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NYE Event Planner

The procrastinator's guide to the best New Year's Eve parties in Dallas-Fort Worth

Alex Bentley
Dec 25, 2014 | 3:01 pm
Big D NYE
Big D NYE is one of the big parties you'll still be able to attend if you've procrastinated on making New Year's Eve plans.
Big D NYE/Facebook

Many people love to spend New Year's Eve out on the town, but with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, actually planning to go to an event can slip by us.

Although many of the best parties have already sold out, there are still plenty of great options for ringing in the new year with your friends and hundreds — if not thousands — of strangers. Below are your best remaining options for welcoming 2015 in style.

Big D NYE and Sundance Square New Year Eve’s Celebration
The easiest parties to get into are the ones that don't cost a thing. Of course, you'll still want to try to get to the event sites — Victory Park in Dallas and Sundance Square in Fort Worth — as early as possible to get the best spot you can among the hordes.

Big D NYE claims to be the biggest New Year's celebration in the central time zone, and it features two stages with multiple bands and a DJ to keep the party hopping all night long. The Sundance Square celebration features former Voice contestants Luke Wade and Dawn and Hawkes, as well as the ability to buy champagne in the plaza.

New Year's Eve at W Dallas
If you don't want to be down in the fray but still want to get the feel of the huge crowd, going to the party at the W Dallas-Victory is the next best thing. Taking place in the Altitude lounge 33 floors up, you can dance all night long and get a bird's-eye view of the fireworks at midnight. This one is sold out online but claims to offer a limited number of tickets at the door. If you can't get in, you can still head to Victory Park next door.

NYE on Cloud Nine
While those in Times Square in New York City will watch a ball drop, you can celebrate the beginning of 2015 inside a ball. Cloud Nine Cafe, Five Sixty's private event space atop Reunion Tower, will host this party that will include food from Five Sixty's executive chef, all-inclusive cocktails, dancing and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $200 apiece.

Masquerade NYE 2015
Winstons Supperclub is known for its outrageous parties throughout the year, so you can only imagine what's on the agenda for New Year's Eve. It's a masquerade-themed event featuring fire-breathers, girls in giant champagne bubbles and a huge chariot delivering oversized champagne bottles, among other things. Tickets start at $30 for singles and $50 for couples.

A Fashionable New Year's Eve
You wouldn't expect Fashion Industry Gallery to host anything but the most stylish party in town, would you? Don't try to come in jeans or sneakers to this event, or you might be told to hit the road. Starting at $80 for women and $100 for men, you get free drinks all night, free hors d'oeuvre 'til 11 pm and great music by DJ Humble.

106.1 KISS FM's NYE Bash
The Gaylord Texan is an opulent resort in Grapevine, and the Glass Cactus Nightclub hosts a party thrown by 106.1 KISS FM. It features entertainment by DJ Junior and live music from Party Machine. The $75 cost of admission only gets you one drink and one glass of champagne, plus party favors, so it is a bit on the pricey side, but it should still be a great time regardless.

Texas Theatre presents New Year's Noir
Texas Theatre has a ton planned for its celebration, including live music from Nervous Curtains, a human "ball drop" at midnight from silks aerialist Bethany Summersizzle, burlesque performances, music from DJs Trigger Mortis and Wild in the Streets, and Mikey Dino's singing the songs of Dean Martin. For only $25 or $45 for VIP, that's a heck of a deal.

Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights New Year's Eve Bash
Sure, you could listen to a DJ spin music at most parties, but there's nothing quite like a live band or three to really make you feel like dancing. Dallas' Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights once again headlines the NYE concert at the Granada Theater, with support from Nashville's Nikki Lane and Dallas' J. Charles & the Trainrobbers. Tickets are $20 a pop.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Alex Bentley
Aug 21, 2026 | 11:44 am
Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree
Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment
Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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