Weekend Event Planner

These are the 15 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's a crowded weekend for events in and around Dallas, with something in every discipline: from a major arts fest in Deep Ellum to Disney on Ice. Choose from six theater productions or a trio of big concerts, including a rock 'n' roll legend.

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, April 4

Photo courtesy of Kristin Chenoweth

Kristin Chenoweth will perform at Winspear Opera House on April 7.

Dallas Art Fair
The Dallas Art Fair will present 91 exhibitors for its 16th edition. The fair is diverse and internationally-minded, featuring galleries from across the globe, representing 17 countries and 49 cities. This year’s presentation is rooted in the creativity and imagination of American artists and gallerists, with over 20 American cities represented. The fair, taking place at Fashion Industry Gallery, starts with a special preview night on Thursday, followed by public hours Friday through Sunday.

Disney on Ice: Magic in the Stars
Disney on Ice: Magic in the Stars charts a course through the night sky, where every story starts with a wish. Guests will experience performances by characters from a variety of Disney films, including Frozen 2, Wish, Encanto, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog, and more. There will be eight performances through Sunday at Comerica Center in Frisco.

The Firehouse Theatre presents 9 to 5 The Musical
Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy, and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy, giving their boss the boot. While Hart remains "otherwise engaged," the women give their workplace a dream makeover, taking control of the company that had always kept them down. The production runs through April 21 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Brahms Requiem"
Fabio Luisi leads all musical forces (including former DSO artist-in-residence Matthias Goerne) in Brahms’ inspiring Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). The Requiem’s centerpiece is the gentle “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place,” comforting the bereaved and giving them the hope for eternal life. Featuring soprano Golda Schultz, baritone Goerne, and the Dallas Symphony Chorus, the concert will have three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Bob Dylan in concert
At 82 years old, music legend Bob Dylan has been releasing music for over 60 years. And, as his fans know well, he's also been on the road for the majority of that time, with his so-called "Never Ending Tour" starting in 1988 and now totaling over 3,000 shows. The Dallas area has been a frequent stop for Dylan, as this is his third visit in the past six years. He'll play at the Music Hall at Fair Park in support of his 2023 album, Shadow Kingdom.

Theatre Three presents The Seagull
In an isolated home in the countryside, an ensemble of family, artists and unsatisfied people gather to experience Konstantin’s new play on an outdoor stage. Known famously as one of Chekhov’s greatest plays, The Seagull reveals the truth in devastation of living somewhere between the person you are and the life you dreamed for yourself. The production runs through April 28 at Theatre Three.

Broadway at the Center: Chicago
Chicago has everything that makes Broadway great: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz; one show-stopping song after another; and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. The Tony Award-winning musical, which was turned into an Oscar-winning film, will have four performances through Saturday at Winspear Opera House.

Friday, April 5

Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair
The Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair seeks to highlight the wide variety of artists, performers, and entertainers in the area. It will be a weekend filled with curated exhibits, concerts, and food showcasing the talent and businesses from the community. The fair takes place through Sunday along Crowdus Street in Deep Ellum.

Verdigris Ensemble presents Mis-Lead
Mis-Lead is a multimedia work amplifying the resilient voices of the West Dallas community. Through choral music, poetry, real-life footage, and industrial percussion, the experience showcases a neighborhood’s triumph over environmental injustice. Highlighting eyewitness accounts, archived materials, poetry by Maya Angelou and Octavio Paz, and a new documentary film, Mis-Lead advocates a compelling testament to social change. There will be three performances through Sunday at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Dallas Theater Center presents Dial M for Murder
In this new version of the celebrated murder mystery that inspired Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Tony is convinced that his wife Margot has been cheating on him. Now it seems that the affair is over, but in his jealousy Tony spins a web of suspicion and deception that will tighten around them and ensnare them both in danger, recrimination, and murder. Will the killer get away, or will justice be served? The production runs through April 28 at Wyly Theatre.

Auriga Productions presents Hamlet
One of Shakespeare's most revered tragedies, Hamlet unfolds against the backdrop of royal intrigue, familial betrayal, and existential introspection. Prince Hamlet, grappling with the sudden death of his father and the hasty remarriage of his mother, begins a journey of retribution that plunges the Danish court into chaos. Auriga Productions will present the play through April 28 at Amy's Studio of Performing Arts in Farmers Branch.

Saturday, April 6

Andrew Schulz: The Life Tour
Stand-up comic and podcaster Andrew Schulz comes to Dallas as part of his The Life Tour, a never-before-seen journey through his complicated mind as he explores the realms of current events, politics, and the beautiful chaos of creating life. Schulz will take audiences on a comedic exploration of existence in all its messy glory. He'll perform twice on Saturday at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Cara Mía Theatre presents Diosa
Created in collaboration with Manifesto Poetico: International Laboratory of Theatre Research and Productions, Diosa is experimental physical theatre that reveals the sacred and absurd aspects of humanity, pitting corporate greed at odds with Mother Earth and the Cosmos. The production runs through April 21 at Latino Cultural Center.

The Black Crowes in concert
Rock band The Black Crowes have had multiple "endings" over the years, but somehow they've always found their way back together again. That's probably because they've had brothers Chris and Rich Robinson as the two mainstays, deciding to reunite with new members after various hiatuses. They'll play at The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory in Irving in support of their first new album in 14 years, Happiness Bastards.

Sunday, April 7

Kristin Chenoweth in concert
Broadway actor/singer Kristen Chenoweth is no stranger to Dallas, having performed in the area multiple times in recent years. But now she has a reason to have even more affection for the area, having gotten married to husband Josh Bryant here in 2023 despite living elsewhere. This concert at Winspear Opera House will be a retrospective of her long and storied career, which includes originating Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, seven albums, and more.

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Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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