Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

This weekend in and around Dallas serves as both the introduction to June and the last one before the monthlong extravaganza that will be the World Cup. Choices include five local theater productions, a music festival, two concerts, an opera, a dance production, a big-name comedian, and the final days of a fun charity event.

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.

Thursday, June 4

Kitchen Dog Theater presents Venus
Breakups are never fun. It’s easy to romanticize all of the good times: stargazing, waxing poetic about literature, that instant spark the first time your hands brushed. It’s even easier to forget about all of the bad times, like when they ghosted you after the perfect first date, or that one time you woke up in a shallow grave. Venus is a pitch-black comedy in which two women learn that true love isn’t the only thing that bonds two people together … forever. The production runs through June 28 at Kitchen Dog Theater.

Rover Dramawerks presents Laura
When Mark McPherson first falls in love with Laura, he knows he’s in love with a phantom — for Laura is dead, and he’s in charge of her murder investigation. When she appears in the midst of a thunderstorm, very much alive after all, it is revealed that Laura’s best friend (and rival) was the true victim of the crime. But now, all the evidence seems to point to Laura’s guilt. Is Mark going to have to pin the crime on the woman he’s falling in love with? The production runs through June 20 at Cox Playhouse in Plano.

Friday, June 5

KHYI 95.3 The Range Radio presents Texas Music Revolution
The 30th annual Texas Music Revolution will feature over 75 bands on 15 stages throughout downtown McKinney. Performers will include Shane Smith & The Saints, Randall King, Ray Wylie Hubbard, William Beckmann, Shelby Stone, Austin Meade, Matt Hillyer, The O's, Katrina Cain, Jake Ryan, and more. The music festival takes place on Friday and Saturday.

Yellowcard in concert
Rock band Yellowcard is sneaking up on its 30th anniversary, having formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997. Their breakthrough didn't come until 2003 with their fourth album, Ocean Avenue, setting up a run of four straight top 20 albums on the Billboard 200. They'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in support of their 2025 album, Better Days, their first new release in nine years.

Opera Arlington presents Carmen
Inspired by the upcoming World Cup, Opera Arlington’s production of Carmen will reimagine Bizet’s classic in the vibrant atmosphere of 1920s Spain during the euphoric aftermath of the Spanish national soccer team’s historic Olympic medal victory. Escamillo, a dashing star footballer, has charisma and bravado as formidable on the stage as on the pitch. Carmen, an itinerant Romani worker as spirited as she is free, entrances the rigid and tradition-bound soldier Don José, and their connection ignites like a match struck in the dark. There will be performances on Friday and Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington.

Theatre Arlington presents The Wiz
A beloved Broadway gem, The Wiz infuses L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with a dazzling mix of rock, gospel, and soul music. The timeless tale of Dorothy’s adventures through the Land of Oz is a fun, family-friendly, modern musical. The production runs through June 21 at Theatre Arlington.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents Kong's Night Out
Kong's Night Out is the story of what happened in the hotel room next to the hotel room where Ann (played in the 1933 movie by Fay Wray) was whisked out of the bed and into the Manhattan night by King Kong. There's always a backstory. Myron Siegel is a low-end Broadway producer who desperately wants to be high end. Trouble is, he has, for his entire career, been sabotaged by his arch-rival, who is ultra-famous for making movies about scary jungle creatures. The production runs through June 28 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Saturday, June 6

Junior Players presents PUP Fest
The 2026 edition of PUP Fest will highlight six plays written and performed by teenagers from across North Texas. A component of the Dallas Playwriting Arts Collective, a partnership between Junior Players, Kitchen Dog Theater, and the Dallas Independent School District, provides innovative programs and opportunities for high school playwrights. There will be two performances on Saturday at Dallas College Richland Campus.

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents MOMIX: Botanica
MOMIX is always a wild ride — trippy, magical, and downright unforgettable. Botanica is a stunning journey through the rhythms of the seasons, the ever-changing shapes of life on Earth in the magic of a single day unfolding. The show features jaw-dropping costumes, breathtaking projections, and larger-than-life puppets designed by the legendary Michael Curry. There will be two performances on Saturday at Winspear Opera House.

Martin Lawrence: Y’all Know What It Is! Tour
Comedy legend Martin Lawrence comes to Grand Prairie as part of The Y’all Know What It Is! tour, featuring an all-new stand-up show and fresh one hour set where Lawrence brings the real talk and finds the funny in everything from family to culture as only he can. Lawrence's career dates back to 1989, with his heyday coming in the 1990s with the TV show Martin and the start of the Bad Boys franchise. He'll perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre.

Sunday, June 7

Dallas CASA presents Parade of Playhouses closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view the Parade of Playhouses at NorthPark Center. The annual fundraiser for Dallas CASA features a colorful display of imaginative, one-of-a-kind children’s playhouses designed and built by architects, builders, local companies, and talented community members. Visitors can purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win one; tickets are sold both onsite at NorthPark Center and online.

