Weekend Event Planner

Major film star comes to Dallas to headline best weekend events

With Thanksgiving a week away, it's time to get ready for the onslaught of holiday events. Two new ones start this weekend, and they're joined by a reprise of an acclaimed dance show, a visit from a big-time movie star, a winner of American Idol, a renowned pop artist, and more.

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 19

A Season of Stories: Christmas at the White House 2003
For the third straight year, the George W. Bush Presidential Center will take a look back at Christmastime at the White House when Bush was president. The exhibit, open now through January 3, gives visitors a glimpse of original White House decorations and behind-the-scenes photographs and video from the archives of the Bush administration.

The Danielle Georgiou Dance Group presents The Show About Men
The Show About Men, which Danielle Georgiou Dance Group originally premiered during the Festival of Independent Theatres, is a dance theater piece concerned with the catch-22 of manhood in modern culture. Honored as one of the best new plays by by the Dallas-Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum, the production will play at Eastfield College through Sunday.

Friday, November 20

Dallas Film Society presents the Art of Film: Isabella Rossellini
Recent honorees at Dallas Film Society's annual fundraising event, the Art of Film, have included Val Kilmer, Lee Daniels, and Marisa Tomei. Joining that list is Isabella Rossellini, known for films like Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, and the upcoming Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence. The event will take place at the Space on Oak Lawn.

Kitchen Dog Theater presents The Totalitarians
With the race for the White House in 2016 in full gear, there may be no better time for a political satire like The Totalitarians. Kitchen Dog Theater will present the regional premiere of the play, which follows one candidate's willingness to do almost anything to get elected. It will play at the Green Zone through December 19.

David Cook in concert with Andrew Ripp
He may not have achieved the fame and fortune of such American Idol winners as Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, but David Cook has carved out his own niche in the music landscape. Now touring in support of his fourth album, Digital Vein, Cook will play in the intimacy of The Kessler alongside opening act Andrew Ripp.

Saturday, November 21

The Trains at NorthPark
One of the great things about the holidays are the traditions, and one of the best traditions in Dallas is the Trains at NorthPark. Now in its 28th year in Dallas and 17th year at NorthPark Center, the exhibit includes trains rolling across 1,600 feet of track on a journey across America, seeing landmarks like downtown Dallas, Times Square, the White House, the Grand Canyon, and more. The exhibit will be on display through January 3.

Last Comic Standing Live Tour
The NBC comedy competition has had a hit-and-miss reputation for honoring comedians, with the likes of Amy Schumer, Tig Notaro, and Gabriel Iglesias all failing to win the seasons in which they competed. You can judge for yourself how successful they were at picking comics this past season when the five finalists perform at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Road Show Company presents Peter Max: A Retrospective 1960-2015
The unique artistic style of German pop artist Peter Max has been fascinating people for decades, and a special collaborative event in Dallas and Fort Worth will pay tribute to that history. The now 78-year-old Max will be on hand at Beaudry Gallery for an artist reception on both Saturday and Sunday, at which guests can speak with him and even pick up a Max original.

Sunday, November 22

RAW Dallas presents Uprising
RAW Dallas is a group committed to showcasing rising local talent in artistic fields like art, fashion, music, dance, and more. Avant Chamber Ballet is just one of many RAW artists to be featured in the November showcase. Other onstage performances include the jazz and hip-hop styles of indie band Duo Contra and R&B stylings of Kelton Blackshear. They'll perform at Gas Monkey Live.

Isabella Rossellini will be the honored guest at Dallas Film Society's Art of Film on November 20.

Photo by Andre Rau

Isabella Rossellini will be the honored guest at Dallas Film Society's Art of Film on November 20.

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Movies for Kids

Kid-themed film festival at Angelika Dallas will be free to all

Photo courtesy of Viva Kids

The 42nd annual KidFilm will feature screenings of The Pout-Pout Fish and other new animated films.

A family-friendly kid-themed festival is coming to Dallas that'll be free for all: The 42nd Annual KidFilm Family Festival, the oldest and largest children-themed film festival in the U.S., will take place on January 17 and 18, 2026 at the Angelika Film Center Dallas with film debuts, animated films, and an appearance by a renowned children's author.

KidFilm is an annual outreach program of the USA Film Festival/Dallas, a 56-year-old nonprofit dedicated to film and the arts.

The big highlight of this year's KidFilm is a salute to children’s book author Deborah Diesen, who will appear in conjunction with a screening of Viva Kids’ new animated feature film, The Pout-Pout Fish — based on Diesen's 2008 book, which started a series that has now reached 20 entries.

The film — about Mr. Fish, a pouty introvert, and Pip, an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a daunting quest to find a legendary fish to grant their wish to save their homes — features a star-studded voice cast with familiar names like Nick Offerman, Miranda Otto, Jordin Sparks, and Amy Sedaris.

Free copies of the new book, The Pout-Pout Fish Movie Storybook, will be distributed to families (while supplies last), and Diesen will sign books for the kids.

The festival will also include screenings of other new animated feature films:

Leon Joosen's The Land of Sometimes, a musical which follows twins Alfie and Elise who get more than they bargained for as they are whisked away to a magical world after summoning a mysterious Wish Collector.
Mark Risley’s Flower of the Dawn, a fairy tale that follows a princess who has been turned into a nightingale by a vain sorceress whose only hope is to attain an elusive, magical flower.
Reza Memari’s The Last Whale Singer, an adventure which features a self-doubting teenage humpback whale who must face his fears and embark on a perilous journey with his friends in order to discover his own song and save the ocean from a monstrous creature.
Caroline Origer’s Spiked, which follows a young, orphaned hedgehog and overextended rabbit father who experience the adventure of a lifetime.
Vincent Bal & Wip Vernooij's Miss Moxy, a comedy which features a domestic cat who gets lost during a vacation and must find her way back home through the South of Europe with the help of the most despicable creatures a cat can imagine: a comical dog and an old, wise bird.

Additionally, the festival will include several new live-action feature films:

Gregory Alan Williams’ Paw Paw & Dayja, which follows the adventures of a Bigfoot obsessed 10-year-old who, with the help of her grandfather, learns that each of us see the world a little differently but everyone’s view has value.
Neven Hitrec’s The Second Diary of Paulina P., which follows a fifth grader who uses her charm and imagination to navigate a strict teacher, her first bully, and the new dynamic with her grandmother who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Tord Danielsson’s The Crown Prince and the Return of the Tyrant, a fantasy film that follows a young Crown Prince who will soon become king, just as he has always dreamed, when his suspicious grandmother returns to the kingdom.

Finally, there will be 22 short film presentations featuring animated and live-action short films from around the world, including works from Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and U.S. (including two films made by Texans).

The event is free thanks to support from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and from the Festival’s Season Sponsors which include the Carol and Alan J. Bernon Family Charitable Foundation, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, Sidley Austin LLP, Headington Companies, Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, Gaedeke Group, Mary Fox & Laura Fox, Moody Fund for the Arts, Dallas Film Commission, Angelika Film Center Dallas, Wildworks PR, DFW Child, and Spracklen Film and Video. The USA Film Festival is supported, in part, by the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The full schedule of KidFilm programs can be found at usafilmfestival.com. Tickets for all shows are free for both children and adults, but tickets are required for admission.

Advance tickets for most programs is available online through January 14 at eventbrite.com. Any unreserved tickets will be made available at the Angelika Theater box office on the day of show only.

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