Olympics Fever

Watch the 2024 Olympics for free at these Dallas restaurants & bars

Grand Prairie's Jasmine Moore will compete iat the 2024 Olympics.

Getty Images

All eyes on the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, starting July 26 when the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad takes place in Paris through August 11.

Aside from Wingstop, not all of us are going to make it to the real thing, but not to worry — quite a few local spots are hosting watching parties to fill the gap. It's especially important since there are several athletes from Dallas who are going for gold with Team USA, and we're here to cheer them on.

Here’s our list of where to watch the Olympics in Dallas:

Al Biernat’s
Steakhouse will show the games through the duration of the Olympics and have concocted three themed cocktails: "Team USA" with El Tesoro Reposado, strawberry, and lime agave; "Go For Gold," with Moet Chandon, Angostura Bitters, and gold sugar; and "Closing Ceremonies" with Aspen Vodka, Cointreau, Vermouth, and orange. The games will be shown during happy hour Monday-Friday 3-7 pm. Best spots to watch: the bar at the North location and the patio at Oak Lawn.

AMC Theaters
In a first for the movie theater chain, AMC Theaters is showing the games on their big screens at select movies across Dallas for each day of the Olympics. Adult tickets start at $11. Locations include: Addison, Arlington, Dallas, Frisco, Garland, Irving, and Mesquite.

Artpark Trinity Groves
Trinity Groves outdoor park will have three weeks of Olympics pop-up activities ranging from inflatable games to a market. Every weekend, from July 26-August 11 will feature food & drink specials, a market, photo booth, and DJs. Friday is 5-10 pm, while Saturday-Sunday are 12-5 pm. Entry is free.

Dallas Public Library
The J. Erik Jonsson Central Library will have a watch party on August 2 starting at 2 pm. Watch events include archery, women's judo, men's fencing, and BMX gold medal races. There will also be an Eiffel Tower Lego set available for tinkering.

Hilton Anatole
Dallas hotel will have Olympic-inspired games and food and drink specials throughout the week. Games include shotput, 100m dash, and long jump. Watch the games and enjoy Parisian menu specials in Media Grill + Bar. For a more private experience, watch the games at the TopGolf Swing Suite with cocktails, food towers, and interactive games.

Jaquval
Bishop Arts bar is inviting guests to dress in red, white, and blue to watch the opening ceremonies and enjoy a lineup of brews paired with fish & chips for $15 on July 26.

Little Daisy
Thompson Dallas’ Parisian-inspired brassiere will offer a Spritz Bar with French-inspired drinks, passed apps, and party favors on July 26, starting at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $35.

Loro
Asian smokehouse will be showing the games with events showing on all TV screens indoors and on the patio during happy hour on weekdays from 2-6 pm at both Dallas and Addison locations.

Maguire’s Bistro
Family-owned concept will run special happy hours during the Olympics on Monday-Thursday from 11 am-6 pm. Specials include $7 house martinis, $2 off appetizers, cocktails, and wines by the glass; $1 off all beers, and $10 cheeseburgers. Weekend hours when the special apply are Friday from 8 am-9pm and Saturday 4-9 pm.

Oak Cliff Brewing Co
Brewery will show live coverage of the opening ceremony on July 26 starting at 7 pm, with a selection of brews and tacos by Tromporrey.

The Porch
Knox-Henderson restaurant will offer daytime coverage of the Olympic events, including during happy hour Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm, featuring half off cocktails such as espresso martini, passionfruit margarita, and cosmonaut. Don''t miss the men's and women's swimming on July 27, which they'll broadcast during brunch, starting at 12 pm.

Renny’s Grill
Family-owned concept will run special happy hours during the Olympics on Monday-Thursday from 11 am-6 pm. Specials include $7 house martinis, $2 off appetizers, cocktails, and wines by the glass, $1 off all beers, and $10 cheeseburgers.

Other Olympic specials

Bar Bourbon at Live! by Loews Arlington
Bar Bourbon has a special drink available for the Olympics called “Rumble in Paris,” created by bartender and mixologist, Jay Colson. It’s made with Waco-based Balcones Rumble Whiskey, strawberry syrup, jalapeno, lemon, and honey and topped with dehydrated raspberry shavings. It's available through August 11.

SusieCakes
The bakery is supporting Team USA with a cupcake box featuring “Team USA” written on top. The cupcake box includes four cupcakes: chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream, chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream, vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream, and red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. The cupcakes are available for the entirety of the Olympic games.

video olympic coverage cocktails celebrities

Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

---

The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

movies film

Olympics Fever

Watch the 2024 Olympics for free at these Dallas restaurants & bars

4 Dallas high schools graduate to America's best and more top stories

Texas ranks as 3rd worst state for women's equality in 2026, per report

Dallas firm 90Ten snaps up prime space in Bishop Arts and Lower Greenville

Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root