Weekend Event Planner

A Christmas Story gets a leg up in the 13 top Dallas events this weekend

Events in and around Dallas will start spreading holiday cheer even more this weekend, with over half of the list having a Christmas theme. Choices include a visit from a famous food expert, a symphony concert, the openings of four long-term holiday events, three theater productions, a dance production, a balloon-themed exhibition, a visit from two well-known comedians, and an award ceremony for another famous comedian.

Susannah Jones, Christopher Swan, Cal Alexander, and Colton Maurer in A Christmas Story, The Musical

Photo by Gary Emord Netzley

A Christmas Story: The Musical will be at Winspear Opera House, November 21-23.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, November 20

DMA Arts & Letters Live: Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi, who hosted Top Chef from 2006-2023, comes to Dallas as part of the Dallas Museum of Art's Arts & Letters Live series to talk about her new cookbook, All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond. The book is a love letter to the people who create and evolve American cuisine every day and a joyful reflection of who we truly are as a nation, from one of our most essential culinarians. The event takes place at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Luisi Conducts Mozart"
At the latest Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert, Principal Clarinet Gregory Raden gives the world premiere of Dallas-based composer Jon Cziner’s concerto. The DSO will also perform the world premiere of a new work by Jasmine Guo, a film and contemporary concert composer and classical pianist. The concert will be headlined by Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor, and will also feature Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3. There will be three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center. (Note: Due to a family emergency, Luisi is unable to conduct the DSO in performances on November 20, 21 and 22; assistant conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg will lead the concerts, DSO says.)

Friday, November 21

Texas Christkindl Market
The Texas Christkindl Market is a traditional German-style market that brings Old World charm and holiday magic to the heart of Texas. Visitors will find handcrafted gifts, unique collectibles, and exclusive Käthe Wohlfahrt merchandise from the Rothenburg ob der Tauber German Christmas village. The market features a variety of vendors, seasonal food and beverages, live entertainment and children’s activities, including photos with Santa. The event, which is located in the North Plaza outside of Globe Life Field, takes place through Sunday, and then daily from November 28-December 23.

Coca Cola's Classic Christmas
Coca Cola's Classic Christmas is an immersive holiday light and adventure experience that will feature a brand-new Alpine Adventure theme. The event transports guests to Santa and Mrs. Claus’s cozy mountain hideaway, where holiday traditions meet new surprises. It features millions of twinkling lights, falling snow, snow slides, outdoor ice skating, holiday movie screenings, themed treats, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and more. The event, located at Dallas Midtown (formerly known as Valley View Mall) off of LBJ and Montfort/Preston Roads, takes place on select dates through December 28. (Note: For a guide to all the holiday light events around Dallas, check out this story.)

McKinney Repertory Theatre presents A Christmas Carol
In McKinney Repertory Theatre's annual production of A Christmas Carol, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is taught the true meaning and spirit of Christmas by ghosts who show him his own past and present. He is also shown what the future holds for him if he doesn't change his ways. The production runs through December 13 at McKinney Performing Arts Center.

Bruce Wood Dance presents Glow
Glow is a boldly compelling launch to Bruce Wood Dance's Season 16. It will feature the world premiere of a dynamic new creation by Robert Battle, former Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Concerto Six Twenty-Two by the legendary Lar Lubovitch; and No Sea to Sail In by founder Bruce Wood. There will be three performances through Sunday at Moody Performance Hall.

Broadway at the Center presents A Christmas Story: The Musical
A Christmas Story: The Musical brings the classic 1983 movie to hilarious life on stage. Set in 1940s Indiana, a young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. An infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish. Featuring music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriting team behind Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman, the production will have four performances through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, November 22

Balloon Museum presents Let’s Fly: A Traveling Exhibition
The Balloon Museum's Let’s Fly features large-scale installations, luminous displays, and thought-provoking artworks that invite visitors to interact with art in playful and unexpected ways. The exhibition offers a dynamic cultural experience designed for all ages, encouraging people to explore artistic expression through light, movement, and space. The exhibition will be open at South Side Studios through April 26, 2026.

Dallas Children's Theater presents The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza!
When Mo Willems’ characters get together for the holidays, it’s bound to be the biggest extravaganza ever. Terrific tunes, silly stories, goofy gifts, and audience antics hit the stage in the brand-new musical party that sleighs. The family-friendly production runs through December 21 at Dallas Children's Theater.

Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng: Hasan Hates Ronny | Ronny Hates Hasan
During these divided times, many people believe that open dialogue and discourse are the only tools to mend a wounded nation. Comedians Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng believe the opposite. The two comedians will come to Dallas as part of a nationwide tour where they will air their grievances - onstage, at the same time. They will debate about presidents, war, the economy, immigration, infrastructure, food, dating, family values, and the impending Race War. The performance takes place at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Vitruvian Lights
Vitruvian Lights transforms Vitruvian Park in Addison into a magical holiday wonderland as more than 1.5 million sparkling LED lights are wrapped around 468 trees. Visitors are encouraged to walk or drive through the park to enjoy the beauty of the lights. The event, which kicks off with the annual tree lighting ceremony on Saturday featuring a performance by Emerald City band Limelight, runs through January 1.

Dallas VideoFest presents Ernie Kovacs Award: Fred Armisen
Comedian, writer, producer, and musician Fred Armisen will be honored by Dallas VideoFest with its annual Ernie Kovacs Award, which celebrates the career and creative achievements of television’s greatest visionaries. An 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live, Armisen co-wrote and co-starred in IFC’s Portlandia, created with Carrie Brownstein; co-wrote, co-starred in, and executive produced HBO’s Los Espookys; and co-wrote, co-starred in, and produced IFC’s Documentary Now. The event takes place at Texas Theatre.

Sunday, November 23

Six Flags Over Texas presents Holiday in the Park
Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington will transform once again into a winter wonderland for the annual Holiday in the Park. Attractions include a nightly Tree Lighting Ceremony, musical production Holly Jolly Trolley, the new show Tinker’s Toy Factory, performances by The MistleTones, a host of holiday characters spreading cheer throughout the park, a Looney Tunes Holiday Dance Party, rides themed for the season, and more. The event takes place on select dates through December 28.

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Movie Review

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma gives horror a surreal twist

Photo courtesy of MUBI

Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

The horror genre really ramped up in the 1970s and ‘80s, bringing with it a new subgenre - the slasher - that gave audiences new visuals of gore, but also a reliance on sexism and homophobia that would come to define the era. The new film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma wrestles with that legacy in ways that are funny, thought-provoking, and downright strange.

Kris (Hannah Einbinder) is a queer filmmaker who has been hired to reboot the moldy IP that is the Camp Miasma franchise, one that was fresh in the 1970s but which numerous shlocky sequels have rendered irrelevant. In an attempt to get to know the property better, Kris has scored a meeting with the reclusive Billy (Gillian Anderson), the star of the original film who has shunned the public eye for decades.

Turns out that Billy lives deep in the woods at Camp Rivoli, which served as the location for the first film. As Kris tries to get to know Billy and convince her to be a part of the new film, she starts to fall under Billy’s spell and the lore of the franchise as a whole. That includes believing that the movie’s villain, Little Death - a transgender person who has an air conditioning vent as a head/mask - may not just be a character created for the movies.

Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), the film at first feels like it’s going to go the straight-up comedy route, with comic explosions of blood, a strange fascination with candy brands, and a production design that does nothing to hide that the two main actors are on a movie set with painted backdrops. This is backed up by Kris’ phone conversations with her girlfriend, Mari (Jasmine Savoy Brown) and her agent (Sarah Sherman), as well as numerous other details.

But the film starts to go down the surreal route the longer Kris stays at the camp with Billy, especially when they sit down to watch the original Camp Miasma. An extended sequence shows a good amount of that film-within-the-film, demonstrating why Kris and Billy have a love/hate relationship with the property. For Kris, though, the lines between the film and the real world start to blur, and Schoenbrun uses a variety of out-there elements to drive the point home.

The final act of the film can barely be described as Kris goes deeper down the rabbit hole, with Schoenbrun using her film to comment on the horror genre as a whole, its treatment of women and LGBT people, the movie industry, and more. All the while the “camp” of Camp Miasma maintains a presence, with candy wrappers showing up everywhere and the tongue-in-cheek references to Little Death (the French term La petite mort, which means “the little death,” is a euphemism for orgasm).

Einbinder, an Emmy winner for Hacks, is the perfect person to inhabit her role. Her established real-life and fictional personas color everything she does in the film, with her enthusiasm and curiosity shining through. Anderson leans heavily into another reference - Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard - to create a character that is as mysterious as she is alluring. Supporting actors like Brown, Sherman, Patrick Fischler, Dylan Baker, and Eva Victor keep the movie at the right pitch all the way through.

While other films have made fun of horror movie tropes before, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma finds a wholly unique way of doing so. It’s a funny and daring trip into the psyches of two women who may be victims of their own obsessions, and of the movies that made them that way.

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Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is now playing in select theaters

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