Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this New Year's weekend

With New Year's Eve falling on Sunday this year, that means there will be lots of celebrations happening in and around Dallas. But parties aren't the only order of the day, as there will also be a bunch of comedy, a big college football game, a cultural dance experience, theater, concerts, and more.

Below are more best ways to spend your precious free time this New Year's weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. For the best New Year's Eve celebrations, check out the list here. New Year's Eve feasts can be found here, and New Year's Day brunch is here.

Thursday, December 28

Improv Arlington presents Tony Rock
The first of many comedy events in the Dallas area this weekend features Tony Rock, perhaps better known as Chris Rock's brother. But he's been able to successfully elude the shadows of his older sibling and step into his own limelight by proving himself as a skillful comedian, actor, and executive producer. He'll perform seven times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Improv Addison presents Ralph Barbosa
Ralph Barbosa was named the Funniest Comic in Texas in 2019, was the winner of the New York Latino Film Festival Stand Up Comedy competition in 2021, and recently made his HBO debut on the HA Festival Comedy Special. He also sold out six shows in Dallas in August for an upcoming Netflix special. He'll perform seven times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Friday, December 29

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Missouri vs. Ohio State
The Cotton Bowl Classic may not mean as much this college football bowl season, as other bowls are hosting the College Football Playoffs, but the Ohio State Buckeyes and Missouri Tigers still proved themselves as two of the best teams in the nation, finishing at No. 7 and No. 9, respectively. They'll face off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Shen Yun
Shen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, deeply moving journey. Featuring one of the world’s most ancient and richest dance systems - classical Chinese dance - along with dynamic animated backdrops and all-original orchestral works, Shen Yun opens a portal to a civilization of enchanting beauty and enlightening wisdom. The troupe will perform eight times through January 7 at Winspear Opera House.

Pegasus Theatre presents Death Express!
Pegasus Theatre will present the Living Black & White™ Harry Hunsacker adventure, Death Express! The action occurs on the Trans-Continental Express from Los Angeles to New York, where inept but endearing detective Harry Hunsacker and his paid-by-the-hour friend and assistant, Nigel Grouse (along with Lt. Foster of the real police) find themselves trapped on a train headed for murder. Who is the vicious killer determined to slay everyone on board the train? Murder and mayhem abound in the delightful tribute to old black-and-white movies. The production runs through January 21 at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts presents Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular
In Mexico, Christmas is not just a single day, but a whole season of Christmas-related celebrations. Today, the Christmas traditions in Mexico are a blend of indigenous culture, Spanish heritage, and many influences. This event at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts features a performance by Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles and Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar.

Saturday, December 30

Lights All Night
The annual two-day music festival known as Lights All Night features over 40 top electronic dance music acts from around the world. Each day will have a different lineup of performers, including Skrillex, AC Slater, Marsh, Champagne Drip, Westend, Jody Wisternoff, and more. The festival takes place at Dallas Market Hall on Saturday and Sunday.

Kevin Fowler in concert
Texas country music singer Kevin Fowler has been trying to make his way in the industry for over 20 years, releasing nine albums since 2000. He's slowly but surely made his way up the charts, including with his well-received 2019 album, Barstool Stories. He'll play at Longhorn Ballroom as part of his Deck the Dancehalls Tour.

Toadies in concert
It's always a good day when Fort Worth originals Toadies take the stage again. While the band has only had a minimal impact on the national music stage, they've been beloved locally ever since their 1994 debut album, Rubberneck. They've gone on to release six more albums in their career, most recently 2017's The Lower Side of Uptown. They'll play at The Factory in Deep Ellum.

Gary Owen's DFW NYE Takeover VII
Comedian Gary Owen will present his seventh annual New Year's Eve comedy show, featuring performances by Deon Cole, Bruce Bruce, Luenell, Shawn Larkins, and T-Robe on December 30, and Kountry Wayne, Donnell Rawlings, Melanie Comarcho, JJ Williams, and T-Robe on December 31. The event takes place at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Sunday, December 31

Last call for holiday events
While a few holiday events extend beyond this weekend, many of them will wrap up their runs on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. This weekend is your last chance to see ICE! featuring Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" at Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Vitruvian Lights in Addison, The Light Park in both Frisco and Arlington, and Dallas Zoo Lights.

Little Feat in concert
As a band, Little Feat has been recording for over 50 years, debuting in 1971. They had their heyday from 1974-1990, with No. 1 songs like "Hate to Lose Your Lovin'" and "Texas Twister," among other hits. While they haven't put out any new music since the 2012 album Rooster Rag, they still feature original members Bill Payne, Sam Clayton, and Kenny Gradney, who will take fans through their long career. They'll play at Longhorn Ballroom, joined by Miko Marks.

Hyena's presents Samuel Comroe
Comedian Samuel Comroe will bring in the New Year with two special shows at Hyena's Comedy Club in Dallas. Comroe made his TV debut on Conan, and went on to appear BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood with Kevin Hart and as a contestant on America’s Got Talent. His comedy is made up of the trials and tribulations of living with Tourette Syndrome and observational material based on his life experiences.

Photo courtesy of KirtlandRecords.com

Toadies will play at The Factory in Deep Ellum on December 30.

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Movie Review

Film sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash is a technical and visual feast

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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