lit.Photo by Ashley Gongora
The rink will be open through January 5, 2026.Photo by Ashley Gongora
