Happy New Year

12 epic New Year's Eve celebrations around Dallas to ring in 2026

The fireworks at Reunion Tower will be far from the only way to celebrate New Year's Eve in Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Reunion Tower

New Year's Eve across Dallas is full of different ways to celebrate the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. We've compiled some of the most fun and interesting ways to have a good time ringing in the new year, from family-friendly daytime events to comedy shows, dance parties, and fireworks galore.

Below are the 12 of the best happenings around the Dallas area on New Year's Eve. For a longer list of events, head to our calendar.

Epic Waters presents Epic Family New Year
At Epic Family New Year, families can splash into 2026 during a celebration featuring more than $10,000 in hourly giveaways and prizes, live entertainment, games, and the waterpark’s signature slides and attractions. From 1 pm to 1 am, visitors will enjoy an array of programming, including music and duck races in the lazy river. A highlight of the celebration is the Epic Waters Duck Drop, offered multiple times throughout the day so younger guests can enjoy an early countdown before bedtime. The event takes place at Epic Waters indoor waterpark in Grand Prairie.

DJ Diesel's Cotton Bowl New Year's Eve
Just down the road from the big Cotton Bowl/College Football Playoff quarterfinal game will be DJ Diesel's Cotton Bowl New Year's Eve, which includes all-day access to Texas Live! in Arlington beginning at 10 am, and features the post-Cotton Bowl New Year's Eve celebration with a performance by DJ Diesel (a.k.a. Shaquille O'Neal). Game day activities include a Cotton Bowl tailgate party in the Arlington Backyard, live entertainment, and a watch party of the College Football Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on the massive media wall in Live! Arena.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents New Year's Eve
Assistant conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg will lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in this “So long 2025!” and “Hello! 2026” celebratory concert on New Year’s Eve, featuring Principal Second Violin, Angela Fuller Heyde. The high-spirited musical revels will include beloved waltzes, polkas, marches, overtures, favorite operetta excerpts, plus a few surprises to help ring in the new year. The event takes place at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents New Year's Eve Photo courtesy of Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Pegasus City Brewery presents NYE Under the Stars: Pegasus Prom
New Year's Eve is going to look a little different (and much more silly) at Pegasus City Brewery in Dallas. They’re rewriting prom night with beer, music, and zero awkward slow dances. Guests are encouraged to dress in any decade/style/vibe of prom-wear and ask their fav person to the dance. Tickets include beer, cider, seltzer, NA options, and Pegasus prom punch; a champagne toast at midnight; late night munchies; games, arcades, pool, and more; and validated parking.

Emerald City Band presents Rock the '26
Emerald City Band will present their annual New Year's Eve party, Rock the '26, featuring a night of high-energy music. Kicking off the night will be a special performance by Lover: The Unofficial Eras Tour with Charity Eden, singing all the favorite Taylor Swift songs. A percentage of every ticket sold will benefit Wipe Out Kids' Cancer, an organization dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer in Dallas-Fort Worth. The event takes place at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Comedy Trio
If you prefer to laugh while welcoming the new year, you can attend one of three big comedy events. They include New Year’s Eve at Stomping Ground Comedy, featuring Year in Rearview, an interactive improv comedy show fully powered by the biggest life moments of year of the audience members; The Comedy Arena presents New Year's Laughing Eve, featuring a headlining performance by Aaron Aryanpur at the McKinney venue; and Four Day Weekend presents NYE Celebration, taking place at the Dallas location only now that the local improv comedy troupe no longer has a permanent venue in Fort Worth.

Four Day Weekend will perform in Dallas. Photo courtesy of Four Day Weekend

Meow Wolf presents Cosmic Cabaret
Meow Wolf at Grapevine Mills will present Cosmic Cabaret, a New Year’s Eve celebration that brings performance, music, and late-night energy. The exhibition shifts into an after-hours environment shaped by Dallas-Fort Worth performers, roaming characters, and a countdown moment woven through the space. Guests will have full access to explore Meow Wolf Grapevine at night while moving between live DJ sets, special entertainers, and unexpected encounters. The evening’s centerpiece is a feature performance by Nightshade Burlesque.

Gaylord Texan presents Glass Cactus New Year's Eve Bash
Gaylord Texan in Grapevine will ring in the New Year with a performance by Le Freak at their Glass Cactus New Year's Eve Bash. Attendees are encouraged to wear cocktail attire or silver and stone-themed attire; '70s disco/'80s rock 'n' roll flair is acceptable. General admission includes a sparkling rose toast at midnight.

NYE at Hotel ZaZa Dallas
One of a handful of "traditional" New Year's Eve celebrations will take place at Hotel ZaZa in Dallas. At the black and white Masquerade Ball, guests can mask up, mingle, and toast to a sparkling New Year with wine, beer, and cocktails. There will also be a hors d'oeuvres station, live entertainment, midnight countdown, bubbly toast, and photo-ops.

Lone Star NYE at Reunion Tower
Reunion Tower will once again ring in the new year by presenting the annual Lone Star NYE at Reunion Tower fireworks show. The show will feature a display of over 5,000 pyrotechnic special effects, a 259 LED light display, and nearly 300 drones. There is no viewing allowed near the tower; viewing can be done at nearby parties or city streets. Reunion Tower’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube channels will livestream the entire event, allowing viewers from around the world to join the celebration.

holidays kids families drinks music fairs-festivals new years new years eve parties

Movie review

Nick Jonas steals song from Paul Rudd in music-heavy Power Ballad

Photo by David Cleary for Lionsgate

Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd in Power Ballad.

Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.

After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.

Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.

Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.

Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.

It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.

While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.

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Power Ballad is now playing in theaters.

movies music film