Festival Fun

Panda-themed Asian food festival comes to Dallas for very first time

The Asian-themed Panda Fest comes to Carpenter Park in downtown Dallas on November 7-9.

Photo courtesy of Panda Fest TX, LLC

A nationally acclaimed Asian food and culture festival is coming to Dallas for the first time: Called Panda Fest, it's a three-day family-friendly event that will take place from November 7-9 at Carpenter Park, 2201 Pacific Ave. in downtown Dallas, where it will feature food, crafts, performances, and panda attractions including a 15-foot inflatable panda.

The nationally acclaimed Asian food and culture festival that has sold out in cities like Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, and Philadelphia is making its Dallas debut November 7–9 at Carpenter Park in Downtown Dallas.

Panda Fest is a spinoff of a similar New York event, the famed Dragon Fest, and is one of the fastest-growing cultural festivals in the U.S.

Features include:

60+ food vendors serving 150+ dishes from across Asia such as authentic street food, sweet treats, and creative fusion bites
a marketplace with artisan crafts, clothing, and heritage goods
live performances ranging from lion dances to K-pop showcases
arts like calligraphy and sugar painting
panda attractions including the inflatable panda plus themed games and Insta-worthy photo ops

… all showcasing the rich diversity of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures but with pandas remaining at the heart of the event.

Dallas is one stop on a tour with five more cities to come, including Austin, where it will stop at Republic Square, 422 Guadalupe St., November 14-16.

“Dallas has such a vibrant, diverse community, and we are thrilled to bring Panda Fest here for the very first time,” says the festival's creator BiuBiu Xu in a statement. “After selling out in city after city, we know Texas is ready for the panda-monium - where food, culture, and fun come together in unforgettable ways.”

Tickets for the festival are now on sale at pandafests.com. General admission tickets start at $14 and include two free gifts: a custom Dallas panda pin and a panda headband. Children under 6 are free. VIP tickets start at $35 and include those two gifts along with a customized bag, exclusive bathrooms, and a fast pass for entrance.

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Star power

Dallas Cowboys remain NFL’s most valuable team at staggering $16 billion

Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images

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Despite last season’s record of 7-9-1 and this season’s opening loss to the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys remain the NFL’s golden team.

CNBC’s annual ranking of the NFL’s most valuable franchises once again puts the Cowboys at No. 1. Jerry Jones’ team is worth an estimated $16 billion based on 2025 figures, up from $12.5 billion the previous year. Just as noteworthy: The ’Boys were the only team to break the $1 billion mark for revenue, pulling in nearly $1.3 billion last year.

Jones, the team’s owner, president, and general manager, has practically transformed the Cowboys into an ATM. He bought the team in 1989 for only $150 million. Based on CNBC’s $16 billion estimate, the team’s value has jumped 10,567 percent over more than three decades.

In a 2016 interview with CNBC, Jones explained why he purchased the ’Boys: “I bought the Cowboys because I just wanted to be associated with sports and football. And I didn’t buy them for money.”

Two years later, Jones told Bloomberg that no amount of money would ever persuade him to sell the team.

“They’re a long-term asset, and my immediate family — which has been a part of making them what they are today — [will] own the Cowboys long after I’m gone,” he said.

Jerry Jones, Cowboys movie premiere Jerry Jones has good reason to give a thumbs up. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

The Cowboys make up just one component of Jones’ vast wealth. He also holds investments in the energy, real estate, hospitality and restaurant sectors. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his net worth at $20.9 billion.

Behind the Cowboys on CNBC’s most-valuable roster are the Los Angeles Rams, at $14.5 billion; Las Vegas Raiders, $13 billion; New York Giants, $12.5 billion; and New England Patriots, $12.25 billion.

What about the Cowboys’ archrival, the Philadelphia Eagles? With an estimated value of $11.5 billion, the Eagles roost at No. 8, according to CNBC.

And the Lone Star State’s other NFL team, the Houston Texans, sits at No. 15 with an estimated value of $9.9 billion.

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