• Home
  • popular
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Charity Guide
  • children
  • education
  • health
  • veterans
  • SOCIAL SERVICES
  • ARTS + CULTURE
  • animals
  • lgbtq
  • New Charity
  • Series
  • Delivery Limited
  • DTX Giveaway 2012
  • DTX Ski Magic
  • dtx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Your Home in the Sky
  • DTX Best of 2013
  • DTX Trailblazers
  • Tastemakers Dallas 2017
  • Healthy Perspectives
  • Neighborhood Eats 2015
  • The Art of Making Whiskey
  • DTX International Film Festival
  • DTX Tatum Brown
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Dallas
  • DTX McCurley 2014
  • DTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • DTX Beyond presents Party Perfect
  • DTX Texas Health Resources
  • DART 2018
  • Alexan Central
  • State Fair 2018
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Zatar
  • CityLine
  • Vision Veritas
  • Okay to Say
  • Hearts on the Trinity
  • DFW Auto Show 2015
  • Northpark 50
  • Anteks Curated
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving
  • Maggie Louise Confections Dallas
  • Gaia
  • Red Bull Global Rally Cross
  • NorthPark Holiday 2015
  • Ethan's View Dallas
  • DTX City Centre 2013
  • Galleria Dallas
  • Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty Luxury Homes in Dallas Texas
  • DTX Island Time
  • Simpson Property Group SkyHouse
  • DIFFA
  • Lotus Shop
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Dallas
  • Clothes Circuit
  • DTX Tastemakers 2014
  • Elite Dental
  • Elan City Lights
  • Dallas Charity Guide
  • DTX Music Scene 2013
  • One Arts Party at the Plaza
  • J.R. Ewing
  • AMLI Design District Vibrant Living
  • Crest at Oak Park
  • Braun Enterprises Dallas
  • NorthPark 2016
  • Victory Park
  • DTX Common Desk
  • DTX Osborne Advisors
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • DFW Showcase Tour of Homes
  • DTX Neighborhood Eats
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • DTX Auto Awards
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2017
  • Nasher Store
  • Guardian of The Glenlivet
  • Zyn22
  • Dallas Rx
  • Yellow Rose Gala
  • Opendoor
  • DTX Sun and Ski
  • Crow Collection
  • DTX Tastes of the Season
  • Skye of Turtle Creek Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival
  • DTX Charity Challenge
  • DTX Culture Motive
  • DTX Good Eats 2012
  • DTX_15Winks
  • St. Bernard Sports
  • Jose
  • DTX SMU 2014
  • DTX Up to Speed
  • st bernard
  • Ardan West Village
  • DTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Taste the Difference
  • Parktoberfest 2016
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House
  • DTX Smart Luxury
  • DTX Earth Day
  • DTX_Gaylord_Promoted_Series
  • IIDA Lavish
  • Huffhines Art Trails 2017
  • Red Bull Flying Bach Dallas
  • Y+A Real Estate
  • Beauty Basics
  • DTX Pet of the Week
  • Long Cove
  • Charity Challenge 2014
  • Legacy West
  • Wildflower
  • Stillwater Capital
  • Tulum
  • DTX Texas Traveler
  • Dallas DART
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Alexan Riveredge
  • Ebby Halliday Realtors
  • Zephyr Gin
  • Sixty Five Hundred Scene
  • Christy Berry
  • Entertainment Destination
  • Dallas Art Fair 2015
  • St. Bernard Sports Duck Head
  • Jameson DTX
  • Alara Uptown Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival fall 2017
  • DTX Tastemakers 2015
  • Cottonwood Arts Festival
  • The Taylor
  • Decks in the Park
  • Alexan Henderson
  • Gallery at Turtle Creek
  • Omni Hotel DTX
  • Red on the Runway
  • Whole Foods Dallas 2018
  • Artizone Essential Eats
  • Galleria Dallas Runway Revue
  • State Fair 2016 Promoted
  • Trigger's Toys Ultimate Cocktail Experience
  • Dean's Texas Cuisine
  • Real Weddings Dallas
  • Real Housewives of Dallas
  • Jan Barboglio
  • Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
  • Hearts for Hounds
  • Okay to Say Dallas
  • Indochino Dallas
  • Old Forester Dallas
  • Dallas Apartment Locators
  • Dallas Summer Musicals
  • PSW Real Estate Dallas
  • Paintzen
  • DTX Dave Perry-Miller
  • DTX Reliant
  • Get in the Spirit
  • Bachendorf's
  • Holiday Wonder
  • Village on the Parkway
  • City Lifestyle
  • opportunity knox villa-o restaurant
  • Nasher Summer Sale
  • Simpson Property Group
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Dallas
  • Carlisle & Vine
  • DTX New Beginnings
  • Get in the Game
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • Dallas DanceFest
  • 2015 Dallas Stylemaker
  • Youth With Faces
  • Energy Ogre
  • DTX Renewable You
  • Galleria Dallas Decadence
  • Bella MD
  • Tractorbeam
  • Young Texans Against Cancer
  • Fresh Start Dallas
  • Dallas Farmers Market
  • Soldier's Angels Dallas
  • Shipt
  • Elite Dental
  • Texas Restaurant Association 2017
  • State Fair 2017
  • Scottish Rite
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • DTX_Stylemakers
  • Alexan Crossings
  • Ascent Victory Park
  • Top Texans Under 30 Dallas
  • Discover Downtown Dallas
  • San Luis Resort Dallas
  • Greystar The Collection
  • FIG Finale
  • Greystar M Line Tower
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • The Shelby
  • Jonathan Goldwater Events
  • Windrose Tower
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • State Fair of Texas 2016
  • Choctaw Dallas
  • TodayTix Dallas promoted
  • Whole Foods
  • Unbranded 2014
  • Frisco Square
  • Unbranded 2016
  • Circuit of the Americas 2018
  • The Katy
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Partners Card
  • Omni Hotels Dallas
  • Landmark on Lovers
  • Harwood Herd
  • Galveston.com Dallas
  • Holiday Happenings Dallas 2018
  • TenantBase
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2018
  • Hawkins-Welwood Homes
  • The Inner Circle Dallas
  • Eating in Season Dallas
  • ATTPAC Behind the Curtain
  • TodayTix Dallas
  • The Alexan
  • Toyota Music Factory
  • Nosh Box Eatery
  • Wildflower 2018
  • Society Style Dallas 2018
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital 2018
  • 5 Mockingbird
  • 4110 Fairmount
  • Visit Taos
  • Allegro Addison
  • Dallas Tastemakers 2018
  • The Village apartments
  • City of Burleson Dallas

Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this holiday weekend

Alex Bentley
Dec 26, 2024 | 6:00 am

Just because Christmas has passed doesn't mean that you have to stop celebrating the holidays. This long holiday weekend around Dallas will feature a few more holiday-themed events, including a theater production, a cirque performance, a concert, a hybrid performance, and a bad movie. Other choices include a Broadway-style musical, a concert, an electronic music festival, video game music played by a symphony, and a comedian.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. Looking for the best Christmas lights still illuminating Dallas? Those lists are here and here.

Thursday, December 26

Broadway Dallas presents Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a high-flying musical brought back to life in a new adaptation by celebrated playwright Larissa FastHorse. The adventure begins when Peter Pan and his mischievous sidekick, Tinker Bell, visit the bedroom of the Darling children late one night. With a sprinkle of fairy dust and a few happy thoughts, the children are taken on a magical journey they will never forget. the production runs through January 5 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Yippee Ki Yay: The Parody Celebration of Die Hard
When gunmen seize an LA skyscraper, off-duty policeman John McClane is the hostages’ only hope. Yippee Ki Yay is an uplifting action romp (and unauthorized parody) that pays affectionate tribute to the iconic '80s festive fan favorite and is essential viewing for Hans Gruber superfans and newcomers alike. The production runs through Sunday at Wyly Theatre.

Friday, December 27

Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland is filled with acrobatics, aerial feats, and musicians and singers, taking audiences on a journey into a world of music, cirque, and wonder. With new costumes, music, and storylines, the all-new show blends the grace and athleticism of circus performers with a musical mix of seasonal favorites. The one-night-only event takes place at Comerica Center in Frisco.

Bob Schneider in concert
Austin-based musician Bob Schneider is a Texas original who's been a part of three different bands, but has experienced his biggest success as a solo singer. Over the past 25 years, he's released 21 albums - most recently The Human Torch in 2023 - a track record that means this concert at Granada Theater won't be short of great material. He'll be joined by special guests J Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed.

Saturday, December 28

Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert
Trans-Siberian Orchestra comes to Dallas as part of their The Lost Christmas Eve tour, the first time they've presented their rock opera since 2013. The Lost Christmas Eve is the final chapter of their Christmas trilogy, which also includes Christmas Eve and Other Stories and The Christmas Attic. There will be two performances on Saturday at American Airlines Center.

Lights All Night
The annual Lights All Night festival is an all-electronic music extravaganza, featuring performances by almost 40 acts. Headliners include Excision, Audien, Friction, Thought Process, Delta Heavy, William Black, Ganja White Knight, Zorza, and more. The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Dallas Market Hall.

Eisemann Center presents Campana Sobre Campana: Christmas in Mexico
Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar and Ballet Folklorico del Rio Grande will celebrate the holiday season with Campana Sobre Campana: Christmas in Mexico. The show is named after the beloved Andalusian Christmas Carol and brings cherished Mexican traditions to life in a magical celebration of the season. They will journey through the joyous rhythms of "Bells Upon Bells" and the vibrant spectacle of Mexican dance, capturing the heartwarming story of Mary and Joseph's journey. The show will be at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Sonic Symphony
Sonic Symphony is an immersive live experience that celebrates more than three decades of music from Sega’s iconic mascot. From the classic 8-bit and 16-bit tunes to rock bands and EDM, the concert will take the audience on a musical journey through the colorful world of Sonic the Hedgehog. The event takes place at Winspear Opera House.

