Deep Ellum News

Deep Ellum fires up first tree lighting ceremony for holiday weekend

Holidays in Deep Ellum

Photo courtesy of Woodforest

Holiday shoppers seeking an alternative to the usual mall experience can hit Deep Ellum, which is hosting #DeckDeepEllum, a festive tradition with its own hashtage taking place on Saturday November 26.

It's one part of an entire Small Business Saturday event that will, for the first time, incorporate a tree lighting ceremony. Called Deep Ellum Noel Nights, it'll feature holiday music, s’mores, fire pits, and photos with Santa from 6-9 pm, in the plaza at 2647 Main St.

Small Business Saturday is a nationwide shopping event launched as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which focus on big box retail and internet stores. In contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages shopping small and local during one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year.

There's also an interactive component: Deep Ellum businesses will be decorating a bright pink Christmas tree in a contest for Christmas tree supremacy. Locals can vote via social media for their favorite tree, and one patron wins a gift card to that business.

More than 20 Deep Ellum businesses are participating including: Mokah Coffee & Tea, Gus’s Fried Chicken, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Flea Style, Upstairs Circus, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Blade Craft Barber Academy, Kettle Art Gallery, Urban Paws, Unruly Boutique, JEM Studios, Twisted Root, Federales, White Rhino Coffee, Cheba Hut, Chick’nCone, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Space Cowboy Home, Everything Ellum, PartyGeenius, Cafe Brazil, The Upper Paw, and Rudolph’s Market & Sausage Factory.

Stephanie Keller Hudiburg, executive director of The Deep Ellum Foundation, says in a release that their goal is to encourage Dallasites and tourists to support the 185-plus local independent businesses in Deep Ellum.

The Deep Ellum Foundation (DEF) has also instituted a holiday theme in its streetlight pole banner program, drafting eight local artists to design holiday banners, including William “Bubba” Flint, Dani Waldorf, Will Heron, Madison Gowins, Taylor Peterson, Nick Anderson, Hunter Moehring, and Janie McGuffee. The banners can be spotted on Elm Street, Main Street, and Exposition Avenue.

The festivities begin with a holiday Sip & Shop at 11 am.

holidays deep-ellum

Concert News

Major Lazer and Turnpike Troubadours headline Dallas FIFA Fan Festival

Photo courtesy of Major Lazer

Major Lazer will headline one of three concerts at the FIFA Fan Festival Dallas at Fair Park.

The FIFA Fan Festival Dallas at Fair Park will include more than just soccer, as music will be a big part of it, too. Attendees will have the opportunity to see a trio of music performances from different artists.

The concert series, announced in a May 28 release, will kick off on June 28 with MC Magic, Baby Bash, Lil Rob, and special guest Concrete as part of their Latin Legacy Tour. "The group will deliver a night of nostalgia, energy and fan-favorite hits featuring MC Magic’s romantic ballads, Baby Bash’s party anthems, and Lil Rob’s Chicano rap," the release says.

This year’s Fair Park Fourth fireworks celebration will move to July 3, as Dallas will host a Round of 32 match early that afternoon. With three matches scheduled that day across the country, fans will be for a full day of soccer, entertainment, and fireworks.

As part of the Independence Day festivities, the next concert will take place on July 4, featuring Oklahoma band Turnpike Troubadours. The pioneers of the Red Dirt country music scene have scored three top 10 albums on the Billboard Country charts in their career.

The concert series wraps up on July 9 with global dance music powerhouse Major Lazer, comprised of the trio of electronic music artists Diplo, Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. Known for their genre-defining sound and high-energy performances, Major Lazer has released four studio albums and performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, including the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

All performances will take place on the Main Stage inside the Pavilion at Fair Park (aka Dos Equis Pavilion) following each day’s FIFA Fan Festival Dallas programming.

Separate concert tickets, starting at $26, are required for entry to each performance and will go on sale on Friday, May 29 at 10 am via Ticketmaster.

Nine FIFA World Cup matches (more than in any other host city) will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, dubbed "Dallas Stadium," for the tournament. They will start with Netherlands vs. Japan on June 14, followed by England vs. Croatia on June 17, Argentina vs. Austria on June 22, Japan vs. Sweden on June 25, and Jordan vs. Argentina on June 27.

The stadium will also host two Round of 32 matches (June 30 and July 3), one Round of 16 match (July 6), and one Semi-Final match (July 14).

Early estimates said Dallas-Fort Worth could welcome nearly 4 million visitors during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

concerts dos equis pavilion festivals fifa fan festival fifa world cup music soccer