This weekend in and around Dallas will feature a number of big names from music, comedy, and movies, spread out among a lot of fun events. There will be three significant comedy events, two local theater productions, five notable concerts, festivals celebrating fandom and movies, a unique production starring a well-known actor, a major art opening, and a dance production.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, October 19

Trey Kennedy: Grow Up
Comedian Trey Kennedy found fame on the mobile app Vine, amassing more than 2.5 million followers. He has continued his social media success on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, where he has a combined 12+ million followers. He currently has a podcast titled Correct Opinions, and his self-produced comedy special, Are You For Real?, can be streamed on YouTube. He'll bring his show Grow Up to Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Othello
When a woman shatters a glass ceiling, what waits for her when she lands? Franky Gonzalez' adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello explores this question and centers on the difficulties of Imani Othello, who has been named the first Black woman head coach of a major football team in Dallas. Starring Denise Lee, the production runs through November 5 at Bishop Arts Theatre Center.

Peter Gabriel in concert
English rock singer Peter Gabriel got his start as the original lead singer of the band Genesis, but he really made a name for himself when he left for a solo career in 1975. Known for indelible hits like "Sledgehammer," "In Your Eyes," and "Don't Give Up" with Kate Bush, Gabriel is touring in support of his first new album in 12 years, i/o. He'll play at American Airlines Center.

Friday, October 20

Dallas Fan Festival
The Dallas Fan Festival is a three-day comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming extravaganza that offers family-friendly attractions, events, and celebrities. A place to celebrate all things pop culture, the festival offers autograph and photo sessions with favorite guests, celebrity panels, costumed characters, shopping, and more. Among the celebrity guests on hand will be Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis, Alyssa Milano, John Rhys-Davies, Mira Sorvino, Rose McIver, Edward James Olmos, Tony Danza, Garret Dillahunt, Titus Welliver, and more. The festival goes through Sunday at Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.

EarthX Film & Music Festival
The EarthX Film & Music Festival is the only environmental film festival in Texas. The 2023 festival features three evening programs in three venues in Oak Cliff, with each program featuring film, music, and conversation with themes around outside adventure, conservation, activism, intersectional environmentalism, and representation in the outdoors. The festival takes place on Friday at Texas Theatre, moves to Arts Mission Oak Cliff on Saturday, and finishes at Kessler Theater on Sunday.

Improv Addison presents Shawn Wayans
Shawn Wayans was born into one of Hollywood's largest and most successful comedic families, so he was naturally gifted with the ability to make people laugh. He carved his own acting career with a starring role in the sitcom The Wayans Bros., along with movies like the Scary Movie franchise. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

Ben Folds in concert with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Emmy-nominated Ben Folds has created a body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborations. His 2015 album was a blend of pop songs and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra that soared to No. 1 on both the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. Fresh off the release of his latest album, What Matters Most, he'll play with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on both Friday and Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents Murder On The Nile
Kay Ridgeway has led a charmed life. Blessed with beauty, enormous wealth, and a new husband, she embarks on a honeymoon voyage down the Nile. Fatal circumstances await when the idyllic surroundings are shattered by a shocking and brutal murder. Under scrutiny is a multitude of memorable passengers, all with a reason to kill. The tension and claustrophobia builds, as a shocking and audacious conspiracy is laid bare. The production runs through November 5 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Nickel Creek in concert
The music genre of bluegrass doesn't always get the respect that other genres do, but it's made a number of singers and bands cross over into the mainstream, including the trio Nickel Creek. Playing a brand of music called progressive bluegrass, they have been at or near the top of the Bluegrass charts with each of their five albums, including their new album, Celebrants. They'll play at Majestic Theatre.

Saturday, October 21

Texas Theatre presents Nicole Byer
Nicole Byer is an actress, comedian, writer, author and podcaster who is perhaps most well-known as the host of Netflix’s competition baking series, Nailed It! She put out her debut solo stand-up special for Netflix, Nicole Byer: Big Beautiful Weirdo, in 2021, and has recently appeared in the NBC comedy Grand Crew, as co-host for TBS’ Wipeout, and as the host of the 2022 Critics Choice Awards. She'll perform at Texas Theatre.

John Malkovich in The Music Critic
Equipped with a frivolous potpourri of musical insults, actor John Malkovich slips into the role of the evil critic who believes the music of Beethoven, Chopin, Prokofiev, and the likes to be weary and dreary. Aleksey Igudesman, Hyung-ki Joo, and other great musicians beg to differ and fight back. The grand finale is The Malkovich Torment, a horrific review about Malkovich himself, which Igudesman has set to music in a uniquely sardonically humorous way. The one-night-only event takes place at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, October 22

Dallas Museum of Art presents "Afro-Atlantic Histories" opening day
The Dallas Museum of Art presents "Afro-Atlantic Histories," an ambitious exhibition that charts the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies in the African Diaspora. Composed of around 100 works of art and documents produced in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe from the 17th century to today, the exhibition engages visitors in a series of dialogues that reexamine histories and stories of enslavement, resilience, and the struggle for liberation from a global perspective. The exhibition will remain on display through February 11, 2024.

Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts presents Step Afrika
Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. They blend percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. They'll perform at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Nick Cave in concert
Australian singer Nick Cave is known for his dark and moody music that touches on topics that others typically avoid. Although he's best known for his time as the lead singer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, with whom he's released 17 albums, his most recent release is the 2021 collaborative album, Carnage, with Warren Ellis. He'll play at Majestic Theatre.

Romeo Santos in concert
Unlike some other Latin artists, who built up their fame among smaller fanbases before crossing over, Romeo Santos has been hit ever since his debut album, Formula Vol. 1. Each of his five albums, including 2022's Formula Vol. 3, has landed at the top of the Latin charts and in the top 20 of the Billboard 200. He'll play at American Airlines Center.

  

Photo courtesy of John Malkovich in The Music Critic

John Malkovich in The Music Critic will be at Majestic Theatre on October 21.