Weekend Event Planner

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

This weekend around Dallas will be almost split in two, starting with lots of theater before ending with loads of music. There will be five separate theater/performance pieces, including three that are non-traditional in various ways. Three concerts featuring big names headline the latter half of the weekend, as well as a fundraising music festival and an anniversary celebration of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

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, July 17

Infinite Arts Movement presents Unveiling Echoes: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Unveiling Echoes is a transformative journey of self-discovery, an immersive show that blends poetry, dance, theater, and music, transcending boundaries to celebrate resilience, transformation, and embracing authenticity. Eloquent poetry weaves a rich emotional tapestry, enchanting dance sequences express the narrative’s essence, and theatrical elements blur the lines between performer and spectator. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will take place at Hamon Hall inside Winspear Opera House through Saturday.

Sierra Club Dallas Group and The Writers Garret presents Buzzed!
Buzzed! is an original, over-the-top, pop-rock creature-feature musical satire. The setting is the late '50s: It's the middle of the Cold War, rock 'n' roll is coming, and the threat of the bomb hangs over everything. Worse yet - bees have stopped mating, crisis ensues, and the heroes must step up. The production, running through July 27 at Theatre Three, features eight players, 15 hilarious roles, and 90 minutes of funny, far out, and fast-paced musical action with Bigfoot, boners, and a cannabis sparked bee-in to save the day.

Friday, July 18

Artstillery presents Lux: A Solo Show
Lux: A Solo Show is a new performance piece by Dallas-based actress Meagan Harris, developed through an international collaboration with Manifesto Poetico. Step into the world of Sally deLux, a woman confronting her deepest fears in a whirlwind of comedy, tragedy, and physical theatre. Told through a unique blend of English and Spanish, with live original music, puppetry, and clown-inspired performance, Lux invites audiences on a visceral, hilarious, and heart-wrenching ride, all in one fast-paced act. The production runs through Sunday at Artstillery.

Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents Noises Off
Noises Off takes a fond look at the follies of theatre folk, whose susceptibility to out-of-control egos, memory loss, and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure. This play-within-a-play captures a touring theatre troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. The production runs through August 2 at Irving Arts Center.

Uptown Players presents Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Inspired by true events, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie celebrates acceptance, belonging, and the power of unconditional love a mother has for her child. It tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support, but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations. Faced with societal pressures and the challenges of self-discovery, Jamie overcomes obstacles and embraces his true identity. The production runs through August 3 at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Saturday, July 19

Frontiers of Flight Museum presents Moon Day
The Frontiers of Flight Museum will host its annual Moon Day event, a day of space exploration featuring interactive activities, one-of-a-kind exhibits, and space-themed presentations. The event will feature a keynote presentation by retired U.S. Navy Commander and former NASA Astronaut Tony Antonelli, space-themed activities, panels, and displays, food trucks, and more.

Gone Country Summer Music Fest
The 2nd Annual Gone Country Music Fest is a community celebration supporting the Senior Life Center Capital Campaign. The lineup will be headlined by Billie Jo Jones, fresh off her win as Female Vocalist of the Year at the Texas Regional Radio Awards, as well as other Texas-based acts like Nate Burnham, Matt Fisher, Johnny Lyons, and Austin Valladarez. Legendary pit-master Eddie Deen will also be on hand to serve up dinner. The event takes place at Summerfield at Tate Farms in Rockwall.

Parker McCollum in concert
Country singer and Texas native Parker McCollum has been a fixture on the local festival scene since releasing his debut album in 2015, but in 2021 he skipped over all the smaller venues in the area and went straight to Dos Equis Pavilion. Now playing there for the fourth time in five years, McCollum comes to town as part of his What Kinda Man tour. He has released five albums in his career, most recently Never Enough in 2023. He'll be joined by Steve Earle, Reckless Kelly, and Vincent Mason.

Sunday, July 20

Kansas and 38 Special in concert
Two classic rock bands, Kansas and 38 Special, will team up for a co-headlining concert. Kansas, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of their debut album in 2024, has released 16 albums in their career and are best known for hits like "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind." 38 Special also got their start in the 1970s, releasing 12 albums in total. Their highest-charting songs include "Caught Up in You" and "Second Chance." The concert will be at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Rick Springfield in concert
If you prefer music from about a decade later, Grammy Award-winning musician Rick Springfield comes to town as part of his I Want My '80s Tour. Even though the start Springfield's career pre-dates both Kansas and 38 Special, he hit his stride in the '80s thanks to hits like "Jessie's Girl" and "Don't Talk to Strangers." He'll be joined by special guests Wang Chung, John Waite, and Paul Young at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Photo courtesy of Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield will play at the Music Hall at Fair Park on July 20.

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Hottest Haunts

North Texas haunted attraction ranks among America's 5 scariest for 2026

Facebook/Thrillvania

Thrillvania in Terrell ranked No. 5 scariest haunted attraction in the United States.

Since spooky season ends in just a couple weeks, it's time for Dallas daredevils facing tons of scary options to make some tough choices. Those in the know have a tip: Thrillvania, located 30-40 minutes east of Dallas in Terrell, is a no-brainer, experts say.

America Haunts, a national association that tracks haunted attraction industry trends, ranked the Top 5 Scariest Haunted Attractions in the United States and “recognized five mega-haunts that have mastered very different approaches to creating the kind of fear” for which thrill-seekers actively search.

Thrillvania creeped in at No. 5 in the national list, earning praise for its staying power and storytelling.

“The sprawling setting and continual updates have shaped its reputation for decades,” America Haunts adds in a press release. “Don’t expect refuge just because the space is big. When the scarecast seeks, it knows how to find its target.”

Thrillvania has three haunted houses spread across 50 acres. Fear at the Terrell property is rooted in narrative, the haunted attraction analysts say.

Central to Thrillvania is Verdun Manor, Verdun Manor, where the dead, undead, and creatures more beast than man await.

Baron Verdun and Lady Cassandra, a vampire and werewolf, were once inhabitants of the mansion, the legend goes. Through the haunted manor, cemetery, and Voodoo Bayou, their gruesome story unfolds.

On the busiest nights it might take an hour or two to access the main attractions; however, guests enter the fantasy world before reaching the mansion itself, making the journey part of the narrative.

In Cassandra’s House of Clowns, a giant brain connected to a mysterious apparatus has transformed the attraction’s clown world into something even more sinister and surreal.

Sam Hain’s Trail of Torment adds a final leg to the tour and challenges those who make it so far to determine what is real and what is delusion, according to the review.

The rest of America Haunts' top five scariest haunted attractions are:

No. 1: The Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati, Ohio
No. 2: Nightmare New England in Litchfield, New Hampshire near Boston
No. 3: The 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
No. 4: Bennett’s Curse Haunted House in Dundalk, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland

What those who made the list have in common is not a particular monster, effect, room, or scare technique, America Haunts reports: “It is the ability to create an immersive world that keeps guests wondering what will happen next while relentlessly layering scares upon scares.”

Thrillvania Haunted House Park is located at 2330 Co Rd 138, Terrell, Texas. It is open Friday-Sunday through October 25 and October 29-Halloween night. Tickets run $29.99 on Thursday, $39.99 on Sundays, and $44.99 Fridays and Saturdays and can be purchased on Thrillvania's website.

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