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    Holiday Event Planner

    The best Dallas events to spread holiday cheer

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 8, 2015 | 12:15 pm

    There is no shortage of holiday events to choose from in and around Dallas. Lucky for you, we've created the following guide to shine a light on the best holiday happenings — from festive events to cheerful productions.

    Festive events
    The following events take place throughout the holidays, so you can attend whenever the time is right for you.

    The Trains at NorthPark
    There are few Dallas holiday traditions as enduring as The Trains at NorthPark, which is now in its 28th year and 17th at NorthPark Center. Sixteen-hundred feet of track takes trains through landmarks across America, including the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Times Square in New York City, and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The trains run on time through January 3.

    Holiday at the Arboretum
    It's one thing to hear "The 12 Days of Christmas" sung throughout the holidays, but it's quite another to see each of the verses brought to life at the 12 Days of Christmas at the Dallas Arboretum. Back for its second year, everything from a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming gets its own gazebo, and many feature animated characters, lights, and snow. This year, the Arboretum has added 500,000 lights throughout the garden and a 30-foot-tall tree at the center of property. The exhibit is up through January 3.

    Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie
    Everybody loves to look at Christmas lights, and one of the better displays around is this annual event at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie. Featuring 4 million lights set along two miles of path, it has hundreds of all-new displays in shapes of all kinds lining and arching over the roads. Halfway through the drive, visitors can get out of their cars for a stop at Holiday Village, where they'll find food, gifts, Santa Claus, an all-new indoor laser show, and the Holiday Magic Lighted Walk-Through Forest. The second half of the drive ends with an animated light tunnel. You can experience the fun through January 3.

    Gaylord Texan presents ICE! featuring Christmas Around the World
    The annual popular attraction at Grapevine's Gaylord Texan resort features colorful holiday sculptures hand-carved out of more than 2 million pounds of ice. The display this year shows how Christmas is celebrated around the world. There are also two-story-tall ice slides, a 12-lane snow tubing hill, an interactive ice carving station, and more. ICE! will be open through January 3.

    Texas Christkindl Market
    This German-themed market outside of Globe Life Park in Arlington features a unique shopping experience for gifts and holiday decorations along with authentic German cuisine, holiday beverages, live entertainment, children’s activities, and much more. It runs through December 23.

    Theater, theater, and more theater
    'Tis the season for fun, holiday-themed productions.

    Dallas Opera presents Becoming Santa Claus
    A world premiere two years in the making, Becoming Santa Claus tells the story of young Prince Claus who, just after celebrating his 13th birthday, sees a star in the sky signaling a momentous birth. Claus decides to dazzle this newborn with an assortment of the very latest toys before discovering that love is the most treasured gift of all. The opera plays only four times through December 12 at Winspear Opera House.

    Dallas Theater Center presents A Christmas Carol
    DTC has now put on Charles Dickens' classic story for over 30 years. This year the company is mixing things up by having Hassan El-Amin play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge and Brierley Resident Acting Company member Christie Vela be the play's first female director. The production will run at Wyly Theatre through December 26.

    Theatre Three presents A Christmas Carol: The Radio Play
    You won't be able to stop laughing as B.J. Cleveland plays a beleaguered radio station manager forced to play all 21 characters in a radio production of A Christmas Carol when the cast gets caught in a snowstorm. The play will run at Theatre Three's basement space, Theatre Too, through December 20.

    Dallas Summer Musicals presents Elf the Musical
    Running December 8-20 at the Music Hall at Fair Park, this adaptation of the Will Ferrell holiday movie is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan who is raised by elves, unaware that he is actually a human. A journey to New York to find his real father brings out the Christmas spirit in everyone.

    Peter Pan 360
    True, it's not technically a holiday-themed play, but since the family-friendly production just extended its run through January 3, it's definitely a good option to consider. Peter Pan, Wendy, and the Lost Boys take on Captain Hook and his crew in a special tent in the Dallas Arts District.

    Holiday music festivals
    These concerts may or may not feature holiday music, but they've become a traditional part of many people's holidays.

    How the Edge Stole Christmas
    The 2015 edition of KDGE-FM's annual holiday festival, taking place at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie on December 9, will feature performances from Of Monsters and Men, Sublime with Rome, Panic! At The Disco, The Neighbourhood, The Struts, and Atlas Genius.

    Not So Silent Night
    Head out to South Side Ballroom on December 15 to catch performances by Fall Out Boy and British singer/songwriters James Bay and George Ezra.

    Rock your Christmas
    Finally, a few well-known bands will put on holiday concerts.

    The Brian Setzer Orchestra: 12th Annual Christmas Rocks! Tour
    Even though Setzer's annual visit moves from Dallas to Allen this year, his concert at Allen Event Center on December 11 will still be a blast as Setzer infuses the crowd with his infectious rockabilly style, tackling his hits and unique versions of holiday classics.

    The Polyphonic Spree 13th Annual Holiday Extravaganza
    Dallas' own choral rock band moves from the defunct Lakewood Theater to the larger stage of the Majestic Theatre on December 12 for a family-friendly party. In addition to the great music, the event will feature face painting, balloon animals, and visits from Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, and more for photo opportunities.

    Trans-Siberian Orchestra presents The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
    Just a few days before Christmas, Trans-Siberian Orchestra presents The Ghosts of Christmas Eve at American Airlines Center, doing two shows on December 20. TSO will also release its newest full-length album titled Letters From the Labyrinth, with every ticketholder receiving a digital download.

    Dallas Summer Musicals will present Elf the Musical at the Music Hall at Fair Park December 8-20.

