Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While a few Dallas holiday events have already started, this is the weekend when things kick into high gear. In addition to three big new holiday events, there's a major art fair, three new theater productions, great stand-up and improv comedy, a revolutionary breakdance group, and a symphonic Veterans Day celebration (preceded by a slew of deals and discounts being offered to veterans).

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

Thursday, November 11

‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market
‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market, hosted by the Junior League of Collin County, spans over four days and features over 130 merchants with unique holiday and home décor, clothing and accessories, gifts, jewelry, children’s items, gourmet food, and more. The event, taking place at Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Allen through Sunday, raises funds for educational and community projects and programs.

Dallas Art Fair
The Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a rich selection of modern and contemporary artworks presented by leading global and local galleries. The fair, taking place at Fashion Industry Gallery, starts with the Collector Preview for Patron Pass Plus holders on Thursday, followed by main event, taking place Friday through Sunday.

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden presents Holiday at the Arboretum
Holiday at the Arboretum has a new treasure to get visitors in the holiday spirit: the Dazzling Musical Tree, a 50-foot-tall tree animated with more than 42,000 lights that also plays merry holiday tunes. The holiday festival, taking place at the Dallas Arboretum through December 31, also features The Christmas Village, DeGolyer House with The Artistry of the Nativity, and The 12 Days of Christmas.

Rover Dramawerks presents Kosher Lutherans
Rover Dramawerks concludes their 21st season with the comedy Kosher Lutherans by William Missouri Downs. Hanna and Franklyn desperately want to have a child of their own. They meet a young, naïve, pregnant girl from Iowa who offers to let them adopt her out-of-wedlock baby. Just before the adoption papers are signed, they discover she doesn’t know they’re Jewish. In a desperate attempt not to blow the deal, the couple decide to pose as Lutherans to appeal to the girl's apparent Midwestern sensibilities. The production will run through November 20 at Cox Building Playhouse in Plano.

Friday, November 12

Eisemann Center presents Menopause The Musical
Menopause The Musical is a celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived "The Change." Set in a department store, four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain, and much more. The production will have three performances through Saturday at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Patriotic Pops Veterans Day Celebration
Dallas Symphony Orchestra will highlight conductor Jeff Tyzik as part of this uplifting tribute honoring the nation’s men and women in uniform. Patriotic Pops salutes veterans with favorite songs and anthems, and the U.S. Naval Academy will share their internationally acclaimed Glee clubs and their Pipes and Drum Band with Dallas. The concert will have three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

45th Annual Lakewood Home Festival
The 45th Annual Lakewood Home Festival will feature six beautiful homes in the Lakewood area. After the Auction Party on Friday, the festival will take place between 11 am and 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can also participate in The Candlelight Tour on Saturday from 7-9 pm, which offers an intimate setting for guests to sip wine and meet the homeowners. Candlelight Tour tickets include access to the daytime Home Tour, as well.

LIT AF Tour featuring Martin Lawrence
The LIT AF Tour, hosted by Martin Lawrence, will feature performances by some of the top Black comedians touring today. Performers at the event, taking place at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie, will include Rickey Smiley, Hannibal Buress, Donnell Rawlings, DeRay Davis, B. Simone, and Clayton Thomas.

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Rubberband: Ever So Slightly
Founded in 2002 by Victor Quijada, Rubberband has not only redefined breakdance, but it has also opened the way for new creators fascinated by this dance form. Athletic, exciting and inventive, the evening-length work, Ever So Slightly, explores behavioral mechanisms and the reflexes we develop every day dealing with the world around us. There will be one performance Friday and one Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.

Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience
Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books into 70 hilarious minutes. The show, which will have three performances through Saturday at Coppell Arts Center, features all the favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props, and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic.

Saturday, November 13

The Trains at NorthPark
The Trains at NorthPark is the largest miniature train exhibit in Texas with more than 750 railcars. Visitors to the exhibit will experience watching the trains circle 1,600 feet of tracks rolling from coast to coast on a whimsical journey across the United States. The trains travel from the fall foliage of New England to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge with stops along the way in New York, Arizona, Colorado, and more. The exhibit will be open through January 2, 2022 at NorthPark Center.

Whose Live Anyway?
Whose Live Anyway? is 90 minutes of hilarious improvised comedy and song all based on audience suggestions. Cast members Jeff B. Davis, Joel Murray, Ryan Stiles, and Greg Proops put on witty scenes they invent before the audience's eyes. The show, taking place at Majestic Theatre, showcases some of the improv games made famous on the long-running TV show as well as some exciting new ones.

Sunday, November 14

Chvrches in concert
The Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches may seem to have a unpronounceable name (it's actually just a stylized u, not a v), but they've risen above their unique name to deliver some great music. Since their debut, they've released four albums, including the just-released Screen Violence, that have yielded a number of hits like "Leave a Trace" and "Get Out." They'll play at South Side Ballroom.

Holiday at the Arboretum will be at the Dallas Arboretum through January 2, 2022.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum

Holiday at the Arboretum will be at the Dallas Arboretum through January 2, 2022.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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