Venue News

Mark Cuban venue in Dallas' Design District gears up for opening at last

Courtesy rendering

A Dallas performance venue is at last nearing its debut: Called The Echo Lounge & Music Hall, it's the Design District venue from Mark Cuban, located at 1323 N. Stemmons Fwy., and has an opening date and lineup of shows.

The venue was developed in partnership with Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks and is described as a 1,000-capacity club that will feature touring artists and local acts.

"The Echo Lounge & Music Hall is going to be a great new venue for artists to play in Dallas," says Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino in a statement. "There's lots of opportunity to bring more concerts to the city, and we really value having the hometown partnership with Mark Cuban and the Mavericks in creating this space."

"I'm super excited for the opening of the Echo Lounge & Music Hall," Cuban says. "This takes the Design District to the next level in its move towards being an entertainment destination. And, with the tunnel between the American Airlines Center side and Design District side of the highway being finished, it will be an exciting post game place to have fun and see live shows!"

Echo Lounge seems to be a new identity for what was originally to be called HiFi Dallas, which was first announced in January 2020. At that time, HiFi Dallas was a "small- to mid-sized venue with a capacity of 1,000" which is exactly how they are now describing Echo Lounge. Originally, Echo Lounge was going to be the name for a space on the second floor dedicated to VIPs, artist showcases, and DJs — a space that still seems to be in the works, but not with a separate name.

The name change seems to be fairly new. As recently as July 2021, it was still being called HiFi and was anticipated to open on August 29. On August 25, that date got pushed back "due to construction delays," and scheduled shows were moved to other venues such as the Southside Ballroom. The HiFi Dallas website and Facebook page are both gone. There's still a HiFi Twitter, but it links to a Live Nation page for the Echo Lounge. The plot thickens. Well, actually no, the plot thins out.

Live Nation did not respond to repeated inquiries regarding the name change. UPDATE 10-21-2021: A spokesperson confirmed that "the concept is now The Echo Lounge & Music Hall."

Acts slated to perform at Echo Lounge include:

11/1/2021 - KXT 91.7 Presents Mayer Hawthorne with India Shawn
11/3/2021 - Jeremy Zucker with Del Water Gap
11/6/2021 - Madison Beer with Maggie Lindemann and Audriix
11/10/2021 - Sleepy Hallow with Eli Fross
11/12/2021 - 100 gecs with Underscores (SOLD OUT)
11/13/2021 - An Evening With Goose (SOLD OUT)
11/19/2021 - Cory and the Wongnotes featuring Antwaun Stanley
11/28/2021 - CloZee with Of The Trees and Tripp St. (18+)
12/3/2021 - Boombox Cartel with Great Dane, Rossy and Suahn (18+)
12/16/2021 - Pink Sweat$ with Kirby and Bren Joy
12/17/2021 - The Glitch Mob + edIT
12/18/2021 - The Aces with The Beaches and Sawyer
1/9/2022 - Mother Mother (SOLD OUT)
2/18/2022 - Cheat Codes with Party Pupils and Zack Martino (18+)
3/9/2022 – Fletcher
3/11/2022 - Eric Nam
3/23/2022 - Tate McRae (SOLD OUT)
3/25/2022 - Enter Shikari with Wargasm
4/18/2022 - Ashe (SOLD OUT)

music concerts

Turn Cancer Upside Down

Figure skating legend Scott Hamilton brings holiday ice show to DFW

Scott Hamilton & Friends Benefiting The Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Scott Hamilton will emcee the ice show.

Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater known for his signature backflip, is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth for a holiday ice show and "Frozen 5K" fundraising mega-event.

The fundraiser portion ties into Hamilton's public battle with testicular cancer in the 1990s, which led him to found the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation in 2014. The nonprofit's mission is to fund innovative, patient-centered, targeted treatments that fight cancer while preserving quality of life.

One of its fundraising events is the Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer ice shows, which bring Hamilton and other world-class athletes to rinks around the country.

NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills is hosting a holiday version on Saturday, December 20 at 7 pm, where Hamilton will emcee and Olympians Mariah Bell, Ashley Cain, and Polina Edmunds will perform.

Tickets range from $32.75 to $79, with proceeds benefiting UT Southwestern Medical Center in addition to the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation.

Mariah Bell, figure skating, Olympian Figure skater Mariah Bell. Getty Images

"This isn’t just an ice show - it’s a celebration of hope, resilience, and community," the city of North Richland Hills says in a Facebook post. "Expect breathtaking performances, holiday cheer, and the chance to see world-class athletes light up the ice, all while supporting a cause that will touch so many."

If you'd like to get out on the ice yourself, you can register for the Frozen 5K on December 21 and skate 35 laps to honor and remember those impacted by cancer. The $35 registration fee includes a T-shirt, or you can donate extra to receive other Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer swag.

DFW-only fundraising incentives include an autographed program ($500), a VIP meet-and-greet plus autographed program ($1,000), or the chance to perform at the holiday ice show (top fundraisers only — see more info here). Better start stretching.

It's the perfect time for Hamilton to bring his ice show to North Texas. Ice rinks are a huge holiday trend for 2025, with kids of all ages gliding and spinning on special pop-up rinks from Grapevine to Garland to the all-new CultureMap City Rink in downtown Dallas.

scott hamilton cancer research fundraising olympians mariah bell ashley cain polina edmunds scott hamilton cares foundation ska8 to elimin8 cancer frozen 5k ice skating city rink