Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's not officially spring, but this weekend in and around Dallas brings a hint of the new season with three fun festivals. Other choices include two theater productions, a well-known comedian, a symphony concert, an opera competition, a concert celebrating crooners, a concert featuring a big rapper, and the final days of an art exhibition.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out our calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events. With rainy weather possibly affecting outdoor events, we'll update the below listings if necessary.

Thursday, March 5

Fever presents SAW The Musical: The Unauthorized Parody of SAW
SAW The Musical is a parody that reimagines the first horror movie in the series, picking up from when Lawrence Gordon and Adam Stanheight meet for the very first time in the infamous bathroom trap. Will they follow “the rules” as they discover each other’s secrets? Will they outwit the game and make it out alive? Think Little Shop of Horrors meets Avenue Q for the darkly hilarious story about life, love, and yes … a little limb removal. The production runs through April 12 at Theatre Three.

Michelle Buteau: The Surviving and Thriving Tour
Michelle Buteau, a comedian, actress, and bestselling author, comes to Dallas with The Surviving and Thriving Tour. Fresh off her Netflix series, Survival of the Thickest, and her memoir of the same name, Buteau is ready to take the stage with a brand-new set that delves into life’s unpredictable twists and turns — parenting, relationships, body positivity, and navigating the chaos of modern life.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Brahms’ Double Concerto"
Johannes Brahms' Double Concerto is a give-and-take between violin and cello as they trade phrases and musical gestures full of drama and lyricism. Bringing the concerto to life will be Chad Hoopes, faculty member at Southern Methodist University, and world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler. Maurice Cohn also leads the first DSO performance of Weill’s Second Symphony, composed in the fraught post-World War I period. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Friday, March 6

North Texas Irish Festival
The North Texas Irish Festival celebrates Celtic music, culture, and family fun across multiple indoor and outdoor stages. In addition to performances by a variety of bands, guests can enjoy Irish step dancing, storytelling, horse and sheepherding demonstrations, Gaelic football exhibitions, and a dedicated children’s area with crafts and cultural activities. The festival takes place through Sunday at Fair Park.

The Dallas Opera presents National Vocal Competition
Audience members can get a first glimpse of the opera stars of tomorrow as they perform onstage at Winspear Opera House. Finalists at the 2026 National Vocal Competition will sing with The Dallas Opera Orchestra while competing against singers from across the United States. Attendees are invited to join in on the action by voting for the “People’s Choice Award” winner of the evening.

Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents Native Gardens
Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, are realizing the American dream when they purchase a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank. But a disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement. The hilarious results guarantee no one comes out smelling like a rose. The production runs through March 21 at Irving Arts Center.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents: Great American Crooners
Great American Crooners focuses on quintessential crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Bobby Darin, whose velvety voices and sentimental serenades made them superstars on stage and on screen. The concert will feature vocalists Robbie Lee, Shenel Johns, and Benny Benack III, singing classics like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Misty,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” and “Moon River.” The concert takes place at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Saturday, March 7

Dallas Festival of Colors
The Dallas Festival of Colors (Holi Mela), celebrating its 16th anniversary, continues its tradition of uniting the community through color, music, culture, and togetherness. Inspired by the ancient Indian festival of Holi, the Festival of Colors is a high-energy, family-friendly experience featuring live music and DJs, traditional and contemporary dance performances, color throws, cultural showcases, food vendors, and activities for all ages. It takes place at Myers Park & Event Center in McKinney. (UPDATE: This event has been postponed to March 21.)

City of Carrollton presents TEXFest
TEXFest is the City of Carrollton's annual celebration of Texas Independence Day. The Texas-sized festival features craft beer, good grub, and local artists performing Texas music. Visitors can ride on a mechanical bull, take a photo with a live Texas longhorn, or kick back and relax with an afternoon of two-stepping and lawn games. Music performances will include headliner Grupo Stampede, as well as Bailey Rae of The Voice and Brandon Rosage. The event takes place in Historic Downtown Carrollton.

Cardi B in concert
Rapper Cardi B comes to Dallas as part of her Little Miss Drama Tour, marking her first full headline arena run and her biggest tour to date. Having sold over 100 million albums since her 2018 debut, Cardi B is touring in support of her new album, Am I The Drama?. She'll perform at American Airlines Center.

Sunday, March 8

Crow Museum of Asian Art presents Cecilia Chiang: "Whiskers and Paws" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view Cecilia Chiang: "Whiskers and Paws" at Crow Museum University of Texas Dallas in Richardson. "Whiskers and Paws," an excerpt of Chiang’s nature-focused work, primarily serves as a nod to her childhood. While Chiang grew up in a large family of nine, she also had a cat and dog. As the children in the Chiang family grew older and became more independent, from moving away to becoming preoccupied with school, Chiang’s mother, lonely and hard-working, embraced the animals’ company. Their companionship often granted her a sense of solace from supporting the Chiang household.

