Getting out and about in Dallas this weekend all depends on the flexibility of your schedule. Several events starting Thursday allow you to pick and choose what day is best for you to attend, while the ones taking place Friday through Sunday require a commitment for a one-time-only experience.
Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, November 12
2015 Stars & Stripes Film Festival
Timed for just after Veterans Day, this film festival is special in that it shows war-based movies and brings in veterans of those wars to speak about their experiences. Among the films being shown during the four-day fest, taking place at Angelika Film Center Dallas, will be Zero Dark Thirty, Last Days in Vietnam, The Windtalkers, and In Defense of Freedom: The Korean War.
2015 Elm Street Music & Tattoo Festival
Unlike last year's edition, which was spread over multiple venues, the 2015 Elm Street Music & Tattoo Festival will be centrally located at the Bomb Factory. Taking place every night through Sunday, it will feature 40 tattooers doing what they do best and more than 30 bands, including The Reverend Horton Heat, Leftover Crack, Agnostic Front, The Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx, and The Briefs.
Peter Pan 360
Fly to Neverland in a whole new way with this innovative live stage production of Peter Pan in the Threesixty Theatre, a state-of-the-art, 100-foot high, climate-controlled tent that's been erected in the Dallas Arts District. The production combines intimate theater-in-the-round, overhead surround CGI projection, and actors in flying sequences 40 feet in the air for a unique experience. It will run through December 6.
Friday, November 13
An Evening with Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis is as ubiquitous a food celebrity as there is these days, thanks to her multiple TV shows, eponymous online magazine, and seven — count 'em, seven — books. De Laurentiis comes to the Majestic Theatre to talk about her latest cookbook, Happy Cooking, and take questions from the audience.
Chance the Rapper in concert
If you don't know Chance the Rapper yet, chances are you soon will. Although he has yet to release his own full album, he's put out several acclaimed EPs in recent years and was heavily involved in Surf, the debut album from The Social Experiment. He's also doing a secret project with late night host Stephen Colbert, which intrigues on multiple levels. He'll perform at South Side Ballroom alongside D.R.A.M., Towkio, and Metro Boomin.
Saturday, November 14
Art Con 11
The annual Art Con is way to indulge in the local arts scene while also actively helping it out. More than 150 local artists have been challenged to stretch their talents to create a piece of collectible art within 24 hours on a piece of signature Art Con 18 x 18 board. Those works will be auctioned off during the evening, with proceeds going to support Make Art with Purpose.
Leon Bridges in concert with Wesley Geiger & The Texas Gentlemen
Another up-and-coming musician with whom you should be acquainted is Leon Bridges, a Fort Worth native who's hit the big time in a matter of months. A mere five months ago, Bridges was playing small local joints like the Scat Jazz Lounge; now he's headlining at the Majestic Theatre thanks to his breakout debut album, Coming Home. He'll be joined by Wesley Geiger & The Texas Gentlemen.
Eisemann Center presents An Evening with Molly Ringwald
The name Molly Ringwald brings up a lot of images, mostly from her string of hit movies in the 1980s (one of which, The Breakfast Club, will be screened at the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson with her in attendance on Friday). But this evening at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts will be a concert showcasing Ringwald's skills as a jazz vocalist, something she's pursued in earnest since 2013.
Sunday, November 15
Evanescence in concert
The band Evanescence rose to fame in the early 2000s thanks to songs like "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal." Unlike other bands who have jettisoned their lead singers and continued onward, vocalist Amy Lee is all that remains from the original lineup. The mostly new band will perform at South Side Ballroom as part of their first tour in three years.
Zero Dark Thirty will be among the films shown at the 2015 Stars & Stripes Film Festival, playing through November 15 at Angelika Film Center Dallas.
Scarborough Renaissance Festival takes place every Friday-Sunday through May 25 in Waxahachie. Photo courtesy of Scarborough Renaissance Festival 
Festival of Joy returns to Klyde Warren Park. Photo courtesy of Festival of Joy 
Lone Star Smokeout Bbq & Country Music Festival will be at AT&T Stadium. Photo courtesy of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants 
Two guests at The Other Art Fair review a collection of curated works $500 and under. The Other Art Fair 