Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's a festival kind of weekend in and around Dallas, with one film festival, two music festivals, and a dance festival offering up great entertainment. You can also see new Halloween events, two legendary music acts, a fantastic comedian, a homegrown singer made big, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend.

Thursday, September 30

Dallas VideoFest presents Docufest+
Docufest+ will serve as the final event ever for Dallas VideoFest, the longest running independent film festival in Dallas. The festival, running through Sunday at Angelika Film Center in Dallas, will feature a lineup of independent documentaries from Texas filmmakers and beyond, including On the Divide, a portrait of three key players in the abortion battle in McAllen, Texas, and Socks on Fire, poet Bo McGuire’s cinematic love letter to his grandmother.

More Halloween events
Last weekend was the start of most Halloween events in the Dallas area, but two more will join in on the fun this weekend. Starting Thursday is Frights 'n Lights at Riders Field in Frisco, an adventure trail lined with thousands of shining jack-o-lanterns, intricately carved in the shape of different fictional and real-life people. It will be open on weekends through November 6. The Parker House in Denton is another haunted attraction, featuring two different houses to scare the wits out of visitors. It will be open through October 31.

Crystal Gayle in concert
Country singer Crystal Gayle has been a big name in the country genre for over 40 years, scoring 16 No. 1 hits over the years, most notably 1977's iconic "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." Even though her heyday ended in the late 1980s, she's maintained a presence thanks to those great songs and the occasional new release, including 2019's You Don't Know Me: Classic Country. She'll perform at Arlington Music Hall.

America in concert
The year 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of perennial classic rock band, America. Founding members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell (along with former bandmate Dan Peek) met in high school in London in the late 1960s and quickly harmonized their way to the top of the charts on the strength of their signature song, "A Horse With No Name." They'll play this special concert at Annette Strauss Square.

Friday, October 1

Denton Arts & Jazz Festival
The annual Denton Arts & Jazz Festival will return after a one-year break, featuring performers on six outdoor stages and one indoor stage, as well as roving musicians. The festival, taking place through Sunday at Quakertown Park in Denton, will also include arts, a children’s art area, various activities, and food.

Ramblin' Roads Music Festival
The Ramblin' Roads Music Festival will take over the city of Arlington, taking place just about everywhere there's a stage in the city, including Levitt Pavilion, Arlington Music Hall, Texas Live, and more than 15 other venues. Performers will include Chromeo, William Clark Green, Mike Ryan, Bobby Pulido, Jamestown Revival, Monica Saldivar, Gene Watson, Tatiana Mayfield, and more. The festival takes place through Sunday.

Brian Regan in concert
Setting a comedic standard of excellence that others continually try to follow, Brian Regan is a unique comedian who is relatable to generations of fans and revered by comedians as the best in the business. Known as a "clean" yet hilarious comedian, his comedy can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. He'll perform at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents 16th Annual DanceAfrica
Dallas Black Dance Theatre celebrates the rich heritage and ancestry of Africa with the 16th Annual DanceAfrica performances at Moody Performance Hall on Friday and Saturday, featuring guest artists Bandan Koro African Drum and Dance Ensemble and the DeSoto High School A Cappella Choir. The event also includes the free Saturday daytime DanceAfrica Festival & Marketplace, which fills Klyde Warren Park with performances, food, fun, and vendors.

Saturday, October 2

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Philharmonia Fantastique
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra, an animated film that flies through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology. Guided by a magical sprite, the audience will see violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drum heads resonate. The kid-friendly event will take place at Meyerson Symphony Center.

St. Vincent in concert
Dallas can claim musician and songwriter Annie Clark — aka St. Vincent — as its own, as she spent her formative years here and was once a member of The Polyphonic Spree. One of the most distinctive artistic voices and original guitarists of her generation, she's collaborated with such big names as David Byrne, Taylor Swift, and The Chicks. She'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving in support of her latest album, Daddy's Home.

Sunday, October 3

TLC in concert with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
It's been almost 20 years since Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died in a car crash, and surviving bandmates Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas have kept the TLC name going in a variety of ways, including the 2017 release of their self-titled album. At this concert, they'll celebrate their 1994 breakout album, CrazySexyCool, performing selections from that album and additional hits. They'll be joined by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

St. Vincent will perform at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on October 2.

Photo by Zackery Michael

St. Vincent will perform at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on October 2.

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Books News

Indie Bird's Bookstore to open store & cafe at Preston Royal Dallas

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Brick-and-mortar bookstores continue their thrilling comeback, with a new one coming to a prominent North Dallas corner: Called Bird’s Bookstore, it's an independently-owned store opening in the Preston Royal shopping center at 6025 Royal Ln. #207, in a former massage place next to Eatzi's, where it will debut in August.

Bird's Bookstore promises to be a unique retail destination incorporating elements of Scandinavian, Japanese, and mid-century modern design with books, magazines, and artisanal products.

Owners Drew and Emily Dawson are a young couple inspired by design, history, and travel. Drew previously worked in the nonprofit sector to private equity before pursuing this decade-long dream. Emily is a former graphic designer who founded Emily by Design, a wardrobe consultation company in 2022.

The couple first conceptualized the idea when they began dating 11 years ago while students at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Initially, it was an idea that we wanted to execute towards retirement age,” Drew says. "But as I saw Emily follow her passion and open her own vintage clothing styling business a year and a half ago, I said, 'It's time for me too. I want to follow my passion and open this bookstore.' There's really no time like the present."

Drew estimates that the shop will carry about 3500 adult fiction and nonfiction books at at time, along with 2500 kids and young adult books.

“I like everything,” Drew says. “I like incredibly thick history books, memoirs, biographies, horror — all of it. We’ll be selling everything, including self-help and kids' books, since the area has a ton of families, and Emily and I have our own little one on the way."

Emily and Drew DawsonCourtesy

While Drew handles the bulk of the book selection, Emily will oversee coffee table books, design books, and magazines.

“We're going to have a strong selection of about 20 magazines covering the design and creative fashion industries, like Neptune, The Gentlewoman, and L’Etiquette," Emily says. "I'm anticipating there will be a draw for that because — other than certain shops in New York — there's not a place where you can buy these titles in person."

Bird’s will also sell stationery and paper goods from European and Japanese vendors, as well as plates and bowls from Marcello Ortega of Marcello Andres Ceramics.

The store will also house a small cafe serving coffee from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and baked goods from acclaimed Bresnan Bread and Pastry in McKinney.

The couple keep their eyes on current reading trends, using sites like TikTok’s “BookTok” community, as well as literary social media outlets like Goodreads. Emily credits these platforms — as well as book clubs by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Jenna Bush Hager — for keeping bookstores alive.

Dallas-Fort Worth is witnessing a small independent bookstore revival with Interabang Books nearby, plus Wild Detectives and Poets Bookshop, which just opened a second outpost in Deep Ellum.

With the opening of Bird’s Bookstore, they hope to not only cultivate a space for those passionate about books, but also eliminate the burnout that comes from being attached to screens all day.

“I think there's a fatigue of everything being online,” says Emily. “And I think there's a yearning for a community space that is beautiful, and feels like a second home — a place where you can get amazing customer service. We're excited to hopefully be that place for some people.”

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