Weekend Event Planner

These are the 14 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

This weekend across Dallas will be one to celebrate Juneteenth, pride, top golfers, music, theater, and more. Choices include a major golf tournament, four concerts, three theater productions, a big block party, two comedians, a special drum performance, and the final days of a unique immersive audio experience.

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, June 19

Dallas Historical Society presents “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom” opening day
Leading off the many Juneteenth festivities around DFW is "Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom," which explores the historic origins of Juneteenth and its lasting impact. The exhibition features two components: the “Historical Track,” which includes firsthand accounts of emancipation shared by formerly enslaved individuals, and the “Celebration Track,” which invites visitors to recording their own stories and sentiments. Also on display is the Dallas Historical Society’s Juneteenth Order No. 3, the only remaining copy of those hand-delivered to Texas in 1865 to declare that enslaved people were free. The exhibition will remain on display through October 19 at the Hall of State in Fair Park.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the most prestigious and second-oldest women’s Major Championship, will be the first in its over 70-year history to be played in Texas. The Championship showcases the best female players in the world, including 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Champion Amy Yang. The tournament takes place through Sunday at Fields Ranch in Frisco.

Bibi in concert
Unlike most music exports from South Korea in recent years, singer/rapper Bibi has never been part of a K-Pop group. Like most of them, though, she was part of a reality music competition, The Fan, on which she finished second in 2018. After a couple of EPs, she released her debut album in 2022, and she is now touring in support of her second album, the new Eve: Romance. She'll perform at The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Shakespeare Dallas presents Othello
In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly-but-brilliant enemy. This Shakespeare in the Park production from Shakespeare Dallas will get a modern twist, set in an alternate history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power. It will run in repertory with The Importance of Being Earnest at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through July 20.

Friday, June 20

Dallas Arts District Pride Block Party
To celebrate Pride Month, Dallas Arts District will partner with its three museums - Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Crow Museum of Asian Art - to present a Pride Block Party. There will be pride-themed tours, performances, films, artists, gourmet food trucks, makers, Dallas artists, informational tables, activities, and more.

Mo Amer: El Oso Palestino Tour
Mo Amer is a Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor who grew up in Houston. He is known for his Netflix comedy special Mo Amer: The Vagabond and as a member of the comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny. Amer also appeared in the Hulu sitcom Ramy for two seasons. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Luke Bryan in concert
UPDATE 6-20-2025: Due to illness, Luke Bryan has postponed his concert until September 12. "Please hold on to your tickets—they will be honored for the new dates," he told fans on social media Friday afternoon.
Country singer Luke Bryan has been one of the top artists in the genre since his debut in 2007, scoring nine No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country charts, success that has allowed him to up his profile by appearing on The Voice and, since 2018, serving as a judge on American Idol. He'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion in support of 2024 album, Mind of a Country Boy.

The Hopeful Theatre Project presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid
In the beloved Disney classic The Little Mermaid, King Triton's youngest daughter Ariel wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull, and Sebastian the crab to restore order under the sea. The production, running through Sunday at Kalita Humphreys Theater, will benefit Turtle Island Restoration Network.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents DRUMline Live
DRUMLine Live is an international tour based on the Historically Black College and University marching band tradition. The stage show, a synchronized musical showcase of the HBCU experience, features original compositions and soul-infused interpretations of top 40 hits. The performance takes place at Winspear Opera House.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Pride Night with DSO
Pride Night with DSO is an evening celebrating love, identity, and community. Conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez, the special performance will feature vocalists Christian Dante White, Maiya Sykes, and the Turtle Creek Chorale. The program will include Broadway hits, movie classics, and disco favorites. The concert takes place at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Saturday, June 21

Teatro Dallas presents Entre Páginas
Entre Páginas is a musical for children and teens, written by Jorge Cogollo, in which six actors on stage give life to the story of a girl who loses the final page of a story. In search of her happy ending, she embarks on a magical journey in the library trying to find a writer to help her complete the end of the story. The production, featuring four performances through June 29, is performed in Spanish with an English synopsis.