Sunday, December 29

The Mocky Horror Picture Show presents Jack Frost
At the Mocky Horror Picture show, comedians Liz Barksdale, Danny Gallagher and Albie Robles make fun of a movie while audiences watch it in the theater. At this event, they'll mock Jack Frost, which stars Michael Keaton as a dad who dies right before Christmas and comes back to life as a snowman. Except this snowman walks and talks like an Eldritch horror created for a Rankin/Bass television Christmas special. Audience members will get a special bag of props to use during the movie, and this time, there will be snowball fight right in the middle of the movie. The screening takes place at Texas Theatre.

Hyena's 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 for his 2023 Netflix special, Cowabunga. He'll perform four times through Monday at Hyena's Comedy Nightclub.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Photo courtesy of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Trans-Siberian Orchestra will play at American Airlines Center twice on December 28.

theater music kids families holidays concerts symphony movies event-planner
news/entertainment
popular

most read posts

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Holiday week is not slowing down this round of Dallas restaurant news

Biggest oat milk company in the world to open factory in North Texas

Movies for Kids

Kid-themed film festival at Angelika Dallas will be free to all

Alex Bentley
Dec 26, 2025 | 10:01 am
The Pout-Pout Fish
Photo courtesy of Viva Kids
The 42nd annual KidFilm will feature screenings of The Pout-Pout Fish and other new animated films.

A family-friendly kid-themed festival is coming to Dallas that'll be free for all: The 42nd Annual KidFilm Family Festival, the oldest and largest children-themed film festival in the U.S., will take place on January 17 and 18, 2026 at the Angelika Film Center Dallas with film debuts, animated films, and an appearance by a renowned children's author.

KidFilm is an annual outreach program of the USA Film Festival/Dallas, a 56-year-old nonprofit dedicated to film and the arts.

The big highlight of this year's KidFilm is a salute to children’s book author Deborah Diesen, who will appear in conjunction with a screening of Viva Kids’ new animated feature film, The Pout-Pout Fish — based on Diesen's 2008 book, which started a series that has now reached 20 entries.

The film — about Mr. Fish, a pouty introvert, and Pip, an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a daunting quest to find a legendary fish to grant their wish to save their homes — features a star-studded voice cast with familiar names like Nick Offerman, Miranda Otto, Jordin Sparks, and Amy Sedaris.

Free copies of the new book, The Pout-Pout Fish Movie Storybook, will be distributed to families (while supplies last), and Diesen will sign books for the kids.

The festival will also include screenings of other new animated feature films:

  • Leon Joosen's The Land of Sometimes, a musical which follows twins Alfie and Elise who get more than they bargained for as they are whisked away to a magical world after summoning a mysterious Wish Collector.
  • Mark Risley’s Flower of the Dawn, a fairy tale that follows a princess who has been turned into a nightingale by a vain sorceress whose only hope is to attain an elusive, magical flower.
  • Reza Memari’s The Last Whale Singer, an adventure which features a self-doubting teenage humpback whale who must face his fears and embark on a perilous journey with his friends in order to discover his own song and save the ocean from a monstrous creature.
  • Caroline Origer’s Spiked, which follows a young, orphaned hedgehog and overextended rabbit father who experience the adventure of a lifetime.
  • Vincent Bal & Wip Vernooij's Miss Moxy, a comedy which features a domestic cat who gets lost during a vacation and must find her way back home through the South of Europe with the help of the most despicable creatures a cat can imagine: a comical dog and an old, wise bird.

Additionally, the festival will include several new live-action feature films:

  • Gregory Alan Williams’ Paw Paw & Dayja, which follows the adventures of a Bigfoot obsessed 10-year-old who, with the help of her grandfather, learns that each of us see the world a little differently but everyone’s view has value.
  • Neven Hitrec’s The Second Diary of Paulina P., which follows a fifth grader who uses her charm and imagination to navigate a strict teacher, her first bully, and the new dynamic with her grandmother who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
  • Tord Danielsson’s The Crown Prince and the Return of the Tyrant, a fantasy film that follows a young Crown Prince who will soon become king, just as he has always dreamed, when his suspicious grandmother returns to the kingdom.

Finally, there will be 22 short film presentations featuring animated and live-action short films from around the world, including works from Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and U.S. (including two films made by Texans).

The event is free thanks to support from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and from the Festival’s Season Sponsors which include the Carol and Alan J. Bernon Family Charitable Foundation, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, Sidley Austin LLP, Headington Companies, Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, Gaedeke Group, Mary Fox & Laura Fox, Moody Fund for the Arts, Dallas Film Commission, Angelika Film Center Dallas, Wildworks PR, DFW Child, and Spracklen Film and Video. The USA Film Festival is supported, in part, by the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The full schedule of KidFilm programs can be found at usafilmfestival.com. Tickets for all shows are free for both children and adults, but tickets are required for admission.

Advance tickets for most programs is available online through January 14 at eventbrite.com. Any unreserved tickets will be made available at the Angelika Theater box office on the day of show only.

movies kids families festivals film
news/entertainment
popular
Loading...