It'll be a big festival weekend in and around Dallas, with two film festivals, a music/barbecue festival, and a sesquicentennial celebration of a Dallas suburb. Other choices include two concerts, a national tour of a Broadway musical, two local theater productions, three dance productions, a comedian, and a unique symphonic concert.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out our calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, April 23
Tyler Childers in concert
Country singer Tyler Childers, who is celebrating the 15th anniversary of his 2011 debut album, Bottles and Bibles, has slowly grown into a consistently popular artist in the genre. After a slow start to his career, his last three albums — including Snipe Hunter in 2025 — have each made the top 5 on Billboard's Country chart and top 10 on the overall Billboard 200. He'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion, joined by Scott T. Smith and Robert Earl Keen.
USA Film Festival
The 2026 edition of the USA Film Festival will feature 23 separate programs, including narrative feature films, documentaries, and short films. Highlights of the five-day event, taking place through Sunday at Angelika Film Center in Dallas, will include a salute to filmmaker Renny Harlin alongside a screening of his latest film, Deep Water; a 75th Anniversary screening of Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train;a salute to actor Lesley Ann Warren, alongside a screening of her new short film, Olive; and more.
Dallas International Film Festival
The 20th edition of the annual Dallas International Film Festival will include more than 120 screenings, filmmaker Q&As, panels, nightly red carpets, and special events. Highlights include Cookie Queens, a documentary about Girl Scout Cookie season executive produced by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry; Poetic License, the directorial debut of Maude Apatow; Power Ballad, the latest film from writer/director John Carney starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas; a retrospective screening of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; and more. The festival runs through April 30, with most screenings taking place at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park.
Broadway at the Center presents Kinky Boots
In Kinky Boots, Charlie Price reluctantly inherits his father’s shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father’s legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. As Charlie and Lola work together to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they realized … and discovers that you change the world when you change your mind. There will be four performances through Saturday at Winspear Opera House.
Friday, April 24
Lone Star Smokeout
Country music stars Riley Green, Koe Wetzel, and Shaboozey will headline the second annual Lone Star Smokeout, which will feature almost 20 music performances over three days. A roster of more than a dozen world-class barbecue pitmaster teams from Texas and across America will serve up great 'cue, and there will also be a Sunday barbecue brunch. The event takes place through Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Sundown Collaborative Theatre presents The Great Impresario Boris Lermantov Would Like to Invite You to Dinner
Inspired by the iconic 1948 film The Red Shoes, The Great Impresario Boris Lermantov Would Like to Invite You to Dinner examines the inherent corruption of power, specifically in art leadership, and dives headfirst into the intoxicating, unsettling question at the heart of artistic ambition: does great art require great suffering? And if so … who pays the price? The production runs through May 3 at Golden Triangle Mall in Denton.
Garland Civic Theatre presents Drinking Habits
Accusations, mistaken identities, and romances run wild in the traditional, laugh-out-loud farce, Drinking Habits. Two nuns at the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing have been secretly making wine to keep the convent's doors open, but Paul and Sally, reporters and former fiancées, are hot on their trail. They go undercover as a nun and priest, but their presence, combined with the addition of a new nun, spurs paranoia throughout the convent. The production runs through May 3 at Granville Arts Center in Garland.
Bombshell Dance Project presents West
West offers an opportunity to step into another world and follow an eclectic cast of characters through the frontier as audiences try to untangle the good guys from the bad. Bombshell Dance Project is a contemporary dance theater company driven by collaboration and committed to redefining the audience experience through fresh formats and familiar stories that bring audiences closer to dance. There will be performances on Friday and Saturday at Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas.
Nimesh Patel: With All Due Respect
Nimesh Patel is a comedian and Emmy-nominated writer based in New York City who was a writer on NBC’s late night show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh. In standup, he is a regular at New York’s famed Comedy Cellar, has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has opened for Chris Rock and Aziz Ansari. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.
Saturday, April 25
Ballet Ensemble of Texas presents Celebration of Dance
In honor of their 25th anniversary in Coppell, Ballet Ensemble of Texas will move its annual Celebration of Dance to the Coppell Arts Center, featuring a performance of Cinderella. Following the 6 pm performance on Saturday will be a special Cinderella Ball with a silent auction and a champagne toast. There will be three performances through Sunday.
Avant Chamber Ballet presents Carnival of the Animals
Avant Chamber Ballet's Carnival of the Animals is a family-friendly performance that features Saint-Saëns’ orchestral suite Carnival of the Animals, choreographed by Katie Puder and featuring a live orchestra. The performance takes place at Moody Performance Hall.
City of Allen presents Allen 150 Fest
Allen 150 Fest is a one-day celebration packed with live music, food, local art, fun activities, and a few surprises, all honoring 150 years of heart, history, and community spirit in the city of Allen. There will be a parade along Main Street, carnival games, a car show, vendor and sponsor booths, a performance by Emerald City Band, a drone show, and more. The event takes place in downtown Allen, with shuttle buses running from the nearby Allen ISD football stadium.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Steve Hackman: Stravinsky x Kendrick Lamar
Musical polymath and creative visionary Steve Hackman returns to Dallas with his latest orchestral fusion, Igor Damn Stravinsky. The concert combines Stravinsky’s whimsical 1911 ballet Petrouchka with Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album. Damn. The DSO’s Young Professionals group will keep the night going with the YPX after-party experience following the special concert. The event takes place at Meyerson Symphony Center.
Sunday, April 26
Il Volo in concert
Italian operatic pop trio Il Volo, who call their style "popera," have won fans all over the world thanks to their unique performances. Their versions of "O Sole Mio" and "Grande Amore" reached the top of the classical charts in the United States, and four of their albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard Classical charts. They have released 12 albums in their career, most recently Ad Astra // Ad Astra International in 2024. They'll perform at Winspear Opera House.