Cardi B

Cardi B will perform at American Airlines Center on March 7.

theater comedy music concerts symphony festivals opera exhibitions-visual-arts event-planner

Shaq Sighting

Shaquille O'Neal cruises Dallas lake in custom '64 Chevy Impala boat

Courtesy of Effortless Motors/Youtube

A still from the Effortless Motors video

“Oh, my God! My Impala boat has arrived!” The shout comes from NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal, as seen in a viral video from California-based Effortless Motors.

Those on Lake Ray Hubbard one day in early July witnessed the 7-foot-1-inch basketball superstar, known worldwide as Shaq, cruising the North Texas waters in a convertible 1964 Chevrolet Impala. A surreal sight, onlookers say.

“I had to do a double take, rub my eyes, and hope no one had spiked my coffee,” says Rockwall resident Steve Johns via phone. Johns was doing maintenance on his berthed boat when he saw the celebrity steering the craft through the waves with two other men aboard.

The passengers were Ahmad Abdelrahman and Daniel Ubario, classic car specialists who founded Effortless Motors, a full-service auto concierge in Riverside, California. They built and delivered the custom craft to O'Neal and filmed both its reveal and its maiden voyage.

O’Neal had semi-jokingly discussed the idea with the men last March, on his 54th birthday, while commissioning a Chevy Impala ‘64 restoration for his multimillion-dollar car collection.

“He wanted something crazy that no one in the world has ever seen,” Abdelrahman, Effortless CEO, tells CultureMap in an interview.

In early July, the team delivered O'Neal's consigned classic car to his home in the Ridge Lakes of Heath subdivision, on the lake’s east side. The video shows O’Neal treating family members to low, rumbling rides around his otherwise quiet suburban enclave and appearing ecstatic as he hugs and heaps praise upon the car specialists.

“You did a great job. Oh, thank you! Everything is perfect,” O’Neal says about the $1.2 million street-ready Impala, whose price reflects the extensive modifications needed to accommodate Shaq’s XXL physique. “But you promised me the boat for my birthday,” O’Neal quips.

On cue, a second trailer arrives hauling the gold Impala boat, a nod to Doughboy (Ice Cube)’s 1993 ride in the movie Boyz n the Hood.

The logistics of delivering both a car and a surprise boat — and secretly setting up the latter’s trial run — were challenging, but O'Neal's reaction made everything worthwhile, Abdelrahman says.

“The best thing was knowing we built something that has never existed before," he says. "Seeing that Impala on the water, it’s like seeing a unicorn flying across the sky.”

In the video, Shaq is seen settling into the customized captain’s seat and navigating choppy waters as Abdelrahman exclaims, “First seven footer to drive a ‘64 Impala in the water.”

“Once again, Effortless Motors delivers,” O’Neal says into the camera.

The video then shows the famous TNT broadcaster stopping under storm clouds to sign autographs and snap photos with starstruck lakegoers. “We love your boat, Shaq,” a teenage boy is heard saying after snapping a selfie. “You’re the best, man. We love you!”

O’Neal has lived part-time in the Dallas area since 2022, when he bought a $1.2 million Carrollton mansion. He sold it for $1.7 million and moved into his current 5,100 square-foot, approximately $2 million Rockwall County estate in 2024.

Since then, sightings of the megastar abound around Dallas-Fort Worth. In Mesquite in 2024, he treated 20 students to $500 shopping sprees at JCPenney. On another occasion he gave a $500 gift card to a couple he met at Fort Worth’s JCPenney, which they paid forward to children in need. And earlier this year at the Rockwall Target, he distributed $100 bills to shoppers at random. He's also behind the Big Chicken restaurant franchise, whose Fort Worth location recently closed.

But Shaq isn't the only retired athlete taking high-end toys to Texas waters. While his Impala jetboat is one of a kind, other luxury autos afloat have been spotted nearby. Former Dallas Maverick Charlie Villanueva regularly is seen cruising his Rolls Royce amphi-boat near his Lake Ray Hubbard home, many Instagram commenters pointed out after Shaq’s maritime adventure went viral.

Automotive journalists at The Autopian noted that, based video footage, Shaq’s new toy is not amphibious but rather a fiberglass silhouette of the Impala attached to a jet boat hull.

“That doesn’t take away from the spectacle of the thing much, with the rather slab-sided Impala body cutting an unexpected shape through the water,” wrote The Autopian's Andrew Evans.

A still from the Effortless Motors video

Courtesy of Effortless Motors/Youtube

Shaq featured in the Effortless Motors video.

celebrities lake ray hubbard shaquille oneal impala boat cars rockwall shaquille o'neal