Fest Fun

Two artsy, beloved festivals take the stage this month in Richardson

The artsiest fests on the block are back this spring in Richardson, blooming brightly with a creative wonderland of artistic works, mainstage-worthy music, culinary treats, and so much more.

It’s the 54^th year for Cottonwood Art Festival (May 6-7) and the 31st for Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival (May 19-21). Here’s what you need to know about both:

What to expect: No matter your art personality type, you’ll find something to love amid more than 200 global artists’ juried work, spanning paintings and sculpture to ceramics, jewelry, fiber art, fine glass, woodwork, mixed media, and photography.

Make sure to look for Artist of the Year Karina Llergo, who studied with famed Mexican artist Roberto Cortazar and portraitist Enrique Estrada.

There’s also live music across two stages along with an arts-and-crafts area for the kiddos and plenty of food and drink for all on tap.

Where: Cottonwood Park, 1321 W. Belt Line Rd.

When: Saturday, May 6, 10 am-7 pm; Sunday, May 7, 10 am-5 pm.

Tickets: Admission and parking are both free, with shuttles running continuously between the park and the Richardson High School football stadium lot.

History lesson: Celebrating 54 years, the award-winning Cottonwood Art Festival is a twice-yearly juried show that has become a signature art event in the community and beyond. The festival also provides innovative outreach programs for students, with the goal of broadening interest in visual arts and bringing the art world into classrooms.

More details: CottonwoodArtFestival.com

Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival

What to expect: With five stages and 100-plus performers, including Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band, X Ambassadors, The Romantics, Little River Band, Judah & The Lion, and more, your listening schedule will be packed at this fest.

Beyond the stages, the Wildflower! Marketplace is a one-stop-shop for local and regional accessories, art, home decor, apparel, and more.

There’s also an art guitar auction, songwriter competition, and a Performance Row that features street performers, acrobats, and magicians. Plus, look for Wildflower! Kids, a family-fun zone with art, games, informative activities, and kid-friendly tunes.

Where: Galatyn Park Urban Center, located at Galatyn Parkway and U.S. 75.

When: Friday, May 19, 6 pm-midnight; Saturday, May 20, 11 am-midnight; Sunday, May 21, 11 am-6 pm.

Tickets: Friday and Saturday are $35, Sunday is $20, and kids 12 and under are free. A three-day pass is $75. Richardson residents can score tickets for only $15.

History lesson: Wildflower! began as a small community gathering in 1993 and has since become one of the most popular cultural events in North Texas, with tens of thousands of fans showing up for their favorite artists.

More details: WildflowerFestival.com

Photo courtesy of Wildflower!

Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival has five stages of live music across three days.

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This week's hot headlines

Indian restaurant adds urban touch to this week's top 5 Dallas stories

Gymkhana

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Editor's note: Our most-read stories of this first week of 2026 included news of a new Indian restaurant in downtown Dallas, an Italian eatery on the move, and a YouTube critic's assessment of local noodle shops. Here are the top five headlines of the week; if you still need weekend plans, consult our event planner.

1. Indian restaurant Gymkhana adds urban touch to downtown Dallas. A plush new Indian restaurant is now open in the heart of downtown Dallas: Called Gymkhana, it's located at 1408-1410 Main St., in the former Which Wich Sandwich/Birdguesa space, where it's serving a wide range of Indian dishes in an upscale setting.

2. Italian restaurant The Saint makes debut in Dallas Design District. A swanky restaurant is relocating from one hip Dallas neighborhood to another: The Saint, the Italian steakhouse from Hooper Hospitality Concepts which originally opened near Deep Ellum in 2023, is moving to a new address in the Dallas Design District. It'll open on Saturday, January 3.

3. YouTube critic Mike Chen ranks his favorite noodles in Dallas. YouTube food critic Mike Chen, who travels the world spotlighting mostly Asian restaurants for his Strictly Dumpling YouTube channel, recently dropped into Dallas to rank his favorite noodles in town.

Pho Pasteur was on the list. Pho Pasteur

4. Comedy all-stars Jack Black and Paul Rudd can't save Anaconda sequel. In Hollywood’s never-ending quest to take advantage of existing intellectual property, seemingly no older movie is off limits, even if the original was not well-regarded. That’s certainly the case with 1997’s Anaconda. Here is our critic's review.

5. Popular suburbs move into Dallas' hottest real estate headlines of 2025. As the year came to a close, we looked back at the 10 most-read real estate stories in Dallas for 2025 — including new honors for several local suburbs, market trends, and all-important Walmart news. These were the 10 hottest real estate headlines of 2025 in Dallas.

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