from tiktok to SXSW

TikTok foodie and Dallasite Keith Lee will be featured speaker at SXSW

Keith Lee is adding onto his entrepreneurship empire with a featured session at SXSW.

Keith Lee - Facebook

Viral TikTok sensation Keith Lee is beefing up his entrepreneurship empire with a featured session at Austin's South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in March.

SXSW is already several announcements deep into its conference lineup, which includes regular sessions called featured sessions, as well as daily keynotes that usually feature especially influential speakers in larger formats.

But Lee's promises to be a standout. His featured session, called "Mastering the Art of Influencer Entrepreneurship," will give an inside look at how everyday media is no longer primarily being produced by "powerful entities," but by thousands of regular people thanks to the rise of the "Creator Economy."

And who better to demonstrate that than Lee, who has built his social media empire based off his 16-million-follower TikTok account where he gives honest reviews of small local restaurants in food-scene-driven cities all over the country. His reviews have resulted in surges of customer traffic, which is known as the "Keith Lee Effect."

According to the session description, Lee will join UK-based Digital Voices founder and CEO Jennifer Quigley-Jones to discuss the many ways content creators "can strategically use customer insights, innovative marketing techniques, and AI technology to fuel business growth."

This is a big achievement for Lee, who has come a long way from reviewing local Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants and buzzy Texas State Fair food. In fact, he enjoyed Texas foodie culture so much, he packed up and relocated from Las Vegas to Dallas.

He has previously touted the benefits of artificial intelligence with a Microsoft partnership to show how the tech company's AI products could help small Black-owned restaurants deal with business surges.

Keith Lee's "Mastering the Art of Influencer Entrepreneurship" featured session will take place on March 7 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm.

keith lee dallas austin sxsw

FIFA in on the big screen

Dallas' Klyde Warren Park turns into free World Cup watch party hub

Photo courtesy of Klyde Warren Park

Klyde Warren Park will host free watch parties for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Dallas' Klyde Warren Park is set to become one big watch party for 2026 FIFA World Cup. The park will host free public viewing events for nearly the entire tournament, showing dozens of matches on a giant outdoor LED screen in the heart of downtown Dallas.

According to a release, the park's "Global Watch Parties" will run from June 11-July 19, turning the 5.4-acre green space into a gathering spot for both devoted soccer fans and those who just want to experience the excitement of the tournament with others.

The watch parties will be free to attend and are expected to draw thousands of local residents and international visitors. Matches will be broadcast live from FOX and Telemundo in both English and Spanish. The park's viewing schedule can be found here.

Games will be shown every day of the tournament except Saturday, July 4 and designated tournament "rest" days on July 8, 12, 13, 16, and 17. Programming could begin as early as 6 am and continue until 10 pm, according to the release.

In addition to the matches themselves, visitors can expect food trucks, dining options, live music, fitness classes, family activities, public art installations, and appearances by local soccer organizations and community partners.

On weekends, Olive Street between the east and west sides of the park will be converted into a pedestrian plaza to improve access and accommodate larger crowds, organizers say.

“Klyde Warren Park has always been Dallas’ town square — a place where people from every neighborhood, background and culture come together to celebrate the moments that define our city,” says Kit Sawers, president and CEO of Klyde Warren Park, in the release. “The FIFA World Cup will bring the world to North Texas, and we’re proud to provide a free, welcoming space where fans and families can experience the excitement together in the heart of Dallas.”

Fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to watch games from the lawn, while surrounding restaurants and food vendors will help create a festival atmosphere throughout the tournament.

The schedule overlaps with Klyde Warren Park's annual Independence Day celebration (including the fireworks) on July 4, adding another major event to a busy summer in Dallas.

“These watch parties extend the World Cup experience far beyond the stadium,” Sawers says. “Whether you have match tickets or not, this gives everyone an opportunity to be part of the energy, pride and global connection that comes with hosting one of the world’s biggest sporting events.”

Nine FIFA World Cup matches (more than in any other host city) will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, dubbed "Dallas Stadium," for the tournament. They will start with Netherlands vs. Japan on June 14, followed by England vs. Croatia on June 17, Argentina vs. Austria on June 22, Japan vs. Sweden on June 25, and Jordan vs. Argentina on June 27.

The stadium will also host two Round of 32 matches (June 30 and July 3), one Round of 16 match (July 6), and one Semi-Final match (July 14).

Early estimates said Dallas-Fort Worth could welcome nearly 4 million visitors during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

fifa world cup 2026 klyde warren park downtown dallas fifa world cup