Cheers to 2023!

14 cool celebrations to bring in the New Year around Dallas-Fort Worth

Reunion Tower will once again welcome the New Year with fireworks at midnight.

Photo courtesy of Reunion Tower

Everyone likes to celebrate the New Year in one way or another, and Dallas-Fort Worth offers plenty of options for doing so. The following list is by no means comprehensive, but it gives a glimpse at the variety of different events taking place on New Year's Eve. Whether you prefer low-key or all-out, you can welcome 2023 in style. (Looking for dining options? Find that list here.)

Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark presents Epic Family New Year
It may cold outside, but you can still swim to your heart's content at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie. Their New Year’s Eve celebration will feature circus and aerial performances, hula dancing, interactive games, and more. The event will also include a special Hawaiian-themed dinner including a pig on a spit, pulled pork sliders, baby back ribs, coconut shrimp, and mini pineapple upside-down cupcakes.

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History presents Noon Year's Eve
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is hosting a New Year celebration fit for the whole family. New Year-themed activities will include making confetti poppers and noise makers; decorating party wear with a Noon Year's Eve hat; writing New Year’s resolutions on ribbon and adding it to the confetti pile; exploring New Year’s Eve-inspired items and animals from the History and Science Collections; and more. After the countdown to noon, guests can stay to explore the museum.

ArtPark presents New Year's Party
ArtPark, located in West Dallas just on the other side of Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, will have 14 private bubble tents, two fire pits, and two VIP areas for rental that include champagne, a $50 gift card from Trinity Grove's newest concept Nitro Burger, and party favors. There will be a live DJ for dancing and celebrating, and an ideal view of the Reunion Tower fireworks at midnight.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents New Year’s Eve: ABBA The Concert
ABBA The Concert is considered to be one of the best ABBA tribute bands around, and they'll join the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at this special New Year's Eve concert at Bass Performance Hall. Featuring hit songs like "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Money, Money, Money," and more, the concert will be among the more fun ways to spend the last day of 2022.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents New Year's Eve
The annual New Year's Eve celebration by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is a tribute to the Viennese tradition as they toast the New Year with lively waltzes from the Strauss dynasty, honoring the most prestigious of New Year’s musical traditions. The concert, conducted by Gemma New, will be at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Four Day Weekend present New Year's Eve Celebration
With outposts in both Dallas and Fort Worth, Four Day Weekend is an established local comedy force. They'll celebrate New Year's Eve the only way they know how, with a special show created from audience suggestions and participation. Their annual New Year's Eve celebrations, taking place in both Dallas and Fort Worth, features their signature comedy show, catering from Reata, and a champagne toast at midnight.

Pegasus City Brewery presents NYE 2023
Pegasus City Brewery will ring in the New Year and celebrate the roaring ‘23s with a night of 1920s fun and flair. There will be live music from the New Orleans-style David Washburn Jazz Band, heavy hors d'oeuvres from Southern Gentleman's Table catering, beer, wine, & cider, exclusive beer cocktails and samplings, an NYE photo booth, champagne toast at midnight, and a commemorative NYE 2023 glass.

Fort Brewery & Pizza presents New Year's Eve Celebration
Fort Brewery & Pizza in Fort Worth will present a New Year's Eve Celebration featuring an expansive dinner buffet, a complimentary Luc Belaire Champagne toast with party favors at midnight, and dancing to '90s hip-hop hits from DJ Con the Baptist.

The Statler presents New Year’s Eve: The Royal Masquerade Ball
The Statler in downtown Dallas will celebrate New Year’s Eve with an extravagant Masquerade Ball. The evening will feature an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, casino chips, an optional three-course dinner, dancing to favorite Top 40 Hip Hop mashups, and more.

Virgin Hotels Dallas presents Glitz & Glam NYE Party
Virgin Hotels Dallas' Glitz & Glam soiree will be dripping in disco balls, spanning the entire 4th floor with two parties and two DJs. Guests can reserve a table with bottle packages and reserved seating or purchase a ticket for open bar. There will be an open bar from 8:30 pm-12:30 am with premium spirits and champagne, plus complimentary bites from 8-11 pm. The party will allow guests great views of the city skyline & fireworks from the 4th floor.