Thee Phantom & The Illharmonic Orchestra in concert
Thee Phantom combines the energy and passion of hip-hop, with the beautiful, sweeping sounds of live orchestration featuring strings, horns, woodwinds, and a pianist. Add to that a soul songstress, a crowd controlling DJ and a fire breathing MC and that is still but a fraction of what you'll get when you catch Thee Phantom & the Illharmonic Orchestra in action. They'll perform at Winspear Opera House.

Majestic Theatre presents Sheng Wang
Comedian, actor, and writer Sheng Wang, originally from Houston, has released one Netflix special, Sweet & Juicy, in September 2022. He was a featured stand-up comedian on HBO’s 2 Dope Queens special and also wrote for the ABC show Fresh Off the Boat. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, June 22

AT&T PAC & Realscape Productions present Darkfield: Séance, Flight, and Coma closing day
After three months, the immersive audio experience Darkfield - located at Sammons Park - will come to a close. It features three experiences: Séance, Flight, and Coma, each of which is staged within a custom-built shipping container. The pitch-black environments utilize 360-degree binaural sound and innovative sensory effects to create immersive worlds that challenge perceptions and evoke deep emotional responses.

Photo courtesy of DRUMline Live

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents DRUMline Live at Winspear Opera House on June 20.

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Movie Review

Spanish film La Bola Negra showcases unique slice of gay history

Photo by Carla Oset/Netflix

Miguel Bernardeau and Guitarricadelafuente in La Bola Negra.

For a long time — too long — gay characters in movies tended to appear as either side characters with no real stories or as tragic figures who were usually unable to express their true selves for fear of what the world at large would think. That has changed in recent years, but the remnants of the past can still haunt, as the new film La Bola Negra demonstrates.

The film takes shape in storylines involving three different men: Carlos (Milo Quifes), a young man in Granada, Spain in 1932 who wants to join an exclusive casino (aka social club); Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente), who unwillingly joins the military during the Spanish Civil War in 1937, only to have desires aroused in him when he’s asked to guard an enemy detainee; and Alberto (Carlos González), an out gay man in 2017 whose inheritance from his recently-deceased grandfather opens up a world he knew nothing about.

The film goes back and forth between each man, detailing how they handle their individual situations and the complications that arise in their individual lives. Along the way their stories are deepened through people they meet who either welcome them with open arms or shun them for various reasons. While tragedy bonds their stories, so too does hope, resistance, and love.

Co-director/co-writers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, along with co-writer Alberto Conejero, have expanded Conejero’s play, La Piedra Oscura, which was inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca’s unfinished play, La Bola Negra. Lorca, who was killed during the Spanish Civil War, had only finished four pages of the work, his first to feature an openly gay protagonist. It’s clear there’s a desire by the filmmakers to honor the legacy of Lorca as both a playwright and a gay man, and the seriousness of their pursuit is evident throughout the film’s 160 minutes.

Calvo and Ambrossi do little handholding to guide viewers through the three distinct stories, an approach that mostly works but occasionally leads to confusion, especially as more characters are added to the equation. None of the stories are overly complicated, but they take their time with each, making the long film feel even longer. Only Alberto’s story contains any kind of development that might be considered surprising, making it tough to fully engage with the other two.

Where the film does come alive is when it brings in two well-known actors for brief-but-fascinating stints. Penélope Cruz plays Nené Romero, a singer who entertains the troops and further expands Sebastián’s mind. Glenn Close pops up as Isabelle Durand, a scholar of Lorca who helps Alberto with a unique discovery he makes in his inheritance. Both actors bring up the level of the film significantly through their performances.

Quifes, Guitarricadelafuente (the stage name of Spanish singer Álvaro Lafuente Calvo, no relation to Javier), and González all put in good work in their roles, even if none are overly engaging. They are often overshadowed by supporting actors like Cruz and Close, as well as Miguel Bernardeau as Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, the captured soldier; Julio Torres as Alberto’s partner, and Alberto Cortés as Lorca, who brings a symmetry to the film as a whole.

La Bola Negra — which means “the black ball,” represented both literally and figuratively in the film — is an ambitious film that becomes a slight victim of its filmmakers’ aspirations. Although each of the three stories contain interesting elements, a strong emotional connection is lacking overall despite good-to-great performances.

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La Bola Negra is now playing in select theaters; it debuts on Netflix on December 2.

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