Weekend Event Planner

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

While many events in and around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, organizations have adapted to the new world to offer a variety of in-person and virtual events. With Thanksgiving around the corner, this weekend will be the unofficial kickoff of the holiday season, with a variety of holiday-themed events starting up.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While they're not all outside of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, November 12

DIFFA/Dallas’ 25th Annual Holiday Wreath Collection: Home for the Holidays
DIFFA/Dallas’ 25th annual Holiday Wreath Collection, appropriately named Home for the Holidays, will be a reimagined event, featuring the holiday-themed auction taking place over a week. The online event will include some nostalgic-style holiday specials, featuring designer wreath highlights and holiday performances. Additionally, a selection of DIFFA Wreaths will be on display to the public between 3-6 pm daily through Friday at the Tower Club in Downtown Dallas.

43rd Annual Chi Omega Christmas Market
The Chi Omega Christmas Market will transition to a virtual format for the 2020 edition. The virtual market will allow shoppers the ability to participate in the 43-year tradition from the safety of their own homes, shopping from a curated gift guide, and giving back to some of North Texas’ most deserving beneficiaries whose work has not halted during these unprecedented times. The market will continue through November 21.

Junior League of Collin County presents 'Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market
As with many events in 2020, the Junior League of Collin County is bringing the tradition of the ‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market to the community virtually. Visitors are asked to consider a donation in lieu of a ticket to directly to support the projects and initiatives of JLCC. They can also purchase raffle tickets to win signature items and participate in the online Silent Auction on November 14. The event will continue through Sunday.

Nasher Sculpture Center presents Giovanni Valderas: "Grit/Grind" opening day
The Nasher Sculpture Center will present the second exhibition for Nasher Public in the Nasher Store gallery, "Grit/Grind" by Dallas-born artist Giovanni Valderas. The exhibition takes its point of departure from the American dream of freedom, mobility, and success that owning a car has traditionally represented. Valderas will place a single object in the gallery — a large, brightly colored piñata he created as a full-scale replica of the 1986 Nissan Sentra that was the first car his Guatemalan mother bought and in which she learned to drive. The exhibition will remain on view through December 6.

Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival
The Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival will virtually present its films across two states – Minnesota and Texas – for the first time in the film festival’s history. The film lineup for the 21st annual film festival will feature Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal as the Opening Night selection; Frank Marshall’s highly anticipated documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart as the Centerpiece film; and Alex Winter’s Zappa as the Closing Night selection. The festival takes place through Sunday.

Radiance! A Holiday Light Spectacular
This new holiday event, taking place at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, is more than a mile long and will take about 20 to 30 minutes to drive through the entire experience. A special Radiance! radio station frequency will be provided for guests to enjoy iconic holiday tunes as they experience the wonder, which includes 160 feet of animated RGB light tunnels. Food and beverages and special items, including hot chocolate, cookies, unique holiday treats, LED balloons, glow stick cotton candy, and more, will be available for purchase. The event will run through January 3, 2021.

Dallas Children's Theater presents Social Justice Play Series
This is the final week to view the last production in Dallas Children's Theater's Social Justice Play Series, #Matter. The virtual play is about two former high school friends who debate matters of life and race. Written by award-winning playwright, poet, and changemaker Idris Goodwin, the play will feature a talkback with Goodwin on Friday. It will be available to stream through Sunday.

Friday, November 13

Gaylord Texan presents Lone Star Christmas
Gaylord Texan will once again present the annual Lone Star Christmas, featuring I Love Christmas Movies, which will allow guests to experience beloved holiday movies, including The Polar Express, A Christmas Story, Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and The Year Without a Santa Claus, in a completely new way. It will also include an outdoor holiday lanterns attraction, a Build Your Own Snowman event, ice skating, snow tubing, gingerbread decorating, and more. The event will go on through January 3, 2021.

Lakewood Home Festival
The Lakewood Early Childhood Parent Teacher Association will adapt to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by changing up its annual Lakewood Home Festival. They'll have a “Lakewood Live” virtual auction party on Friday, followed by a street-view only event on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am-5 pm. This year's tour home addresses will be revealed just before the big weekend.

