New Holiday Event

Campy Christmas immersive experience debuts in Dallas Arts District

Camp Christmas will debut at Annette Strauss Square on November 22.

Photo courtesy of AT&T Performing Arts Center

AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas is getting some of that Christmas spirit with a new immersive winter holiday experience for 2024. Called Camp Christmas, it will take patrons on a journey through eras of winter holiday celebrations past and present told through extravagant interactive installations.

Dubbed a "Meow Wolf meets mall Santa's Wonderland," the event will take place at Annette Strauss Square for a month — running from November 22-December 29 — and promises to transform the venue into an over-the-top winter wonderland, showcasing the fantastical, colorful, and whimsical side of the holiday season.

Created by renowned artist and designer Lonnie Hanzon, Camp Christmas was originally staged in Denver in 2019. It eventually partnered up with Denver's Center for the Performing Arts, which hosted it in 2023.

Hanzon has been recognized for Christmas installations at Neiman Marcus, Houston Zoo Lights, and floats for the Denver Parade of Lights. For the Denver installation, he and a crew of 30 artists worked for six months, creating thousands of Santa figurines, lights, objects, plus 44 decorated trees.

The "camp" in the name is no coincidence: The installation takes a larger-than-life approach to holiday traditions, with quirky festive décor, interactive experiences, and themed environments ranging from dazzling winter scenes to nostalgic Christmas memories. For example, one element at the Denver event consisted of "pun trees" such as the gold Christmas tree decorated entirely with Regis Philbin heads.

The Dallas event will feature a series of themed holiday rooms, each filled with lights, decorations, and interactive activities. A Santa Claus will be on hand, with special times available for Spanish and American Sign Language speakers.

Visitors can choose from three options:

Classic Camp Christmas, which allows for fixed time entry
Guided Camp Christmas, offering guided visits at specific times
Camp Director Tour, special guided tours led by Hanzon himself

Prices start at $20; children under 2 are free. For more information on hours and to purchase tickets, go to attpac.org/campchristmas or call the AT&T Performing Arts Center box office at 214- 880-0202.

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Racket sports

Trendy Austin padel club Padel39 lobs first DFW location into Carrollton

Photo by Juan J Valdes

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A popular padel club from Austin is serving up its first location in Dallas-Fort Worth: Padel39 has purchased and taken over the existing Dallas Padel Club, at 3000 Belmeade Dr.

According to a release, multimillion-dollar renovations are underway and are expected to be complete by summer 2026. The revamp includes:

Seven new outdoor courts are being added to the current three indoor courts (with completion expected by March 2026).
Full food and beverage capabilities for a premium sports bar that is open to the public.
A fitness area for members that is affiliated with HYROX, recovery areas, wellness facilities (sauna, cold plunge, etc.), upscale locker rooms.
Upscale lounging and coworking space.

For those not up on their racket sports, padel is a cousin of pickleball, tennis, and racquetball. The sport has been wildly popular in Spain and Latin America for decades and is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. Like pickleball, it's a doubles game played on a small court, and players hit off glass walls.

Padel was invented in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera; Padel39 bears the first two numbers of all Acapulco ZIP Codes.

Padel39 co-founders Will and Naomi Boyce.Photo by Juan J Valdes

The company was founded in 2024 by husband-and-wife William Boyce and Naomi Boyce; William played tennis for the University of Texas at Austin.

Padel39 currently has two locations in Austin, with a third opening in March. They say they aim to open 12 to 15 Padel39 clubs in Austin, Dallas, and Houston by 2028. After Carrollton, a location will open in central Dallas in late 2026/early 2027, they say.

“We currently introduce 200+ new players to the sport each month, while maintaining a core group of repeat clients who return for the fitness, competition and vibrant community,” William Boyce says in the release. “Each new location fulfills our vision to put Padel39 and Texas at the epicenter of the padel community.”

In addition to offering courts to play on, Padel39 features on-court programming, tournaments, social events, and physical wellness opportunities such as courtside Pilates and morning yoga.

Padel39 Padel39 courts and lounge areas at a location in Austin. Photo by Josh Graziadei

While Padel39 offers memberships, all guests are welcome to play, they say. According to the website, each club is priced differently. At the flagship location in Austin, Padel39 memberships start at $89 per month or $890 per year, but players can also rent courts as needed for 90 minutes at $30.

“We set out to create a modern take on a country club; a place where members and guests could ‘play and stay,’” Boyce says. “We’ve built that and more. We work to improve the experience for our guests each day.”

Outdoor construction on the Carrollton club is expected to be completed by March. Indoor food and beverage, fitness and lounging renovations will be finished by summer, they say. The club will remain open during renovations.

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