Gear up

Score early tickets to CultureMap's 2025 Dallas sports bash The Tailgate

Don't forget to sport your favorite team gear.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

CultureMap’s big sports bash is back: The Tailgate returns to Dallas this fall for an all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit.

The 2025 edition will be fielded, once again, at The Empire Room, on Sunday, October 5 from 12-4 pm, and tickets are already on sale.

Attendees can expect a party that takes tailgating to a new level — in signature CultureMap style. Favorite Dallas restaurants and chefs will serve up sports-inspired bites for guests to sample and vote for their favorite. Premium cocktails will keep folks hydrated as they meet-and-greet Texas sports legends, bid on memorabilia in a silent auction, and enjoy more game-day fun.

Following up on the success of last year’s Ultimate Wing Showdown, we'll be asking readers to vote for their favorite taco joint of 2025 in our Top Taco Tournament. Our editors have put together a list of 16 candidates that will go head-to-head in a bracket-style competition. The contest will launch soon, and the winner will be revealed at the party.

We'll keep you up to date on all things Tailgate-related in a special editorial series of stories leading up to the event.

Tailgate dishes from local restaurants will be served.CultureMap photo

A limited number of early bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $35 (regularly $50).

All tickets include bites by participating restaurants, premium beverages, and access to fun activities throughout the event.

Head here to buy your early bird tickets now. They won’t last long — score yours today.

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The Tailgate is sponsored by FLIGHT by Yuengling, Sportsmo, Puttshack, Mizzen+Main, Antone's Famous Po' Boys, and more to be announced.

culturemap events sports tailgate

Record Store Day 2026

Record Store Day 2026 spins special releases into stores across Dallas

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Record Store Day draws people to indie stores for a chance to find hundreds of early access or limited edition releases.

Dallas music lovers with a soft spot for physical media have a special day coming up. Saturday, April 18, is Record Store Day (RSD). Independent record stores around town and the rest of the country have signed a pledge to sell special releases at a fair price "in the spirit of Record Store Day."

There are many special releases each year; in 2026, about 350 will be featured. Because these are not regular album drops, many of them are live records, B sides, radio sessions, deluxe anniversary editions, and other compilations.

There are three types of RSD releases: exclusives for physical sales in indie stores only; RSD "first" for prioritizing indie stores before potentially opening up to other retailers, and small run or regional titles, made for very limited release.

What you can buy will depend on what each record store has decided to stock. Even though this could be a fun excuse to visit new and less familiar record stores, shoppers who want something specific should prioritize stores they know align with their taste.

According to the Record Store Day website, participating Dallas-area stores include:

Josey Records & Music (Dallas)
Spinster Records (Dallas)
Good Records (Dallas)
The Spin Coffee and Vinyl (Dallas)
Black Cat Records N' Comics (Dallas)
CD WAREHOUSE RECORDS & TAPES (Arlington)
Growl Records (Arlington)
ZT Records - Parks Mall in Arlington (Arlington)
Dead Wax Records (Carrollton)
Record Hound / Books & More (Denton)
Recycled Books (Denton)
ZT Records - Stonebriar Mall (Frisco)
Dead Wax Records (Garland)
Josey Records (Garland)
Forever Young Records (Grand Prairie)
Red Zeppelin Records (McKinney)
Josey Records (Plano)

For more inspiration going into Record Store Day, check out the Record Store Day Podcast, merch, and charts showing what's selling best at indie record stores each week.

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