Weekend Event Planner

These are the 17 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's another huge weekend of events across Dallas, although the slate has such a variety that it's tough to break them down by categories. Among the many options include a big golf tournament, a major awards show, hot male dancers, a tour of a Broadway musical, a visit from a famous music couple, a rare concert by an iconic band, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. Still looking for a restaurant to treat Mom for Mother's Day? Find that list here.

Thursday, May 11

AT&T Byron Nelson
The PGA Tour will make its annual stop in the Dallas area with the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney. Although the PGA's star power has been diminished somewhat with the defection of many top players to the LIV Tour, this tournament will still feature two-time defending champion K.H. Lee, hometown hero Jordan Spieth, world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, and a slew of other top PGA golfers. The tournament takes place through Sunday.

Mother's Day with the Housewives
The Real Housewives series is one of the most popular reality franchises in the world, with over 30 different shows taking place around the world over the past 17 years. Three notable stars from the New York version - Luann De Lesseps, Ramona Singer, and Dorinda Medley - will take questions from the audience and share some of their favorite times on television in this special event at House of Blues Dallas.

Academy of Country Music Awards
The 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards will come to Frisco for the first time, taking place at the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility, Ford Center. The ceremony, hosted by country music legends Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton, will feature performances by Carly Pearce and Trisha Yearwood; Ashley McBryde featuring Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack, Pillbox Patti, and John Osborne; Ed Sheeran; Cole Swindell and Jo Dee Messina; and solo performances by Hardy and Jordan Davis.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Carmina Burana
Arguably the most iconic choral work of the 20th century, Carmina Burana’s unforgettable opening, “O Fortuna,” has become a pop culture phenomenon. The concert will also include Orff's Catulli Carmina, brought to life by four critically acclaimed soloists, the Dallas Symphony Chorus, the Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus, and the DSO. There will be four performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Magic Mike Live: The Tour
The North American touring production of Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike LiveMagic Mike Live comes to Stonebriar Centre in Frisco, featuring professional dancers delivering a thrilling 90-minute show that packs in daring dance routines, acrobatics, live music, comedy, and more in a 360-degree venue. The production runs through June 11.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Saturday Night Fever
In this beloved ’70s throwback, Tony Manero, a 19-year-old Brooklynite paint store clerk, spends his weekends at a local disco, where he moonlights as the king of the dance floor. When he and mesmerizing dancer Stephanie enter a dance competition, the pair’s professional partnership blossoms into a deep friendship, and challenges both to reflect on what’s important in life amidst rising social tensions and disillusionment. The production runs through May 28 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.

Broadway at the Center presents Fiddler on the Roof
Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher brings his fresh take on a beloved masterpiece to life as Fiddler on the Roof comes to Dallas. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family. The production will have four performances through Saturday at Winspear Opera House.

mixtamotus presents #Filtered
Materializing out of mixatmotus’ obsession with the human-machine relationship and social media, #Filtered explores the age-old idiom "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" in a tongue-in-cheek journey of perfectionism between the digital and real self. Part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project series, the production will have three performances through Saturday at Wyly Theatre.

Teatro Dallas presents The 22+ Weddings of Hugo Multiple
Why in the world does Hugo, a simple postal clerk, keep getting married so many times? The 22+ Weddings of Hugo Multiple is based on the true tale of a "beautiful crime." It's a humorous story that delves into hidden themes of our day, from empathy and immigration, to love in times of hatred, and our common need to find refuge. The production runs through May 27 at Latino Cultural Center.

Friday, May 12

99.5 The Wolf and New Country 96.3 Country Fest
The 2023 Country Fest, presented by 99.5 The Wolf and New Country 96.3, will feature performances by a variety of established and up-and-coming country singers, including Justin Moore, Eli Young Band, Priscilla Block, and Chris Cagle. The festival-style concert will be at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Candlelight: 100 Years of Warner Bros.
In celebration of Warner Bros. Studios’ 100th anniversary, Candlelight: 100 Years of Warner Bros. features music from award-winning films and unforgettable television shows from the Warner Bros. library. Audiences will hear music from The Lord of The Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Friends, Batman, Harry Potter and more. There will be two performances on Friday in a candlelit setting at the Frontiers of Flight Museum.

Theatre Frisco presents Rounding Third
Don is a coach who believes that winning is what is most important in baseball. Michael, his assistant coach, believes that kids should have fun when they play. Don's kid is the star of the team, and Michael's kid can barely remember to keep his shoelaces tied. In addition, there are extramarital affairs going on (though the truth of them is well-hidden), and Michael's job is not all that it seems. The production runs through May 28 at Frisco Discovery Center.

Majestic Theatre presents An Intimate Evening with David Foster and Katharine McPhee
Musician, composer, and producer David Foster and acclaimed singer, television, and Broadway star Katharine McPhee will bring a version of their viral Instagram show to Dallas. The intimate show with the powerhouse duo - and married couple - will be packed with Foster‘s hits from Chicago, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, and more, McPhee’s biggest songs from American Idol, Smash, and Waitress, and other favorites. The concert takes place at Majestic Theatre.

