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.

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Waterpark fun

Hurricane Harbor Arlington slides into summer with 2026 opening date

Splash Island at Hurricane Harbor Arlington

Photo courtesy of Hurricane Harbor Arlington

Hurricane Harbor Arlington opens for the 2026 season on May 16.

Dallas-Fort Worth's largest waterpark, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington, will officially open for the summer on Saturday, May 16, bringing a variety of new offerings for park attendees.

Chief among them will be a new Fast Lane program that allows guests to bypass standard ride wait lines. Guests who purchase a Fast Lane Pass online or at the park can redeem a wristband at any participating Fast Lane location within the park. Fast Lane wristbands are valid for use at participating rides and attractions throughout the park.

Hurricane Harbor has also undergone a series of park-wide improvements and upgraded attractions. They include ride upgrades on Sea Wolf, Raging Rapids, and the Wave Pool; a new Life Floor addition to the Splash Island play structure; new and improved shade sails throughout the park; and more.

In 2025, the park unveiled a new signature attraction, Splash Island, a 58,000 square-foot family area featuring a three-story play structure with 110 interactive water features, 17 slides, and a Texas-sized tipping bucket carrying 1,000 gallons of water.

“This season opening marks an exciting new chapter for Hurricane Harbor Arlington, with Splash Island continuing to stand out as the park’s largest and most expansive addition in recent years,” said Heather Blair, park manager, in a statement.

Season passes are now on sale, with a Gold Pass offering access to Hurricane Harbor Arlington, Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Schlitterbahn Waterparks, Frontier City, and other Hurricane Harbor locations in Texas and Oklahoma.

For a limited time, guests can purchase a 2026 Gold Membership for as little as $8 a month. For more information on passes, tickets and park hours, visit sixflags.com/hurricaneharbortexas.

Hurricane Harbor Arlington is also now hiring a variety of seasonal positions. Applicants must be at least 15 years old, and positions are filled on a rolling basis as available. Interested candidates can apply online at jobs.sixflags.com.

Hurricane Harbor's opening-date announcement comes on the heels of another local waterpark chain reopening its two DFW locations this month: Hawaiian Falls in Roanoke and Mansfield will open their doors for the summer season on Saturday, May 9.

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