Weekend Event Planner

These are the 16 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's another stacked weekend of events around Dallas, with something to suit almost every taste. Choices include two big local festivals, two Halloween season events, three local theater productions, three concerts across the musical spectrum, a ballet production, a celebration of fall, a classic movie screening with a big celebrity on hand, the closing of one exhibition and the opening of another, and a visit from a big British comedian.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, September 18

HEB | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival
The Plano Balloon Festival is a multi-day event that features balloon glows, a parachute team exhibition, hot air balloons, concerts by the Plano Symphony Orchestra and Midtown 10, fireworks, a kids fun zone, merchandise vendors, corporate exhibitors, and variety of food. The festival takes place through Sunday at Red Tail Pavilion in Plano.

Addison Oktoberfest
At Addison Oktoberfest, visitors can enjoy a taste of the original Bavarian celebration with a purely Texan twist. Visitors can don dirndls and lederhosen (or just come as you are) for four days of revelry in German culture, food, music, and bier. There will be polka bands and other traditional entertainers on multiple stages, and guests can participate in special games for bier lovers, kids of all ages, dachshunds, and more. The festival takes place through Sunday at Addison Circle Park.

Howell Farms presents Pumpkin Nights
At Pumpkin Nights, guests can venture along a half-mile walking path, where they’ll discover the Forbidden City, a Pirate’s Cove, and more fantastical lands built using over 5,000 hand-carved real and artificial pumpkins. The celebration continues with entertainment and games in The Village, the festival area. The event takes place through October 31 at Howell Family Farms in Arlington.

Theatre Three presents The Niceties
A young Black student of history. A middle-aged white professor of history. What begins as a polite clash in perspective explodes into an urgent debate about race and power. In a time when instead of listening we’re just waiting to give our opinion, the play takes an empathetic view of both sides of a conversation we all need to be ready to have. The production runs through October 12 in the Theatre Too space at Theatre Three.

Tate McRae in concert
Canadian singer Tate McRae released her first album in 2022, but she's been building a fanbase in her home country since at least 2017 when she put out her first single, "One Day." She broke through in 2020 with "You Broke Me First," and finally made it to the A-list with the 2023 No. 1 song, "Greedy." She comes to Dallas in support of her third album, So Close to What, her first album to go to No. 1 in both the U.S. and Canada, among other countries. She'll perform at American Airlines Center.

Verdigris Ensemble presents Betty’s Notebook Re: Transmit
A teenage girl hears something strange on her radio. What she believes is the final transmission of Amelia Earhart turns out to maybe be true. She writes it all down. Decades later, her notebook becomes the starting point for this immersive, goosebump-inducing performance. Betty’s Notebook is not your typical concert: voices drift through the space like distant signals, projections fill the room, and the past comes eerily alive around you. The production runs through September 28 at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Arts Mission Oak Cliff presents Hair
Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the rise of the counterculture movement, Hair follows a tribe of politically passionate, peace-loving youth in search of truth, love, and liberation. The production invites audiences into an immersive and sensory-rich experience that blurs the line between performance and participation. The musical runs through September 27 at Arts Mission Oak Cliff.

Shakespeare Dallas presents The Taming of the Shrew
In the romantic comedy The Taming of the Shrew, Lucentio loves Bianca but is unable to court her until her older sister Katherina marries. Hilarity ensues as the eccentric Petruccio marries the reluctant Katherina and uses a number of tactics to charm her. Lucentio marries Bianca and, in a contest at the end, Katherina proves to be an incredible wife. Shakespeare Dallas' production, which is set in the Wild West, runs through October 19 at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater.

Friday, September 19

Dark Hour Haunted House
Guests can journey through the cursed corridors of Dark Hour Haunted House and encounter a host of dark and sinister characters lurking in every shadow. It's a labyrinth of fear, where cutting-edge special effects deliver spine-chilling surprises around every corner. The first haunted house in the Dallas area to debut for the season will be open on select dates through November 2.

Texas Ballet Theater presents Peter Pan
Some stories, like some children, never grow old. Texas Ballet Theater will present a charmingly colorful take on the timeless tale of Peter Pan. Featuring bright neons and edgy mohawks, the performance is the perfect combination of mischief and magic as Wendy, Peter, Tinkerbell, and others dance their way across land, sea - and even air. The production runs through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, September 20

Dallas Arboretum presents Autumn at the Arboretum: ¡Mundo México!
The Dallas Arboretum's annual Autumn at the Arboretum will have the theme of ¡Mundo México!, as the garden transforms more than 110,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squash into a celebration of Mexican living culture, contemporary art, and cross-border biodiversity,. At the heart of ¡Mundo México! are eight sculptures from Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles, featuring hybrid animal figures that draw from Zapotec cosmology. The event runs through November 2.

Above & Beyond in concert
Electronic music group Above & Beyond recently celebrated their 25th anniversary as a band, forming in England in 1999. However, it took until their fourth album, 2018's Common Ground, for them to make a big impact on this side of the pond, with the album going to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. They'll perform at Dos Equis Pavilion in support of their new album, Bigger Than All of Us, joined by Qrion, Spencer Brown, and Rezident.

Not Dead Yet: John Cleese & The Holy Grail at 50
Not Dead Yet celebrates 50 years of Monty Python and the Holy Grail with the one and only John Cleese. The event features a special screening of the beloved cult classic, followed by a conversation and audience Q&A with Cleese himself, where he will share behind-the-scenes stories, wit, and wisdom, assuming he remembers any of it. The event takes place at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, September 21

Titanic: The Exhibition closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view "Titanic: The Exhibition," located in a former Steinmart within Pepper Square in North Dallas. Visitors can embark on an immersive, interactive tour of the Titanic, visit the dock from where the ship first set sail, explore the galleries and boiler room, see the Grand Staircase, and more. To get an extra discount for the exhibition's final days, use the code TITANICFINAL20 when purchasing tickets online.

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Creatures and Captives: Painted Textiles of the Ancient Andes" opening day
For centuries, ancient Andean artists painted animals, humans, abstract motifs, and mythical beings on undyed cotton cloth. Showcasing a subtle color palette, these painted textiles have long been overshadowed by textiles woven from brightly dyed cotton and woolen yarns. "Creatures and Captives: Painted Textiles of the Ancient Andes" presents examples from the DMA’s collection highlighting this lesser-known Andean textile tradition. The exhibition will remain on display through February 22, 2026.

Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny
Jimmy Carr is a household name in UK television, known for hosting Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, in addition to presenting Comedy Central’s Roast Battle UK and Your Face Or Mine. He'll perform two shows at Majestic Theater as part of his brand-new tour, Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny.

Photo by Jordan Fraker

Shakespeare Dallas presents The Taming of the Shrew at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater through October 19.

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Movie Review

Marty Supreme cements Timothée Chalamet as his generation's movie star

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Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also got nominated for an Oscar for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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