Festival News

Surf's up at 2-day festival at Grand Prairie water park Epic Waters

Things are splashy at the Epic Waters Waterpark in Grand Prairie.

Photo courtesy of Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark

Surf's up at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark In Grand Prairie with the return of FlowaPalooza, taking place at the Epic, considered to be one of the splashiest, most very best indoor waterparks in the U.S.

The festival, which takes place September 23-24, centers on a surf competition on the FlowRider, the world’s first and most famous surf simulating machine. This competition is open to multiple age groups and abilities. Those who don't want to compete can buy a ticket to watch the action; here's a snapshot from the 2022 event.

The first Flowapalooza at Epic Waters took place in June 2019 after Flowrider added the Grand Prairie facility to the list of stops on its FLOW Tour competition.

In subsequent years, Epic Waters repositioned the date of the festival from June to the fall. It has grown larger every year, although this year, it's just two nights instead of three, as in prior years.

Flow Tour's goal is to help keep the sport of flowboarding alive, and also keep FlowRiders around the world connected. There are more than 220 FlowRiders installed at water parks around the world, as well as on cruise chips. Epic Waters is home to a FlowRider Double, a two-lane attraction, making it the largest FlowRider in North Texas. (Other FlowRiders are in Plano, Arlington, Little Elm, and Dallas, at the State Fair of Texas.)

Free activities throughout the weekend will include live music on The Grand Lawn at EpicCentral, with six bands on Saturday, headlined by David Lee Garza Y Los Musicales, and four more bands on Sunday.

Also performing will be The Flying Cortes family, a five-generation troupe that takes the traditional flying trapeze to a new level by showcasing classic flying maneuvers over 30 feet in the air.

There will also be multiple food trucks available on-site, as well as a Family Village featuring free games like Robo Surfing, Zorb Ball Racing, carnival games, rock climbing, and more.

“We are passionate about providing entertainment for all ages and FlowaPalooza helps us deliver on this while offering a free event to our community,” said Lisa Miller of Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in a statement. “This epic festival is full of live music, entertainment for all, delicious food, and a range of activities.”

The festival will take place from 12-10 pm on Saturday and 12-6 pm on Sunday.

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New Theater

Premieres lead the way in Dallas Theater Center's 2026-27 season

Aigner Mizzelle and Okieriete Onaodowan in the off-Broadway production of The Monsters

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The Monsters, which started off-Broadway, will make its regional premiere as part of Dallas Theater Center's 2026-27 season.

The 2026-2027 season for Dallas Theater Center will feature six productions, including three world premieres, a regional premiere, a returning favorite, and a to-be-determined sixth production.

The inaugural season of incoming Enloe/Rose Artistic Director, Jaime Castañeda, will be marked by a renewed commitment to new work at Dallas Theater Center.

That starts with with the world premieres of three new shows:

The Cold War thriller Reykjavik86 by Gabe McKinley, which brings the 1986 nuclear summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev to life on stage. It will be the initial production of the season, running September 11-27, 2026 at Wyly Theatre.
The dark comedy musical Kill Local, with a book by Mat Smart and music and lyrics by Liza Anne, is about Sheila and her sister, Abigail, who work together for their mother’s small family business, which just so happens to be assassins. It features killer songs about blood ties, revenge, and how hard it is to get unstuck. It will run March 26-April 11, 2027 in the Wyly Studio Theatre
The Making of a Saint by KJ Sanchez is theatrical exploration of faith and family in which KJ, a documentary writer/performer, sets out to understand the story of Sister Blandina, whom KJ's brother is helping to canonize. It will be the final scheduled show of the season, running May 14-June 6, 2027 in the Wyly Studio Theatre.

Joining them will be the regional premiere of The Monsters by Ngozi Anyanwu, about a scrappy young fighter named Lil who is ready to enter the ring. She reconnects with her brother Big, an accomplished fighter in the local MMA scene and tries to earn his respect.

The production, which just finished a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run on March 22, runs October 9-November 1, 2026 in the Wyly Studio Theatre.

A yet-to-be-named fifth production, which will be announced on June 1, will run February 5-21, 2027 in the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

All of those productions will be part of the season subscriptions. Dallas Theater Center's annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol, running November 27-December 27, 2026 at Wyly Theatre, can be added on.

“New work is the engine of the American Theater, and Dallas Theater Center will be a laboratory for artists who have something urgent and honest to express today,” said Enloe/Rose Artistic Director Jaime Castañeda in a statement. "These plays are about the now, and they are events for the stage that are in direct conversation with the audience."

DTC’s Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company members will be featured throughout the 2025-26 season, including Christina Austin Lopez, Tiana Kaye Blair, Blake Hackler, Bob Hess, Liz Mikel, Alex Organ, Molly Searcy, Tiffany Solano, Sally Nysteun Vahle, Esteban Vilchez, Zachary J. Willis, and Bri Woods, who is the Linda and Bill Custard SMU Meadows Actor.

Subscriptions for the 2026-27 season are available now, and can be purchased online at DallasTheaterCenter.org or by calling the DTC Box Office at 214-522-8499.

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