Weekend Event Planner

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

With Christmas falling on a Monday this year, the number of new events over the long holiday weekend is significantly diminished. There are holiday events wrapping up their runs, a special holiday race, a national tour of a beloved musical, two comedians, a big soccer match, a holiday drag show, a holiday-themed circus, and a chance to get a little crazy at an iconic sports venue.

Below are more best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend before Christmas. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. Looking for the best Christmas lights to see this weekend? Find those lists here and here.

Thursday, December 21

Ongoing holiday events
There are plenty of great holiday events continuing this weekend and beyond in and around Dallas, including Holiday at the Arboretum, The Trains at NorthPark, Christmas at the Anatole, Vitruvian Lights, Prairie Lights, and Dallas Theater Center's A Christmas Carol. Check out the full calendar for all ongoing holiday events.

$National tour of Les Mis\u00e9rables$

Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

The national tour Les Misérables will be at the Music Hall at Fair Park through December 31.

Dallas Jingle Bell Run
The Jingle Bell Run is a festive family-friendly event with a nighttime 5K run/walk, 1 Mile walk, and a huge afterparty. Participants are encouraged to run dressed up in their favorite holiday attire. The afterparty includes live entertainment, complimentary food and beverages, and more. The run takes place at the Hilton Anatole.

Broadway Dallas presents Les Misérables
Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption - a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. The epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. The production runs through December 31 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Improv Arlington presents Mark Curry
Mark Curry is an American actor, comedian, and host best known as the star of the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and as one of the various hosts of the syndicated series It's Showtime at the Apollo. He'll perform five times through Saturday at Improv Arlington.

The Match: FC Barcelona vs Club America
FC Barcelona is one of the most accomplished ~~soccer~~ football teams in the world, having won 27 La Liga titles, 31 Copa del Rey titles, and five UEFA Champions League titles. Club America has been equally dominant in Mexico, winning 14 Liga MX titles, six Copa Mexico titles, and seven CONCACAF Champions Cup titles. The two storied franchises will play a special match at Cotton Bowl Stadium to support the victims of Hurricane Otis in Acapulco.

Friday, December 22

Dallas Comedy Club presents Myles Weber
Myles Weber has racked up over 60 million views across all platforms, was featured on MTV’s Greatest Party Story Ever Told, and had a top 10 Special on the Dry Bar Comedy App in 2021, leading to a second upcoming special with the company. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Dallas Comedy Club.

Murray & Peter present A Drag Queen Christmas
For the ninth consecutive year, Murray & Peter present A Drag Queen Christmas, the longest running drag tour in America. Host Miz Cracker and other favorite queens will perform live on stage, joined by special guest Todrick Hall. The event takes place at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Cirque Musica: Holiday Wonderland
Cirque Musica: Holiday Wonderland is a musical journey that will transport audiences to a magical land far away for a holiday-themed show experience. The show will feature acrobats, aerialists, hijinks, and holiday cheer. The show blends the spellbinding grace and daredevil athleticism of today’s greatest circus performers with a musical mix of timeless seasonal favorites. There will be three performances through Saturday at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, December 23

Jared's Epic Blaster Battle: Holiday Edition 2
Jared's Epic Blaster Battle will hold a "Holiday Edition" version of the largest foam dart blaster battle of all time. The event will feature an all-new theme, music, special guests, and special battles. Visitors can join team red or team green and get ready to have a blast on the climate-controlled turf of AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

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Movie Review

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

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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Weekend Event Planner

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

Movie Review

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

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