Liverpool Legends: The Complete Beatles Experience
The Liverpool Legends are four musicians and actors handpicked by Louise Harrison, sister of George Harrison, to honor her brother’s legacy and re-create the band that changed the world forever. The audience will experience the complete history of the Beatles, from the early mop-top hits, to the Magical Mystery Tour, through the psychedelic era, and other classics. The concert takes place at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Photo courtesy of MOMIX

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents MOMIX: Botanica at Winspear Opera House on June 6.

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Game preview

Dallas World Cup opener will feature 'best team never to win the trophy'

Dutch Orange Bus

The Dutch Orange Bus will serve free burgers to fans at Hat Creek Burger Company.

RIVERSIDE, Mo. (AP) — The road leading into the practice facility that the Netherlands is using for its World Cup base camp was supposed to be welcoming, what with “welkom” signs in Dutch making one of the world's top teams feel right at home. Even the street name Teal Rising Way has been temporarily changed to “Oranje Rising Way” for the next six weeks in honor of the team's orange colors.

But perhaps someone should have reconsidered the white signs denoting important World Cup milestones for the Netherlands. Every one of them is a reminder that the country still has never won the tournament.

“How far can we go? Yeah, hopefully all the way,” said defender Virgil van Dijk, who will be appearing in his second World Cup, and who will once again captain the Dutch team.

The Netherlands begins group play against Japan at 3 pm Sunday, June 14 in Dallas. It will be the first of nine FIFA World Cup matches played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington - dubbed "Dallas stadium" for the tournament - and the first one in front of DFW crowds.

A world-famous bright orange double-decker bus that serves as a symbol of Dutch soccer fandom follows the team and will make an appearance at a Dallas-area restaurant to help hype them up.

“We know how difficult it will be,” the Liverpool player acknowledged after a recent training session held under an unrelenting Midwestern sun, which pushed the heat index toward triple digits in Missouri, as it has in Dallas. "But our full focus will be on Japan, first and foremost. That will get all our attention. We won't look too far ahead. But we all have big dreams, and we'll give all we have.”

Three World Cup finals
The Dutch have long held the unwelcome moniker of best nation never to have won the World Cup trophy. In fact, they are the only nation to have reached three finals without a triumph.

In 1974, the Netherlands had returned to the World Cup after a nearly four-decade drought, and the dazzling play of Johan Cruyff had led it all the way to the final. There, the Dutch faced host West Germany and its star player, Franz Beckenbauer. The Netherlands scored quickly on a penalty kick, but West Germany answered with two goals before halftime, and the Dutch were unable to find the back of the net in the second half before a crowd of more than 78,000 at the Olympiastadion in Munich.

It was disappointing, to be sure, but ask any Dutch fan and they will say 1978 stung even more.

Once more facing the host nation in the final, Argentina led 1-0 at halftime before Dick Nanninga managed an equalizer in the 82nd minute. The game remained tied into extra time, when Mario Kempes scored his second goal of the game for host Argentines, and Daniel Bertoni added another for good measure before a boisterous crowd at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires.

The Dutch reached their third final in 2010, when it faced Spain for the title in Johannesburg, South Africa. That match also was decided in extra time after the teams had played to a stalemate, with Andrés Iniesta scoring in the 116th minute.

Reason to believe
The Netherlands reached the semifinals in 2014 before inexplicably failing to qualify in 2018. But it was back for 2022 in Qatar with van Dijk leading the way. The Dutch rolled through group play while conceding a single goal, then dominated the U.S. in the round of 16 before losing to eventual champion Argentina on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

But take away penalty shootouts and the Dutch are unbeaten in their last 12 matches at the World Cup. The only nation with a longer such streak is Brazil, which went 13 consecutive matches behind the brilliant play of Pele between 1958 and 1966.

“I think we have a great group of players, especially human beings. We are getting along so well with each other,” van Dijk said. "But obviously it's all about the results. It's all about performing. All the players that are here, especially over the years — it's players that have played at the highest level, experiencing amazing things in their careers. Winning trophies. Playing for the biggest clubs.

“They're coming together here and trying to make their country proud. It's the biggest thing you can do.”

While the Dutch are favored to get out of their group, the path to the knockout rounds won't be easy. The trio of Japan, Sweden and Tunisia represent a tricky series of matches, and coach Ronald Koeman's team has struggled with injuries; defender Jurrien Timber has already left because of a groin injury and goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen is nursing a recent hip injury.

It's unclear whether Verbruggen will play in Dallas Sunday against Japan.

“We know Japan is strong. We've analyzed the team and the players,” Koeman said. “We spoke about their system, normally where they play out of, and the physical state of their players. It's difficult. But we believe in ourselves. We respect Japan, but we are Holland, and they will respect us. I think it will be an interesting match, and a difficult one.”

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