Saturday, November 14

The Trains at NorthPark
The Trains at NorthPark will mark its 22nd year at NorthPark Center with more than 750 railcars on a 1,600-foot elaborate configuration of tracks and scenes. Located on the 2nd floor between Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, it features cityscapes like Dallas, replete with the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and Fair Park; New York with Times Square and Grand Central Terminal; Washington, D.C. with The White House; San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge; and more. The event will take place through January 3, 2021.

"Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway"
"Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway" is a virtual concert series featuring show-stopping female singers. This month's performer will be Tony Award winner Laura Benanti. Streamed live from New York’s Shubert Virtual Studios, the show will feature a mix of Broadway showtunes, pop songs, and personal stories from the life of Benanti. Viewers can also submit questions in advance for each artist to answer during the show.

Dallas Burlesque Festival: Drive-In Edition
The Dallas Burlesque Festival returns for its 12th year, this time as a drive-in show. Taking place in Lot 8 next to Dos Equis Pavilion at Fair Park, it will allow the audience to enjoy world-class burlesque and celebrate glitter, glam, and the art of the tease from the comfort of their own vehicle or in an allotted space next to their vehicle. There will be two LED HD video screens in place to enhance the visual experience.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents Director's Choice
Dallas Black Dance Theatre will present a virtual edition of Director's Choice, featuring the world premiere of Joshua L. Peugh’s I AM LARGE, as he uses DBDT dancers’ perspective to pose through a collage of music and dance styles the question, “What is Dallas Black Dance Theatre?” Viewers will reimagine the relevance of Dr. Martin Luther Luther King, Jr’s 57-year-old speech “We Shall Overcome” in Tommie-Waheed Evans’ Bodies as Site of Faith and Protest. The dancers will perform across the Dallas landscape and explore the ideas of bodies uniting in protest through faith.

Gaylord Texan in Grapevine presents Lone Star Christmas, running November 13-January 3.

Gaylord Texan Hotel/Facebook

Gaylord Texan in Grapevine presents Lone Star Christmas, running November 13-January 3.

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Charged up

Magical Plano Elf Town to compete on ABC's Great Christmas Light Fight

Elf Town, Loders, Deerfield Plano, Great Christmas Light Fight

Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Loder

David and Melissa Loder's Elf Town is in on Pembroke Court in the Deerfield subdivision of Plano.

A family from one of Dallas-Fort Worth's most famous Christmas-light neighborhoods is stepping into the national spotlight: Melissa and David Loder, who present a spectacular "Elf Town" display in Plano's Deerfield subdivision, will compete on ABC's holiday competition show The Great Christmas Light Fight on Thursday, December 18.

The Loders will be one of three U.S. families battling for a trophy, $50,000, and major holiday-light bragging rights; co-host Taniya Nayak is the judge.

Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Loder

David and Melissa Loder's Elf Town is in on Penbrook Court in the Deerfield subdivision of Plano.

The episode will air at 9 pm (CDT) on ABC stations, but unfortunately for local viewers, WFAA will pre-empt it for the Dallas Mavericks basketball game. Light Fight will stream on WFAA+ channel 8.2 at 9 pm and later on WFAA / Channel 8 at 3:11 am. It will be available to stream on Hulu beginning Friday, December 19.

"[Filming the show] was surreal at times, but we also knew we had created something special with Elf Town," says Melissa Loder.

Elf Town, Loders, Deerfield Plano, Great Christmas Light Fight The Elf Town Depot, with mayor Elfus standing guard.Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Loder

Exploring Elf Town
The Loders, who moved to Deerfield in 2008, have been creating and evolving Elf Town since 2011. They use it as a platform to raise money for the Susan G Komen Foundation, an organization especially dear to Melissa, a breast cancer survivor.

They call Elf Town "a place where holiday elves live, work, and play."

"Like any town, we have a Main Street with a school, shopping, a bakery and a tavern all leading to a mega tree in the town center," Melissa says. "New this year is the Elf Town Museum that has photos of the evolution of Elf Town."

"We also have industry - the toys travel via train, and there is a train depot for the elves to get their tickets and wait for the train," she adds. "We also have an entertainment area with a Ferris wheel and a disco for the elves."

