Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

With kids going back to school and the oppressive heat bearing down on us, the slate of events across Dallas is a little slower than usual this week. Choices include four well-known comedians, two new local theater productions, two concerts by long-tenured bands, and the final days of a notable art exhibition.

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, August 21

Majestic Theatre presents Marcello Hernández
Marcello Hernández is a Cuban/Dominican stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who's currently a featured player on Saturday Night Live, becoming popular for his recurring character, Domingo. Doing stand-up since he was 18 years old in 2016, he has opened for headliners such as Tim Dillon, Jim Breuer, Mark Viera, Gilbert Gottfried, and more. He'll perform for one night only at Majestic Theatre.

Urban Arts Collective presents The Color Purple
The Color Purple is the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (and the popular 1985 Steven Spielberg film). It spotlights Celie, a downtrodden young woman whose personal awakening over the course of 40 years forms the arc of this epic story. With a joyous score featuring jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music and blues, The Color Purple is a story of hope, a testament to the healing power of love, and a celebration of life. The production runs through August 31 at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Improv Addison presents Marlon Wayans
Actor, producer, comedian, writer, and director Marlon Wayans has had an enviably long career, with much of it thanks to collaborations with other members of the Wayans family. He premiered his first-ever comedy special, Woke-ish, on Netflix in 2018, hosted a week's worth of shows for The Daily Show in 2023, and had a cameo in the Matt Damon/Ben Affleck movie, Air. He'll perform six times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Friday, August 22

The Offspring in concert
Believe it or not, The Offspring recently celebrated their 40th anniversary as a band, having formed in 1984. They released their debut album in 1989, but it wasn't until their third album, Smash, in 1994 that they had their breakthrough thanks to hits like "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem." They've gone on to release 11 studio albums, most recently Supercharged in 2024. They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion, joined by Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory.

Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Pure Prairie League in concert
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils came to fame as part of the Southern rock boom of the early 1970s. Although the bulk of their discography came out during that decade, they're reunited a couple of times to release new music, most recently Off The Beaten Path in 2018. Like many in their age group, they've decided to hang it up for good with When It Shines, their final tour. They'll play at Winspear Opera House, joined by Pure Prairie League.

Art Centre Theatre presents ACES!
ACES! is about five incredible women who did the impossible - again and again and again and again. It's the true story of five Miss Texas USAs who all became Miss USA from 1985-1989, adding in their fictionalized televised reunion special. The production runs through August 31 at Art Centre Theatre in Plano.

Improv Arlington presents Bill Bellamy
Using his experiences growing up in Newark, Bill Bellamy started doing stand-up while he was a student at Rutgers University. His long comedy career has led to multiple roles in both television and movies, including Love Jones, How to Be a Player, Any Given Sunday, and Insecure. He also hosts the podcast Top Billin’ With Bill Bellamy. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Sunday, August 24

Nasher Sculpture Center presents "Generations: 150 Years of Sculpture" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view "Generations: 150 Years of Sculpture" at Nasher Sculpture Center. Drawn from the Nasher’s permanent collection, the selection of works features numerous recent acquisitions and offers conversations about the possibilities for sculpture, both past and present. The exhibition features over 50 works of art by 24 artists, with sculptures by Nairy Baghramian, Kevin Beasley, Huma Bhabha, Anthony Caro, Jaume Plensa, Jean Tinguely, and others.

Kurtis Conner: The Goodfellow World Tour
Canadian comedian Kurtis Conner began his career on the now-defunct Vine before transitioning over to YouTube. His long social media presence has led him to get over 5 million subscribers, which has also boosted the audience for his stand-up comedy shows. Also the host of the podcast Very Really Good, Conner will perform for one night only at Majestic Theatre.

Photo courtesy of The Offspring

The Offspring will play at Dos Equis Pavilion on August 22.

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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.

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