Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's crunch time, y'all: There is less than one week until Christmas. If you feel like taking a break from holiday shopping or want to show visitors a good time, you can take in one of four holiday-themed concerts, as well as another version of The Nutcracker. You can also spend some time in virtual reality, with a music superstar, at a Tony-winning musical, or at one of the first bowl games of the year.

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, December 19

Jumanji: Reverse the Curse at The VOID
In conjunction with last week's release of Jumanji: The Next Level, the immersive experience Jumanji: Reverse the Curse will give fans the ability to truly enter another game, taking on the form of its heroes, Dr. Bravestone, Ruby Roundhouse, Professor Oberon and “Mouse” Finbar, to save Jumanji from a new dark and mysterious villain. The new experience at The VOID at Cinemark West Plano will run through at least February 29.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Big Brassy Christmas & Organ Extravaganza
The holidays will be in full swing at this concert featuring the Dallas Symphony Orchestra brass and percussion sections, as well as the Lay Family Concert Organ. This Dallas Symphony tradition will make the holidays merry and bright with an extra helping of Christmas cheer. The concert, taking place at Meyerson Symphony Center, will be conducted by Lawrence Loh.

Cher in concert
It's been 14 years since legendary singer Cher supposedly said goodbye to touring, but the 73-year-old continues to find sufficient inspiration to hit the road yet again. This time fans will get a two-for-one deal, as Cher is touring in support of Dancing Queen, an album full of cover versions of ABBA songs that was inspired by her role in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. The concert will be at American Airlines Center.

AT&T Performing Arts Center Broadway Series presents Once on This Island
Winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, Once on This Island is the sweeping, universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, and ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods, Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart. The production will run at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.

Friday, December 20

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl: Utah State vs. Kent State
With TCU in a down year and SMU off playing in Florida this weekend, area college football fans jonesing for an in-person fix will have to make do with one or more of the four local bowl games. The first of those games is the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl, featuring a matchup between the Utah State Aggies of the Mountain West Conference and the Kent State Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference. The game will be at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Christmas with Megan Hilty & Cheyenne Jackson
Both Megan Hilty and Cheyenne Jackson have long Broadway resumes. Hilty has starred in productions like Wicked, 9 to 5: The Musical, and Noises Off, while Jackson has starred in Altar Boyz, All Shook Up, and Damn Yankees. The two singers will join forces with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for this special holiday concert featuring beloved Christmas classics. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents The Nutcracker
Avant Chamber Ballet presents a full-length production of The Nutcracker, the holiday classic designed to take the whole family on a magical trip to the Land of Sweets through Clara’s eyes with Tchaikovsky’s rich score and ACB’s professional production. There will be three performances through Sunday at Moody Performance Hall. They'll also present The Nutcracker Suite on Saturday afternoon, a free, one-hour version of the ballet designed with young audiences in mind.

Saturday, December 21

Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Christmas Eve and Other Stories
Trans-Siberian Orchestra's 2019 tour is a throwback to their debut album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories. Released in 1996, the album was the beginning of their "Christmas Trilogy" that would go on to include The Christmas Attic and The Lost Christmas Eve. Featuring songs like "O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night" and "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," the concert will have two performances on Saturday at American Airlines Center.

Sunday, December 22

SiriusXM Presents: A Pentatonix Christmas Tour
Arlington's own Pentatonix got their big break when they won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011. Since then, the a cappella group has gone on to release seven albums, including three Christmas albums like 2018's Christmas is Here! You can expect the full spectrum of those Christmas albums during this concert, taking place on both Sunday and Monday at The Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Cher will perform at American Airlines Center on December 19.

Cher/Facebook

Cher will perform at American Airlines Center on December 19.

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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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