Let's After-Party

After the Dallas Holiday Parade, head to Verizon Village for more magic

Keep the party going at Verizon Village.

Photo courtesy of Verizon

Every December, downtown Dallas transforms into a swirl of color, music, and holiday energy as thousands gather for the beloved Dallas Holiday Parade.

This year, all roads lead to one especially sparkling destination: Verizon Village at Main Street Garden, the gold at the end of the parade.

As the parade's presenting partner for the third year, Verizon is once again bringing its signature spirit of community, creativity, and joy to the city’s biggest one-day outdoor event. And if the parade is the heartbeat of the holidays, Verizon Village is where that heartbeat turns into a dance party full of interactive fun, photo-ready moments, and surprises designed to bring families, friends, and entire neighborhoods together.

A holiday tradition that keeps growing

Since rolling down its first route in 1988 — originally celebrating anniversaries for The Adolphus and Children’s Medical Center Dallas — the Dallas Holiday Parade has blossomed into a North Texas institution.

Dallasites now mark their calendars for the first Saturday of December, staking out their favorite spots along Commerce and Houston Streets as floats glide by, giant balloons sway through the skyscraper canyons, and marching bands fill the morning with music.

This year, the parade returns Saturday, December 6, with step-off around 8:30 am and the main event beginning at 9 am.

Once the parade winds its way through downtown, the fun continues just a few blocks away at Main Street Garden, where the New Verizon Village runs from 11 am-3 pm.

This is your chance to explore interactive booths, enjoy live entertainment like the Human Snow Globe, and capture those all-important holiday photos by snapping pics at the AI photo booth or posing with Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Village's entrance.

Snag seasonal goodies and enjoy snacks from Comeback Cookie, Crunchy Munchy, RU Chocolate, Bakes by Sophia, and a hot chocolate and coffee truck.

Verizon Village is a full-blown celebration on its own that's designed for everyone, from toddlers with sugar-cookie energy to teens hunting for Instagram backdrops to adults who know good holiday vibes when they see them.

Lace up at CultureMap City Rink

As if Verizon Village didn’t already deliver enough good cheer, 2025 brings a brand-new attraction that’s turning Main Street Garden into a winter playground: the inaugural CultureMap City Rink, a holiday ice rink launched in partnership with Verizon and Downtown Dallas, Inc.

That’s right, an outdoor rink (made of real ice!) right in the heart of downtown Dallas, and everyone's invited to lace up. Skate after the parade or just kick back at the Apres Chalet and sip cocoa while taking in the city skyline. It’s the perfect holiday memory-maker, and it's all steps from all the Verizon Village action.

Tips to make your parade day shine

Gather your crew and plan to make December 6 an all-out celebration with these invaluable tips:

The parade is free! Want a guaranteed view? Limit bleacher seats are available to purchase in advance.
Take DART. Street closures and parking congestion come with the holiday territory — public transit makes the morning run a lot smoother.
Bundle up. Or don’t. This is Texas, so it might be frosty or it might be 65 degrees. Who knows!
Bring blankets or collapsible chairs if you’re not in the bleachers.
Plan to stay. The best part of the day happens after the floats finish at Verizon Village and the CultureMap City Rink.

With the Dallas Holiday Parade setting the tone for the season, Verizon Village and CultureMap City Rink turn the day into a true downtown celebration.

dallas holiday parade verizon village culturemap city rink culturemap ice rink downtown dallas ice rink promoted

Movie Review

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck team up for Netflix crime thriller The Rip

Photo by Claire Folger/Netflix

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip.

For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.

Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team - which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) - on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their neck.

Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they soon discover that there’s close to $20 million there instead. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.

Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary - an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. - adding to the stress of the situation.

The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.

Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.

Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

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The Rip is now streaming on Netflix.

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Let's After-Party

After the Dallas Holiday Parade, head to Verizon Village for more magic

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