More Bang for Your Buck

These are the best discounts for holiday events around Dallas-Fort Worth

Don't pay full price for holiday events like Luminova Holidays if you can help it.

Photo courtesy of Luminova Holidays

Holiday-themed events around Dallas-Fort Worth can be a lot of fun, but let's face it — they can also be very expensive, especially if you have a big family. To help our readers out, we've combed through event listings and Internet sources to find ways for them to save money during their holiday outings. We will update the list throughout the season as more deals are offered.

Gaylord Texan presents Lone Star Christmas
This holiday festival is unique in the area, as it has multiple options visitors can choose. Of course, you don't have to do all of them, but the more you do, the more the cost piles up. If you visit on "Value Days" (in general, Monday-Fridays, except for November 27 or December 18-26), you automatically save on the centerpiece event, I Love Christmas Movies, with each ticket level being discounted anywhere from $6-$8.

However, if you buy one of the Silver, Gold, or Platinum Play & Save Passes, you can save anywhere from 15-30 percent more off of I Love Christmas Movies and other events in the package. The catch is that you have to buy at least three of the events, which automatically makes the visit more expensive. But it's still better than paying face value for separate events when your kids beg you to do snow tubing or ice skating.

If you'd rather not buy multiple events at once, you can use the code REINDEER online to get 50 percent off on select dates for I Love Christmas Movies or $5 off Yuletide Bright, their walkthrough outdoor light attraction.

Texas Motor Speedway presents Gift of Lights
The annual drive-through holiday event at Texas Motor Speedway was already set up to be pandemic-friendly, and visitors can make it a little friendlier on their wallets if they go on certain discount days.

November 30: Crazy Car Day - Anyone who decorates their car will receive $10 off at the gate.
December 1: Crazy PJs Day - Anyone who dresses in their pajamas will receive $10 off at the gate.
December 2: Military, First Responder, and Health Care Worker Night - Anyone with a valid ID from one of those professions will get in for free.
December 7: Bring Your Pet Day - Anyone who brings their pet will receive $10 off at the gate.
December 8: Crazy Christmas Sweater Day - Anyone who wears a crazy Christmas sweater will receive $10 off at the gate.

Luminova Holidays
There aren't many discounts to be found for this new event at Globe Life Field in Arlington, but the Family Pack gives you five tickets for $59.99 on non-peak days ($79.99 for peak days). Buying two individual adult tickets and two children tickets would normally add up to $70, so on non-peak days it's like getting $10 off for a family of four or $25 off for a family of five. Additionally, all military (active, reserves, and retired), EMS and Nurses, and First Responders get a $5 discount on any day.

Six Flags Over Texas presents Holiday at the Park
The annual holiday event at the theme park will take place on various dates, November 20-January 3, and you'd have to be a fool to buy your tickets at the gate, where the cost is $79.99 per person. Buying online saves you anywhere from $40-$60, depending on the day you want to go. If you plan on going multiple times, a season pass (starting at $59.99 per person) pays for itself in 2-3 visits.

Panther Island Ice
The annual pop-up ice skating rink at Coyote Drive-In in Fort Worth offers a $3 discount off the $13 normal price for active duty military, guard, reservists, veterans, and their families, as well as students and faculty of Tarleton State University. Both groups must show proper ID to get the discount.

SnowDay Dallas
The Instagram-friendly holiday event at Galleria Dallas has a significant difference between adult tickets ($22) and children's tickets ($8), but it also gives a $2 discount for seniors 65 and older, military, and first responders with proper ID.

shopping holidays lists

#Winning

Dallas Mavericks hire NCAA champion Dusty May as new head coach

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines has been named the Dallas Mavericks' new head coach.

The Dallas Mavericks officially announced Dusty May as their new coach just a few hours before entering the NBA draft with the ninth pick on Tuesday night, June 23.

May is making the jump to the NBA less than three months after leading Michigan to its first NCAA championship since 1989. He had a 64-13 record in two years with the Wolverines, including a 34-3 season that ended with a 69-63 victory over UConn in the national title game.

The Mavericks made their choice to replace Jason Kidd official on the same day they could select the next young player who would be part of building around 2025 No. 1 pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who turns 20 in December.

Dallas also has the final pick of the first round at No. 30 and the 48th choice in the second round, which will be held Wednesday.

“Dusty has won at every stage of his career because of his ability to build,” said new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, who let Kidd go about two weeks after getting hired by the Mavericks. “He develops players, creates accountability and brings people together around a shared standard of excellence. His work ethic is extraordinary, and his teams consistently reflect his values.”

May's title with Michigan came three years after he led Florida Atlantic to its only Final Four appearance. The Wolverines won the Big Ten Tournament in his first season after he inherited a team that went 8-24 under Juwan Howard. It was the school’s lowest win total since going 7-20 in 1981-82.

The 49-year-old May’s record in his last four college seasons was 124-26, an .827 winning percentage that was third best in all of major college men’s basketball over that span behind Houston’s Kelvin Sampson (.861) and Duke’s Jon Scheyer (.832). His overall college record is 190-82.

May spent 21 years in the college ranks after the Indiana native first served as a student manager for the Hoosiers and coach Bob Knight while he was in school there from 1996-2000. Florida, UAB and Murray State were among his stops as an assistant before debuting as a head coach with Florida Atlantic in 2018-19.

“This is one of the most respected franchises in professional sports, with passionate fans, a talented roster, and a clear commitment to building a championship organization,” May said.

Moving on from Kidd was the last part of putting the ill-fated Luka Doncic trade behind the Dallas franchise for good.

Nico Harrison, the engineer of the trade that brought the oft-injured Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers, was fired in November after the team started slowly in 2025-26. The Mavericks ended up missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season since reaching the NBA Finals and losing to Boston in five games.

Doncic and Kyrie Irving were the key players in that deep playoff run in 2024, two years after Doncic also reached the Western Conference finals with a mostly different supporting cast.

Irving remains on the roster amid lingering questions about his future after missing all of last season. Irving tore the ACL in his left knee in March of last year, a month after the Doncic trade.

“Dusty represents the type of leader we want guiding this franchise,” Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont said. “He has demonstrated throughout his career that success is built through preparation, character, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”

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