Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Even though holiday events have been going on for a couple of weeks already, there's something about the calendar turning over to December that makes it feel more like the season. Accordingly, two-thirds of the events in this week's round-up will be holiday-related. The only non-holiday ones will be a new theater production, a visit from two celebrity best friends, and two concerts from some very big names.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, November 30

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden presents Outdoor Movie: Elf
Visitors to the Dallas Arboretum on Thursday will get a 2-for-1 deal, as they can take in the garden's popular 12 Days of Christmas exhibit and also be on hand for its first-ever outdoor movie screening, Elf. Bring a blanket and picnic, or order from the two food trucks onsite, and watch as Will Ferrell does his hilarious thing in this modern-day holiday classic.

Friday, December 1

Texas Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker
Texas Ballet Theater's version of The Nutcracker is a must-see holiday tradition. The ballet, which features a score by Tchaikovsky and enduring characters such as Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Nutcracker Prince, will play at Winspear Opera House four times through Sunday before it makes its way over to Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, December 8-24.

WaterTower Theatre presents The Great Distance Home
The latest production from WaterTower Theatre is the rare non-holiday offering in December. Boy, like all of us, is searching for something, but he’s not sure what. He’s certain it’s not in his home. He’s certain it’s not in his town. But beyond that, he’s not sure where it is. Nevertheless, he goes looking for it, and in the end what he finds is the last thing he expected. The play will run through December 17.

AC2: An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen
Bravo's Andy Cohen and CNN's Anderson Cooper will present an unscripted, uncensored, and unforgettable night of conversation. The late-night talk show host and the journalist, who are longtime friends, will interview each other and take questions from the audience at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. It's a live, interactive look behind the scenes of pop culture and world events.

Dead & Company in concert
When it comes to a venerated group like the Grateful Dead, nothing is ever truly the end. Dead & Company features original Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti. Continuing in the tradition of the iconic band, the group draws from the Dead’s vast catalog of songs to keep their tradition alive. They will play at American Airlines Center.

Saturday, December 2

Dallas Holiday Parade
The Dallas Holiday Parade has had bad luck in recent years, with a cancellation due to weather a couple of years ago and a lack of funding this year. But the show will go on, and this year the parade, which features marching bands, festive floats, and fun family activities, will have a Grand Opening in front of The Adolphus Hotel and a Grand Finale in front of The Statler Hotel.

Klyde Warren Park presents Nissan’s Winter Wonderlights
Nissan's Winter Wonderlights at Klyde Warren Park will feature free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, kids’ crafts, food trucks, activities and demonstrations from Dallas arts and cultural friends and neighbors, music entertainment, and a holiday show culminating with the lighting of the Klyde Warren Park Christmas tree. At the end of the event, characters from Lightwire Theater’s A Very Electric Christmas will lead the crowd to the AT&T Performing Arts Center where the Reliant Lights Your Holidays festivities will be under way.

Reliant Lights Your Holidays
Reliant Lights Your Holidays features hundreds of thousands of dazzling LED lights placed on the AT&T Performing Arts Center's iconic venues and trees. There will also be live performances by En Vogue and RaeLynn, who will perform a selection of hits and holiday classics; free photos with Santa; and a fireworks display in Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park. The lights will remain on throughout the holiday season.

Jackopierce Christmas
The Dallas duo Jackopierce is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2018, but a now-annual Christmas Show is only in its third edition. The show, taking place at McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus, is an all-ages event where Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce will be playing many of the Jackopierce hits along with several Christmas classics. There will be a full band, special guests, and lots of surprises.

Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith in concert with Jordan Smith
Grammy winners Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith co-bill their popular Christmas tour this holiday season, which will be joined for the second consecutive year by Jordan Smith, Season 9 winner of NBC’s The Voice. The seasonal crowd-pleaser, which will be at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, incorporates a full symphony orchestra under the direction of musical director and conductor David Hamilton.

Sunday, December 3

CultureMap Holiday Pop-up Shop
With only 22 days left in the Christmas shopping season, the CultureMap Holiday Pop-up Shop is a great opportunity to get that perfect gift. It's a curated holiday boutique featuring our favorite local retailers for men, women, kids and pets, selling jewelry, home decor, gourmet food, and more. The event, taking place in Food & Fiber Pavilion at Fair Park, will have cocktails, festive food, crafting, holiday tunes, complimentary gift wrapping, and more while you shop.

Ashanti and Ja Rule in concert
Ashanti and Ja Rule have been collaborators ever since their 2001 No. 1 hit, "Always on Time." They've gone on to collaborate multiple times, including on "Mesmerize" in 2002, "Wonderful" in 2004, and most recently on "Helpless" as part of The Hamilton Mixtape. They'll be sure to sing those songs and a few of their solo hits as part of this concert at the Bomb Factory.

Reliant Lights Your Holidays will take place at AT&T Performing Arts Center on December 2.

Photo by Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Reliant Lights Your Holidays will take place at AT&T Performing Arts Center on December 2.

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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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