Saturday, May 13

Nasher Sculpture Center presents Thaddeus Mosley: "Forest" opening day
Thaddeus Mosley: "Forest" is an exhibition that features five large-scale wooden sculptures, all made after 2015 by the still-practicing 96-year-old artist. Mosley has been making carved and joined wood sculptures since the 1950s. Largely self-taught, the artist works with arborists and local sawmills in the Pittsburgh area to find felled trees which he sculpts using mallets and chisels. The exhibition will be on display through August 20 at Nasher Sculpture Center.

The Cure in concert
Fans of The Cure in the U.S. have had precious few opportunities to see them live, as this is just their third North American tour since 2008. This year marks the 45th anniversary for the band, which rose to fame in the late '80s/early '90s with top-selling albums Disintegration and Wish, featuring indelible hits like "Lullaby," "Lovesong," and "Never Enough." They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion in support of their new album, Songs of a Lost World.

Sunday, May 14

Godsmack in concert with I Prevail, The Struts and The Warning
Some music pundits like to proclaim that "rock is dead," but Godsmack has been proving them wrong for the past 25 years, releasing a string of top 10 albums and consistently topping the rock charts in recent years with hits like "Bulletproof," "Unforgettable," and "Surrender." They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion with I Prevail, The Struts, and The Warning.

Chelcie Lynn: 2 Fingers And A 12 Pack Tour
Chelcie Lynn is a comedian, actress, and internet personality extraordinaire. She started building a fan base in 2014 when her sketches featuring her alter ego, Trailer Trash Tammy, went viral. She can be seen in the Duplass Brothers feature film Tangerine, and recently starred in the digital series Coach Von Pidgeon for Funny or Die & Facebook Watch. She'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton will host the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards

Photo by Art Streiber

The Academy of Country Music Awards, with hosts Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton, takes place at the Ford Center in Frisco on May 11.

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Movie Review

Humans are scarier than zombies in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Photo by Miya Mizuno

Ralph Fiennes in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

It’s not often that a return to a franchise after years of no activity results in an actual good movie, but 2025’s 28 Years Later proved successful by reuniting director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, who made the original 28 Days Later. Another sequel, The Bone Temple, was filmed back-to-back with last year’s film, with Nia DaCosta taking over for Boyle in the directing chair.

The movie picks up soon after the end of the first film, with the young Spike (Alfie Williams) now an unwilling member of a group called the Jimmies, which are led by a man who calls himself Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). Unlike the main group in the first film that was just looking to survive the zombie apocalypse, the Jimmies are a bloodthirsty bunch who gleefully attack any zombies they find and brutalize other survivors they come across.

The story also returns to Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), whose solitary time at his self-built bone temple is interrupted by a massive zombie he has dubbed Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Against the odds - and with the help of some morphine - Kelson is able to bond with Samson, giving Kelson some strange but welcome companionship. But with the Jimmies lurking nearby, any peace he’s found may soon be shattered.

DaCosta, working from a script by Garland, ably steps into Boyle’s shoes, putting the emphasis on the story rather than trying for lots of stylistic flourishes. That’s not to say that she doesn’t do great work, however. The creepiness and sadistic nature of the Jimmies comes through loud and clear under her direction, and she brings out the campy comedy that comes from the unexpected pairing of Kelson and Samson.

Like the first 28 Years Later, the story is somewhat of a slow burn. The film doesn’t have many plot developments over its 109 minutes, and so DaCosta must get by on mood rather than action for the most part. But when things do get ramped up, they can get very uncomfortable as the film does not shy away from extreme gore. The damage inflicted by Samson and other zombies is one thing, but when it’s sentient humans going savage, it becomes even more difficult to look at the screen.

The juxtaposition between the chaos of the Jimmies and the quiet existence of Dr. Kelson works well for the film. Their separation for the bulk of the story gives them plenty of time to have the characters come into their own. Sir Jimmy Crystal is the ringleader, but Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman) gets her own showcase. Samson was already a (literally) big presence from the first film, but this film gives him a degree of humanity that gives the story more depth.

O’Connell made a big impression as the lead vampire in Sinners, and he’s just as interesting/intimidating here. Fiennes plays a character where being over-the-top is the natural reaction, and yet he keeps Kelson grounded in a number of ways that make him much more than one-note. Lewis-Parry was likely cast for his physique, but he brings out more from a zombie than you’d ever expect. Williams fades into the background a bit after his starring role in the first film, but he’s still strong.

Releasing The Bone Temple in January was not a great sign given the month’s reputation as a dumping ground for bad movies, but it actually proves to be a great choice. With most other releases being Oscar hopefuls or truly awful films, it stands out for being another compelling entry for the franchise, one that will make anticipation high for whenever the third film in the 28 Years Later series comes out.

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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple opens in theaters on January 16.