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    Weekend Event Planner

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

    Alex Bentley
    Jul 9, 2026 | 6:00 am
    Sean Bell, Leo Roberts, Major Attaway, Blake Segal, Chris Collins-Pisano, and Ellis C. Dawson III in the North American Tour of Spamalot
    Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
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    With the World Cup now down to its final eight teams, excitement in Dallas-Fort Worth has slowed, although you can still enjoy the FIFA Fan Festival on game days (including July 14 when Dallas Stadium hosts one of the semifinal matches). Other choices this weekend include eight theater productions (including a national Broadway tour), a well-known comedian, a symphony concert, a concert by a famous rapper, the antics of Dude Perfect, and the start of a classical music festival.

    Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out our calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

    Thursday, July 9

    Broadway at the Center presents Monty Python's Spamalot
    Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy that is lovingly ripped off from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It has everything that makes a great knight at the theater, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and, of course, the Lady of the Lake. Spamalot features songs like “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” “Find Your Grail,” and more. The production will have five performances through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

    Friday, July 10

    Mic Drop Comedy presents Chris Kattan
    Chris Kattan is best known as one of the longest serving cast members on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, creating characters like Mango, Mr. Peepers, and one of the Butabi Brothers opposite Will Ferrell that was adapted into the 1998 cult classic A Night at the Roxbury. Kattan went on to star in Corky Romano and Undercover Brother, as well as a series regular in the ABC hit series The Middle. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Mic Drop Comedy in Plano.

    Plano Symphony Orchestra presents "American Treasures"
    Conducted by Plano Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor Simon Gollo, "American Treasures" will feature the talent of the 2026 Collin County Young Artist Competition winners. The program will feature selections from William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1, “Afro-American Symphony.” The concert takes place at the Plano ISD Robinson Fine Arts Center.

    Tasha Studios presents What She's Having
    What She's Having highlights the lives of three women navigating love, loyalty, heartbreak, and personal growth while confronting the messy truths that often exist behind closed doors. The play tackles themes such as marriage and commitment, modern dating frustrations, friendship and betrayal, motherhood emotional vulnerability, personal accountability, and the complexities of love and intimacy. The production will have five performances through Sunday at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

    Theatre Arlington presents for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
    The groundbreaking choreopoem, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. The production runs through July 19 at Theatre Arlington.

    Dallas Children's Theater presents Matilda Jr.
    The children are rising up, and audiences can join in the revolt in this Broadway Junior adaptation of the Tony Award-winning hit, Matilda. Packed with high-energy dance numbers and catchy songs, Matilda Jr. is a joyous girl power romp. Children and adults alike will be thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination. The production will have three performances through Sunday at Dallas Children's Theater.

    Art Centre Theatre presents The Outsiders
    The Outsiders is an entirely practical stage adaptation that deals with real people, seen through the eyes of young Ponyboy, a Greaser on the wrong side of life, caught up in territorial battles between the have-it-made rich kids — the Socs — and his tough, underprivileged "greaser" family and friends. The production runs through July 26 at Art Centre Theatre in Plano.

    Company of Rowlett Performers presents Deliver Us from Mama
    Deliver Us from Mama is a rip-roaring, hilarious, high-octane race to beat the stork when Walker Sprunt’s wife, Hayley, goes into labor with their first child. The problem? She’s in Alabama, and he is in L.A., trying his best to get through a surprise visit from his meddling mother and his bossy big sister. With an air traffic controllers’ strike prevents him from flying, Mama proclaims “Family Road Trip!” but Walker knows disaster can’t be far behind. The production runs through July 18 at Plaza Theater in Garland.

    Misfit Circus presents Good Grief
    Good Grief is a one-woman contemporary clown show created and performed by DFW Clown Mother Tepani (Stephanie Bell). Through physical comedy, audience interaction, and heartfelt storytelling, Good Grief explores what happens when people give pieces of themselves away to the people they love. Blending humor with vulnerability, Good Grief invites audiences to laugh, reflect, and reconnect with the parts of themselves that have been shaped by love and grief. The performance takes place at Bath House Cultural Center.

    T.I. in concert
    Rapper T.I. comes to Dallas as part of his “The King Succession Tour." A celebration of both legacy and lineage, the tour features direct support from T.I.’s sons Domani and King, marking a rare multi-generational moment on stage and inspiring the tour’s title. T.I. has released 11 albums in his career, most recently The L.I.B.R.A. in 2020. The concert takes place at South Side Ballroom.

    Uptown Players presents Urinetown: The Musical
    The winner of three Tony Awards, Urinetown is a musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, environmental collapse, corporate mismanagement, privatization of natural resources, bureaucracy, municipal politics, and musical theater itself. The production runs through July 19 at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

    Saturday, July 11

    Dude Perfect presents Squad Games Tour
    Dude Perfect's Squad Games Tour will be an action-packed night of competition, trick shots, and family fun, complete with new larger-than-life challenges and surprise guests along the way. By transforming the arena floor into a battle zone surrounded by fans on all sides, the Squad Games Tour captures the energy of a live sporting event as the Dudes face off against some of their favorite athletes, creators, and Dude Perfect staff. The event takes place at American Airlines Center.

    Sunday, July 12

    Basically Beethoven Festival
    The Basically Beethoven Festival is a series of three concerts featuring both professional and student musicians. The first event on Sunday will feature Diploma Students in the Music Division of the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU, performing Gian Carlo Menotti's The Telephone, followed by featured artist Sara Daneshpour, piano, performing Liszt's Transcendental Études, S.139. The concert takes place at Moody Performance Hall.

    Sean Bell, Leo Roberts, Major Attaway, Blake Segal, Chris Collins-Pisano, and Ellis C. Dawson III in the North American Tour of Spamalot
    Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

    Monty Python's Spamalot will be at Winspear Opera House through July 12.

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