Hottest headlines of 2023

Hipster '80s roller rink skates into Dallas' most-read entertainment stories of 2023

New roller skating rink Ride On with '80s colors.

Courtesy rendering

Editor's note: Our most-read entertainment stories of 2023 spanned several "eras," from news of a hipster '80s roller rink, to a futuristic glow-in-the-dark playground, to - yep - Taylor Swift's own "Eras Tour" shows in Arlington. Readers also devoured roundups of spectacular Christmas lights, State Fair discounts, top spring festivals, and more.

Here were the 10 most popular entertainment stories of the year.

1. Hipster '80s-style roller skating rink to wheel into Dallas Design District. In March came the news that roller skating would be wheeling in to Dallas' Design District via Ride On, a new adult-oriented rink planned at 170 Pittsburg St., at the corner of Riverfront Boulevard.

2. Texas' first glow-in-the-dark playground to light up in Farmers Branch. Fair warning to parents: A new Dallas-area playground will have kids wanting to stay up past their bedtimes. Joya at Oran Good Park in Farmers Branch, set to open January 20, 2024, will be the first glow-in-the-dark playground in DFW and all of Texas.

joya glow in the dark neon Joya glow in the dark park in Farmers Branch. Courtesy rendering

3. 'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Yellowstone fans got their comfy shoes ready for long lines when it was announced that Cole Hauser, a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler," and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, would meet fans and sign autographs at the 2023 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on February 3.

4. Where to see the most spectacular Christmas lights in Dallas-Fort Worth for 2023. Dallas-Fort Worth started decking the halls before Halloween, and when places around town started flipping the switch, we rounded up the area's most dazzling Christmas light displays. Among the most popular? A sensational new drive-thru Light Park that would electrify Frisco for the 2023 holidays.

The Light Park Frisco The new Light Park in Frisco will be on through January 1. Photo courtesy of The Light Park

5. How to get every possible discount at the 2023 State Fair of Texas. The 2023 State Fair of Texas started its 24-day run at Fair Park on September 29, bringing with it music, games, food, and more. There were a multitude of discount ticket options offered by the State Fair and other groups, meaning there was no reason to pay full price.

6. Check out these 28 festivals hitting Dallas-Fort Worth in spring 2023. There are a lot of things that spring brings to Dallas-Fort Worth, and at that top of that list are festivals. In early April, we rounded up dozens of can't-miss 2023 festivals, from film to nature to food to music to the environment.

Wildflower-Festival-4 Wildflower! in Richardson is always a can't-miss event. Photo courtesy of Wildflower! Festival

7. Controversial comedian Dave Chappelle plots out 4 Texas arena shows, including Dallas. Comedian/actor Dave Chappelle announced he would bring his "Dave Chappelle Live" stand-up comedy show to arenas in four cities in Texas, including American Airlines Center in Dallas, on June 29. He then added a show at Fort Worth Dickies Arena on the following night.

8. Busy Dallas hard rock music venue Amplified Live to close this week. A Dallas live music venue was shutting down: Amplified Live, which has been one of the city's most popular venues for live rock music shows for the past decade, said it would close its doors at the end of March, with the final show on March 31, featuring Exciter and Night Cobra.

Gas Monkey Amplified Live Amplified Live unplugged for good. Courtesy photo

9. Country's largest hot springs pool complex coming to Grandscape in The Colony. The newest attraction headed to Grandscape in The Colony is a wellness spa-amusement park: WorldSprings, a nine-acre outdoor mineral springs experience, will debut in spring 2024. Announced in September, it will be WorldSprings' first location in Texas and the largest experience of its kind in the country.

10. Taylor Swift wows crowd at first of three sold-out nights in Arlington. On March 31, pop megastar Taylor Swift brought the first of three sold out nights to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, delivering a three-hour show that spanned highlights of her illustrious career. The "Eras Tour" was part of a U.S. tour that began in March and serves as a career retrospective, featuring tracks pulled from key albums including Lover, Fearless, and Evermore.

Taylor Swift on the "Eras Tour." Photo by John Medina/Getty Images

This week's hot headlines

Deep Ellum bar's closure leads this week's 5 most-read Dallas stories

On Premise

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Editor's note: Two big closures rocked the Dallas restaurant and bar scene this week. There was also an intriguing home for sale on Dallas' ritziest road, a new barbecue joint with an unusual focus, and more. Here's a look back at the top stories of the week. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Those are here.

1. Dallas bar closes after surviving a decade in Deep Ellum. A Dallas bar that opened 10 years ago in Deep Ellum has closed its doors: On Premise, which rode a decade-long wave in the often-turbulent neighborhood, closed on October 31.

2. Authentic upscale Mexican restaurant at Turtle Creek Dallas closes. In major bummer Dallas restaurant news, authentic Mexican restaurant Jalisco Norte has closed: The upscale restaurant and bar at Turtle Creek Village clocked out after seven years.

3. Dallas and Austin are facing the same kind of housing issues. The state’s housing crisis is effectively a new problem for state and local leaders — mainly because, for the longest time, Texas used to be cheap. "YIMBY" activists in Dallas have pushed local leaders, with mixed results, to embrace the idea that the country’s ninth-largest city should make it easier to build homes besides standalone single-family homes on large lots and big apartment buildings.

4. 50s Dallas home for sale on swanky Strait Lane still has pink bathroom. A house on Dallas' Strait Lane that is possibly home to the last '50s-era pink bathroom on the tony thoroughfare is up for sale. The bathroom's days are probably numbered — but maybe in this one case, it's not a bad thing.

5. Barbecue spot Kafi BBQ coming to Irving will be smoking halal Wagyu. A barbecue restaurant with an unusual focus is coming to Irving: Kafi BBQ, which specializes in halal Wagyu beef, will open at 8140 N. MacArthur Blvd. #100, Valley Ranch, in the former Rafikiz Bar and Grill.