Weekend Event Planner

Holiday events galore dominate the best things to do in Dallas this weekend

December naturally brings lots of holiday-related events, but few weekends this year have had as many big events happening as this one does. Even with the presence of a few top entertainers, holiday events dominate the landscape. Consequently, we'll be breaking down the massive list into categories instead of by day to underscore the number and variety of options available to you.

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.

Theater

Broadway Dallas presents Shucked
The lone non-holiday theater offering will be the national tour of Shucked, a Tony Award-winning musical comedy featuring songs by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is about a small-town girl who must travel to the big city in order to try to save the corn that sustains her community. The production runs December 5-15 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

CenterStage Theatre Works presents Elf the Musical
Based on the beloved 2002 movie, Elf the Musical is a feel-good, ultra-silly, heartwarming show. Buddy the Elf’s larger-than-life antics light up New York City with childlike wonder. The production runs December 5-15 at Frisco Discovery Center.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Annie
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. A ward of a New York City orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan, Annie escapes to New York, going on adventure after fun-filled adventure. The production runs December 5-22 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Black Nativity
Inspired by Langston Hughes's 1960 Broadway production, Black Nativity returns with hand-clapping, toe-tapping, and finger-snapping theatrical wonderment for the 20th anniversary production at Bishop Arts Theatre Center. The holiday favorite is the heartwarming retelling of the Nativity story that includes Gospel music, dramatic dance, and biblical narrative. The production runs December 5-22.

Garland Civic Theatre presents Little Women
Based on Louisa May Alcott's 1868-69 semi-autobiographical novel, Little Women focuses on the four March sisters: traditional Meg, wild and aspiring writer Jo, timid Beth, and romantic Amy. They are with their beloved Marmee at home in Concord, Massachusetts, while their father is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. The production runs December 6-22 at Granville Arts Center in Garland.

Theatre Arlington presents Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn, the beloved film classic, comes to the stage in a charming crowd-pleaser featuring one glorious Irving Berlin number after another, each celebrating a different festivity. The production runs December 6-22 at Theatre Arlington.

Lewisville Playhouse presents Forever Plaid
In Forever Plaid. the dreams of a quartet of high-school chums of recording an album ends in death in a collision with a bus filled with Catholic schoolgirls on their way to see the Beatles' American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The revue begins with the Plaids returning from the afterlife for one final chance at musical glory. The production runs December 6-22 at Lewisville Playhouse.

Uptown Players presents A Queer Carol
A Queer Carol, an LGBTQ+ adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, is a contemporary retelling set in modern-day Manhattan. It follows "Ben" Scrooge, a prominent interior decorator, and his assistant Bob Cratchit, who endures the abuses of Scrooge while simultaneously trying to take care of his lover, Tim. The production runs December 6-15 at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents Rockabilly Christmas: A Christmas Radio Play
It's 1958, and America's favorite radio station is celebrating the Yuletide with that crazy new sound sweeping the country - Rockabilly. The whole town is abuzz, and why not; the live lineup features a dark-haired, hip-swinging young singer from Memphis. Rockabilly Christmas: A Christmas Radio Play will feature local performers singing Christmas songs and producing an old-fashioned radio play. The production runs December 6-22 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Theatre Coppell presents A Christmas Carol
Scrooge hates Christmas and despises any sentimentality that leads to good will and charity, even toward his own family. It takes ghosts with a dire prophecy to convince him that mankind should be everyone’s business. The production runs December 6-22 at Coppell Arts Center.

Holiday festivals

The City of Garland presents A Garland Christmas on the Square
The City of Garland will present their annual tree lighting ceremony as part of their festive celebration, Christmas on the Square. Visitors can enjoy live music from Q the Band alongside Christmas carolers, real reindeer, and a snow hill. They can also capture memories with Santa Claus, savor treats from local vendors and restaurants, and explore artisan crafts at the Urban Market. The event, taking place in Downtown Garland, will include a lighted tunnel, synthetic ice-skating rink, and train rides. The event takes place on December 5.

Klyde Warren Park presents Tree Lighting Celebration
Klyde Warren Park's annual Tree Lighting Celebration includes an afternoon of family-friendly activities, an array of food trucks serving holiday-inspired treats, and culminates with the lighting of "The Mayor’s Tree" in the heart of the park. That event, taking place on December 7, is just the prelude to...

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Reliant Lights Your Holidays
Visitors to Klyde Warren Park can walk across the street to Sammons Park on the AT&T Performing Arts Center campus for Reliant Lights Your Holidays, also on December 7. The event will feature performances by Jackopierce, NRG Party Band, and more; a holiday vendor market; thousands of LED lights; a Christmas-themed drone show; a wintery snow playground; and more. For long lists of spectacular local Christmas lights, go here and here.

City of Farmers Branch presents A Christmas Carnival
The Farmers Branch Historical Park will transform into A Christmas Carnival, featuring holiday treats and eats; carnival rides; live entertainment from Stargazer, Lady Diamond, and local school shows; Dasher’s Silent Disco; roaming holiday characters; and Santa Claus. For the finale, the event - taking place on December 7 - will include a holiday drone show and fireworks display.

Dance

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents Black on Black
Black on Black is an intimate evening with Dallas Black Dance Theatre and DBDT: Encore!, an exhibition of never-before-seen premiere works choreographed exclusively by DBDT dancers, for the dancers. Guests can enjoy a pre-show reception featuring light bites and refreshments, and an afterparty with a live DJ set. The event takes place on December 6 and 7 at the Dallas Black Dance Theatre studios.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker, performed with a live orchestra, tells the story of Clara and her adventures with the Nutcracker Prince as they journey through the Land of Sweets. Featuring vibrant costumes, stunning choreography, and a professional cast of dancers, the production from Avant Chamber Ballet is a holiday tradition. The production will have four performances, December 6-8, at Moody Performance Hall.

Ballet Ensemble of Texas presents The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker rings in the holiday season with humor, tradition, and splendor. Guest artists will include alumni Breanne Granlund and Carlos Gonzalez, soloists with American Ballet Theatre. More than 200 young dancers from the Ballet Academy of Texas will also be part of this production, which will have four performances on December 7 and 8 at Irving Arts Center.

Music

Justin Timberlake in concert
In any other weekend, a visit from Justin Timberlake would be the undisputed highlight. Part of The Forget Tomorrow World Tour, Timberlake's first tour in five years, this concert will feature the pop singer performing songs from his latest album, Everything I Thought It Was, his first new album since Man of the Woods in 2018. The concert takes place at American Airlines Center on December 6.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Christmas Pops
The tradition of Christmas Pops continues with the Dallas Symphony Chorus performing anthems, classical holiday favorites, and sing-along carols. Vocalists will join the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony Chorus to bring a bit of Christmas magic to Meyerson Symphony Center. The main event takes place December 6-15; parents can also choose the shorter Family Christmas Pops on December 7 and 14, a one-hour long performance featuring the Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas.

Fantasia in concert
Former American Idol winner Fantasia has not been as hugely successful as fellow champions Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, but she has firmly established herself in the R&B genre. She's also been a big part of The Color Purple musical, starring on Broadway, a national tour, and the 2023 film adaptation. She'll perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie on December 6, joined by special guest Avery Sunshine.

Photo by Jordan Fraker

Avant Chamber Ballet presents The Nutcracker at Moody Performance Hall, December 6-8.

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Movie Review

Dark comedy Friendship covers male bonding with copious cringing

Photo courtesy of A24

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara) and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin - a weatherman at a local TV channel - even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, there are many things in the story that go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

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Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

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