The weekend before Labor Day is a little slower than normal for events in and around Dallas, but there are still some fun things to do and see. They include a great comedian, a Harry Potter film backed by a live symphony, a music festival, a concert featuring a hot country duo, two local theater productions, a dinosaur exhibition, a big plant conference, and a violinist who plays way more than classical music.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, August 29
Addison Improv presents Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford is revered for her deeply personal and experimental comedy about mental illness. She starred in the Netflix series, Lady Dynamite, about a comedian who suffers a nervous breakdown, and is the star of three unconventional hour-long stand-up specials. She also created and starred in the cult hit web series, The Maria Bamford Show, in which she plays all the characters. She'll perform the second of a two-night stay at The Addison Improv.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert
Harry Potter is having a moment in Dallas. The Triwizard Tournament comes to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert. Audiences can relive the magic of Potter soaring across the big screen in high-definition and experience the music of a live symphony orchestra performing Patrick Doyle’s score. There will be four performances through Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.
Friday, August 30
The Black Academy of Arts and Letters presents 7th Riverfront Jazz Festival
The 7th Annual Riverfront Jazz Festival will feature a lineup of performers spanning the gamut from jazz to pop, soul, R&B, blues, and neo-soul music. Performers on the two main stages will include CeeLo Green, Jeffrey Osborne, Cassandra Wilson, Ginuwine, Sheila E., Ruben Studdard, Patrice Rushen, and more. There will also be a stage featuring promising young artists. The festival will take place through Sunday at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters.
Dan + Shay in concert
Since their debut album came out in 2014, country duo Dan + Shay have been consistent chart toppers with both their albums and songs. All five of their albums made it to the top 10 on the Billboard Country chart, and among their many top 10 hits have been three that went to No. 1, most recently "Speechless" in 2018. After recently serving as coaches on NBC's The Voice, they'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion, joined by Jake Owen and Dylan Marlowe.
North Texas Performing Arts presents The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Based on Charles Dickens’ final unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a hilarious whodunit that invites the audience to solve its mystery by choosing the identity of the murderer. The tale is presented as a show-within-a-show, as the Music Hall Royale, a loony Victorian theatre company, presents Dickens’ brooding mystery. The production runs through September 7 at Courtyard Theater in Plano.
Richardson Theatre Centre presents Nobody's Perfect
Harriet is a feminist publisher with a penchant for unsuitable men friends. Leonard is a stuttering statistician whose wife has walked out on him. Their lives become intertwined when Leonard submits his manuscript to Harriet's publishing house under the nom de plume of Myrtle Banbury. She offers Myrtle £15,000 to publish the book, and in order to get his hands on the cash Leonard has to keep up the pretense of being a woman. The stage is thus set for a series of comic encounters and misunderstandings. The production runs through September 15 at Richardson Theatre Centre.
Saturday, August 31
Ginuwine and others will perform at the Riverfront Jazz Festival, taking place August 30-September 1 at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters.
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary presents Dinosaurs Live! opening day
Dinosaurs Live! is an annual exhibit that brings the ancient creatures back to life, allowing visitors to travel back in time along a half-mile nature trail with 10 life-size animatronic dinosaurs. The exhibit offers interesting facts about both herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs, and children can play on stationary baby dinosaurs or participate in an outdoor fossil dig. The exhibition will remain on display at Heard Natural Science Museum in McKinney through February 19, 2025.
PlantCon International Dallas
PlantCon Dallas is an all-inclusive plant experience where visitors can experience workshops, presentations, community building, and more. Guests can purchase products from internationally known plant exhibitors, and partake in workshops from field experts from around the globe. The event takes place through Sunday at Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center.
AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Omari Dillard: Soul Violinist
Classically trained and culturally inspired, Omari Dillard has over 30 years experience making the violin "speak," covering artists like Prince, Mary J. Blige, Luther Vandross, SWV, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, and more. The soul violinist will play at Wyly Theatre in support of his new album, Sincerely, Omari.
