'Tis the Season

Celebrate 40 jolly days of festive Christmas magic in Grapevine

Just north of Dallas-Fort Worth lies the Christmas Capital of Texas: Grapevine. From icy wonderlands and historic train rides to artisan experiences and seasonal shopping, there are more than 1,400 festive events across 40 days, meaning that Christmas cheer is truly around every corner.

Discover distinctive gifts from locally owned boutiques at the Grapevine Christmas Village, showcasing fine Texas artisans. At Grapevine Mills, peruse top-name brands and explore Meow Wolf’s Phenomenomaly immersive experience. Stroll Historic Main Street, rich with charm, music, and the aroma of roasted nuts and cocoa.

Grapevine Christmas The city is covered in Christmas cheer. Photo courtesy of Grapevine CVB

Savor the season along the Urban Wine Trail, featuring eight Texas winery tasting rooms pouring mulled wines, sparkling rosés, and bold reds, or refine your palate with a wine-and-cookie pairing class.

Create lasting memories with hands-on experiences like glass ornament-making at Vetro Glassblowing Studio, racing through a Christmas-themed escape room at The Grapevine Escape, or helping Marshal Jim Courtright turn around A Cold Hearted Christmas at Texas Star Dinner Theater.

Glide across the Peace Plaza Ice Rink beneath a 60-foot live Christmas tree. Sip a seasonal cocktail at a Christmas pop-up bar and catch the 5th Annual Merry & Bright Drone Shows on Mondays, December 1 and 8.

Grapevine Christmas drone show Keep an eye on the skies for the drone shows.Photo courtesy of Grapevine CVB

Continue your holiday adventure at Gaylord Texan Resort with Lone Star Christmas and its signature ICE! attraction. This year, 40 master artisans from Harbin, China, are sculpting two million pounds of colorful ice into swirly, twirly scenes from the beloved movie Elf. But don't worry: Guests don a blue parka to explore nine-degree tunnels, slide down icy slides, and marvel at the glowing sculptures.

Keep the magic going at Great Wolf Lodge’s Snowland, where indoor snow falls daily. Enjoy the 84-degree water park before retreating to cozy cabin-style suites. At Bass Pro Shops, Santa’s Wonderland offers free photos with Santa, kids’ crafts, and outdoor-inspired gifts for everyone on your list.

Hop on the complimentary Grapevine Visitor Shuttle to Historic Main Street, where a picture-perfect holiday scene awaits. Wander beneath festive lights, take in the giant decorations, and enjoy the aroma of roasted nuts and warm cocoa.Settle in for classic holiday films like Home Alone, It's a Wonderful Life, and White Christmas at the Historic Palace Theatre, which is also the venue for live performances from The Teas Tenors, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and more. At the Lancaster Theatre, kiddos can watch beloved Christmas cartoons, including A Charlie Brown Christmas and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, while making a fun Christmas-themed craft.

After a magical day, unwind in one of Grapevine’s 20-plus hotels and wake up ready for another day of holiday fun. Visit ChristmasCapitalofTexas.com to start planning your Christmas getaway today.

Discover the best wine pairings for Christmas cookies.

Photo courtesy of Grapevine CVB

Discover the best wine pairings for Christmas cookies.

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All Eyes on Them

Dallas alt hip-hop group wins prestigious Tiny Desk Contest by NPR

Cure for Paranoia/Facebook

As winners of the Tiny Desk Contest, Cure for Paranoia will record their own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour.

Few live recording studios or musical web series have the cultural sway of NPR's Tiny Desk, and a Dallas band is poised to make an impactful debut: Cure For Paranoia, an alternative hip-hop project by rapper Cameron McCloud and producers Tomahawk Jonez and Jay Analo, has won the high-stakes annual Tiny Desk Contest for 2026.

They'll record their official Tiny Desk show "soon," the announcement by NPR says.

Winning the concert also means Cure for Paranoia is going on tour. The only Texas stop will be at Emo's Austin on June 24.

Tiny Desk is known for platforming both niche and majorly successful artists — NPR posted a new Foo Fighters set on YouTube on May 13 — for stripped-down sets that are literally played behind former All Things Considered director Bob Boilen's old desk. (Fun fact for Texans: Tiny Desk was created because folk artist Laura Gibson was disappointed with the sound at her South by Southwest show in Austin in 2008, and she wanted a redo.)

Most artists who appear on Tiny Desk more than 15 years later are already well-known, at least in their specific circles. But the Tiny Desk Contest, which launched in 2015, helps a growing group of newer, unsigned artists get their foot in the door. Contestants record one video of them performing a single song behind a desk, and a jury of radio staff and musicians chooses their favorite.

In their audition video, Cure for Paranoia gathered 11 musicians around a truly tiny desk and in front of downtown Dallas' iconic gigantic eyeball sculpture. They played the song "No Brainer," a frenetic track that starts with clever boasts and becomes a criticism of racism in the United States.

McCloud, a pre-school teacher, is known independently of Cure for Paranoia for rapping to his social media following about politics and current events. Some of those lyrics made it into "No Brainer." He says he started the group because he found that music was more helpful than medication for coping with bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia.

Alex Marrero, host of the Austin-based KUTX show Horizontes, was one of the judges this year. He was impressed with the visuals in Cure for Paranoia's audition.

“When this popped up, I immediately felt something different," he wrote in a blurb for the announcement. "It just jumped out. The visuals were super cool and creative, BUT I could still totally envision them bringing the heat behind the Desk.”

Madison McFerrin, jazz vocalist and daughter of the famous singer Bobby McFerrin, was one of the musical judges.

"Cure For Paranoia’s energy is infectious, fresh and distinctly theirs — exactly what you want in a Contest winner!" she wrote.

McCloud's post on Instagram announcing the group's win has only been up for three hours at the time of this article's publication, and it already has more than 8,000 likes. The YouTube audition has garnered 74,000 views.

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