Weekend Event Planner

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

Music and theater will share top billing for the slate of events in and around Dallas this weekend. There will be no fewer than seven concerts in a variety of genres, all of of them with well-known singers or bands headlining. There will also be five theater productions, including a festival dedicated to showcasing smaller groups. The odd event out on this list is an epic battle in a huge venue featuring foam dart guns.

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, August 1

Third Eye Blind in concert
Alt-rock band Third Eye Bland has been living a semi-charmed kind of life in the music business since their debut release in 1997. They scored a number of hits off of their first two albums, but they haven't had a song in the Hot 100 since 2000. They've continued to release new music, with their most recent album being Our Bande Apart in 2021. They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion as part of the fourth edition of the "Summer Gods Tour." They'll be joined by special guests Yellowcard and A R I Z O N A.

Festival of Independent Theatres
After a 23-year run at the Bath House Cultural Center and a five-year pandemic-related hiatus, the Festival of Independent Theatres returns in a brand-new location, Theatre Three and its downstair space, Theatre Too. The three-week festival, running through August 24, will feature 10 productions, including Gods & Heroes by Paul Williams, Where the F is Joseph Mara? by Mac Welch & Emily Bernet, and An Evening with Penis presented by Pegasus Theatre.

North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre presents Jesus Christ Superstar
The first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera set against the backdrop of a universally known series of events seen, unusually, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. Based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the musical follows the last week of Jesus Christ’s life and the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, and His disciples and followers. The production runs through Sunday at North Texas Performing Arts in Plano.

Junior Players presents Much Ado About Nothing
In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, power defies legacy. Throughout the show, audiences will see greed, jealousy, and deception make a valiant effort to foil the love of young courtship. The comedic play unfolds as Leonato, leader of Spain, awaits the arrival of Don Pedro of Aragon and his victorious army of Portuguese soldados (soldiers). The production runs through Sunday at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.

Rover Dramawerks presents Wrong Turn at Lungfish
Peter is a blind and bitter former college professor, and Anita is a saucy, streetwise young woman who volunteers to read to him in the hospital. The clash of intellect and wit takes the two from animosity and fear to friendship and understanding. Both come with questions, hers dealing with her station in life and her handsome yet abusive boyfriend Dominic, and his about past life choices. As their relationship develops, both end up with hopeful answers. The production runs through August 17 at Cox Playhouse in Plano.

Friday, August 2

Blues Traveler & Big Head Todd and the Monsters in concert
Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd and the Monsters come to town to co-headline the “Blue Monsters Tour.” While both rock bands have continued to release new music - Blues Traveler is touring in support of their 2023 album, Traveler’s Soul, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters is touring in support of their new album, Thunderbird - their biggest successes came in the 1990s. They'll play at The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory.

Niall Horan in concert
The solo careers of former One Direction members have been varied in their success, but Niall Horan hasn't suffered in the slightest. His first solo album, Flicker, went to No. 1 upon its release in 2017, and his next two albums have performed almost equally as well, with his latest - 2023's The Show - coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. He'll perform at Dos Equis Pavilion, joined by Del Water Gap.

Donny Osmond in concert
Now over 50 years into his singing career, Donny Osmond will bring his award-winning Las Vegas show to Dallas, a 90-minute spectacle in which he performs his hits, shares stories of his greatest show-stopping memories, and introduces brand new music in a fresh and completely reimagined song and dance celebration. Osmond has released 18 albums in his career, most recently Start Again in 2021. He'll perform at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives in concert
Country Music Hall of Famer Marty Stuart got his start in bluegrass legend Lester Flatts’ band, and on the road and in the studio with legend Johnny Cash. Over 40 years as a solo artist, he has released more than 20 major label albums, most recently Altitude in 2023. He and his band, His Fabulous Superlatives, will play at Majestic Theatre.

Dale Watson & His Lone Stars in concert
Dale Watson is a singer who champions "Ameripolitan" as a new genre of original music, one that he says is "authentic country music." Since releasing his debut album at the relatively old age of 33, he has been a workhorse, releasing new music in one form or another almost every year for close to 25 years. He'll play with his band, His Lone Stars, at Longhorn Ballroom.

Art Centre Theatre presents Bat Boy: The Musical
Based on a story in The Weekly World News, Bat Boy: The Musical is a comedy/horror show about a half boy/half bat creature adopted by a small town veterinarian. When Bat Boy and the vet's daughter run away together, their happiness is shattered when her mom arrives and reveals the secret shocking story of Bat Boy’s unholy origin. The production runs through August 18 at Art Centre Theatre in Plano.

Saturday, August 3

Jared's Epic Blaster Battle
Jared's Epic Blaster Battle returns to Dallas for the ninth year, featuring dozens of inflatable bunkers, a live DJ, special guests, and special battles. The event, a four-hour series of more than 15 themed foam-flinging battles, also includes access to more than 50,000 free foam darts to take home, a chance to meet some Toy Blaster YouTube Celebrities and content creators, and more. The event takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Photo courtesy of Donny Osmond

Donny Osmond will perform at the Music Hall at Fair Park on August 2.

Iron & Wine in concert
Iron & Wine is not a music group but instead a lone singer - aka Samuel Beam - whose brand of folk music has been earning him acclaim for over 20 years. His debut album, 2002's The Creek Drank the Cradle, didn't make an impact on the charts, but it did lead to him recording a version of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights," which landed on the Garden State soundtrack. He's had a steady-if-unspectacular career since, releasing 10 albums, including the new Light Verse. He'll play at Majestic Theatre.

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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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