Fort Worth Neon New Year's Bash
The Fort Worth Neon New Year's Bash, at the only covered and heated rooftop in Fort Worth at Texas Republic, will feature an open bar, live DJs playing hip hop, electro, top 40, and old school music, super confetti cannons, a Champagne toast, festive party favors, and late night tacos.

Legacy Hall presents New Year’s Eve Disco Party
Legacy Hall in Plano will present New Year’s Eve Disco Party, featuring three floors of live music, five craft bars, a huge midnight celebration, and more. The event will feature a performance by The Rich Girls, who will play the music of Hall & Oates, Prince, '80s classics, and more. Select eateries will be open throughout the venue for delicious late-night bites.

SĒR Steak + Spirits presents New Year's Eve Celebration
SĒR Steak + Spirits on the 27th floor of Hilton Anatole will ring in 2023 with some of the best views of the Downtown Dallas New Year's Eve fireworks show. The event will include a DJ and dance floor, a midnight toast, and gourmet food & drinks from chef-featured live-action gourmet food stations and premium bar. Guests are encouraged to dress in upscale and formal fashion.

Reunion Tower presents New Year's Eve Fireworks
As has become tradition, Reunion Tower will usher in the new year by presenting the seventh annual Texas-sized Reunion Tower “Over The Top NYE 2023” fireworks show. Although there is no viewing allowed near the tower, you can take in the show at nearby parties (including several of the above) or surrounding city streets. If you'd rather stay home, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth / KXAS will broadcast the event from 11:30 pm-12:30 am, and KLUV (98.7 FM) will simulcast the celebration.

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Movie Review

Faces of Death returns with modern twist on cult horror film

Photo courtesy of of IFC Films

Dacre Montgomery in Faces of Death.

True horror fans will likely be familiar with the 1978 cult film Faces of Death, which purported to be a documentary showing real-life killings in gory detail. It didn’t, of course, but that didn’t stop rumors from continuing to spread for decades. Now, almost 50 years and multiple sequels later, comes a new version of Faces of Death, an actual movie that pays homage to the original in interesting ways.

Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works at a YouTube-like company called Kino as a content moderator, flagging videos that violate the company’s policies. This means her job often involves seeing some truly despicable things from all manner of depraved people. One day, though, she comes across a video that seems a little too real, and after seeing more similar videos, she starts to believe they’re genuine murders.

Going against her company NDA, she starts to investigate the videos on her own, which puts her on the radar of Arthur (Dacre Montgomery), who is actually kidnapping people and killing them on camera through methods seen in the original Faces of Death film. It’s not long before Arthur tracks her down, with a plan to make her one of his next victims.

Written and directed by Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) and co-written by Isa Mazzei, the film is not so much scary as it is creepy, with the occasional gross-out sequence. The idea of having someone emulate the killings in the cult film is a good idea, and pairing it with the modern-day attention economy - in which content creators go to increasing lengths for clicks - is a clever twist on a concept that other films have done.

The film as a whole is a commentary on how social media and video sharing sites have often decided to prioritize profits over the well-being of their users. Margot is shown allowing videos involving violence and sexual assault to stay on the site while nixing ones depicting how to use Narcan or demonstrating putting on a condom on a banana. Josh (Jermaine Fowler), Margot’s boss, is even explicit in the company mandate that outrageous videos drive views.

While Arthur has the makings of a good villain, there are few attempts to make him seem truly diabolical. His kidnappings often seem more spur-of-the-moment than calculated, and even though he has a well thought-out dungeon at home, the house’s location in the suburbs seems to make him vulnerable to easy discovery. Goldhaber and Mazzei leave more than a few unanswered questions along the way that take away from the intensity of the story.

Ferreira is yet another actor from Euphoria who’s capitalizing on her exposure from that show. She plays Margot’s increasing anxiety well, and when the action ratchets up in the final act, she meets the moment in a satisfying way. Montgomery returns to the vibe he had while playing the evil Billy on Stranger Things, and even though his character doesn’t fully live up to his potential, Montgomery sells his evil for all it’s worth.

The new Faces of Death may not be what some are expecting given the reputation of the previous films, but it’s a solid horror/thriller that uses the brand as a launching pad into something different. It doesn’t make much of a dent in the scare department, but it does give its violence and gore a degree of relevance in today’s often desensitized world.

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Faces of Death is now playing in theaters.

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