Standing guard over it all is The Mayor of Elf Town, a 20-foot elf named Elfus. And for the show, they created an all-new special feature: Santa's Spa in the backyard - "an area where no elves are allowed," she says.

David and Melissa, who call themselves the "head elves" of Elf Town, work all year on their DIY display. "Woodworking, welding, painting, design and installation," they say, "are all done on site by our little band of elves," which include their daughter and son-in-law Alex and Joel Loper and their grandsons, Kade (8) and Tristan (5); nieces and nephews Sophie Polma (25), Maxine Polma (23), Beckett Polma (21), and identical twins Marlowe Polma and Julian Polma (19).

"We also have amazing friends who materialize when we are putting up and taking down the display," they say. "Additionally, friends Roger and Rita Reynolds made guest appearances [on the show] as a famous couple from the North Pole."

Getting on the show
The Loders light their display up nightly for the public each holiday season. They were "discovered" by The Great Christmas Light Fight when a casting producer tracked them from a stranger’s TikTok video in spring 2022.

Dallas-Fort Worth is a popular location for the show. The Loders now join the ranks of other Light Fight-famous homes, including the Burkman Holiday Home of Frisco (2021); the Ward family of Sky Elements Drone Shows in Keller (2023); the Hugheses' "Stay in the Light" in Rockwall (2024); the Joules-Cornettis' "Gift of Light" in McKinney (2024); and the Mach Christmas Display in Ennis (2024).

"Of course we had seen the show from its first season, but since our focus is less about just lights and more about creating a magical world, we didn’t think we were a fit," Melissa says.

Elf Town, Loders, Deerfield Plano, Great Christmas Light Fight The Loders have been presenting Elf Town since 2011.Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Loder

They shot an audition video in 2023 and soon found out they made the cut. The show filmed at their house over three days in November 2024.

"The process was three very long days of filming with a very sharp learning curve," Melissa says. "Our on-site producer was an amazing asset in the process. Her tips and tricks helped us all embrace the process, relax in front of the cameras, and hopefully come off well in the show; it was a whirlwind but so much fun.

"I think the best part of filming was getting to learn so much about another industry that was so foreign to us. I am a clinical psychologist in private practice, and David is in sales with Porsche Plano, so we aren’t 'performers.'"

Fighting on
The Loders can't reveal whether they won the Great Christmas Light Fight, of course. (They'll be watching Thursday at a big party at Legacy Social Room.) But they can say with certainty that their display will continue to aid in the fight against breast cancer.

"We participate in the 3 Day 60 Mile walk each year and the money donated goes to our 3 Day fundraising accounts," Melissa says. "Collectively, our little family of elves have raised over $180,000 to help fund vital cancer research and contribute to patient care and advocacy."

Elf Town will light up daily from 5:30 pm to midnight through New Year's Eve 2025, with special nights offering hot cocoa, candy canes, or photos with Santa. While it's free to view and experience, visitors are invited to donate via fundraising links on their Facebook page and through Melissa's Susan G. Komen 3 Day fundraising page.

"I think the most important part of our display is that David and I do this together as a hobby and a gift to the community," she says. "We love that we were able to do The Great Christmas Light Fight, but our true motivation for the time, energy, and money that we pour into the display comes from the stories we hear year after year of families who count on us to be part of their tradition."

She says those include visitors finding the display as solace in hard times, along with marriage proposals, baby's first visit with Santa, and more.

"We have even been brought to our knees by a woman who brought her infant daughter and took photos all around the display because she had a terminal cancer diagnosis and wanted her daughter to have 'magical' pictures with her so 'when she was an angel,' her daughter 'will know I believed in magic,'" Melissa says. "All of these stories and so many more are part of the legacy of Elf Town. These are our 'why' to the question we are often asked 'Why would you do this?'"

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The Great Christmas Light Fight will air at 9 pm December 18 on ABC and will stream December 19 on Hulu. Find Elf Town at 4641 Penbrook Ct., in the Deerfield subdivision of Plano. It's open nightly, 5:30 pm-midnight, through December 31. Follow the Elf Town Facebook page for updates. Visitors are encouraged to park on a less busy street, or at the elementary school off Quincy, and walk through the neighborhood.

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