Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

The first full weekend of September brings an interesting mixture of events in and around Dallas. Choices include Harry Potter in concert, two local theater productions, an early Halloween event, three concerts, a unique dance/sound performance, a festival celebrating all things pickle, and two comedians.

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.

Photo courtesy of Nelly

Nelly will perform at Dos Equis Pavilion on September 5.

Thursday, September 4

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Concert
CineConcerts goes back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for an evening of music and magic in the Harry Potter Film Concert Series. Audiences can relive the magic of Harry Potter soaring across the big screen in high-definition and experience the music of a live symphony orchestra performing Nicholas Hooper’s score. The experience includes themed photo backdrops, specialty food and beverages, and more. There will be four performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Ochre House Theater presents Opera Box
A poor Southern family, caught up in the addiction of the opioid crisis and the collapse of their American Dream, journeys through a Tibetan bardo seeking clues to understand their lives. The production, written in verse, will employ live music, shadow play techniques, projections, puppetry, and a wickedly hilarious cast of talented unflinching artists. It runs through September 20 at Ochre House Theater.

Friday, September 5

Galleria Dallas presents Boo!
BAYMO, the creative team behind Santaland and Snowday! at Galleria Dallas, has taken over ownership of the BooMont Hotel. Guests will enter the "hotel" through the refurbished lobby, still decorated in the golds and greens that delighted guests when it opened in 1901. Elevators transport guests through the hotel, where older children and adults can expect the unexpected as they navigate through mysterious rooms, interactive spaces, and imaginative photo opportunities. The Halloween-style event will be open at Galleria Dallas through November 2.

Kidz Bop: Certified Bop Tour
The Kidz Bop: Certified Bop Tour is a high-energy concert that features family-friendly versions of today’s biggest pop hits, including “espresso,” “HOT TO GO,” and “Dance Monkey.” The interactive concert will feature eye-popping visuals, engaging stage design, and the fan-favorite Daddy Dance Off. There will also be a special opening performance by Snoop Dogg’s DOGGYLAND*, a colorful crew of musical pups. The concert will be at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Repertory Company Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily
The wit of Oscar Wilde meets the cunning of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the sleuthing caper Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily. Wilde’s muse, actress Lillie Langtry (a.k.a the Jersey Lily) presents Holmes with what seems like an open and shut case. But with his superior powers of deductive reasoning, Sherlock wastes no time in exposing a much more sinister conspiracy. Meanwhile, Wilde is in the throes of writing his acclaimed The Importance of Being Earnest and Holmes might inspire some of the play. The production runs through September 14 at Repertory Company Theatre in Richardson.

Shakti Collective presents Shades of Women in Love
Shades of Women in Love discovers the timeless power of love through the lens of feminist poets and ancient texts. From Maya Angelou to Natya Shastra’s Ashta Nayikas, the program explores the emotional states of women in love, as well as how these archetypes connect to modern-day experiences, highlighting themes of love, longing, and empowerment. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will have three performances through Sunday at Wyly Theatre.

Nelly in concert
Rapper Nelly is now one of the old guard in the hip hop genre, having released his debut album, Country Grammar, in 2000. Known best for early hits like "Ride Wit Me" and "Hot in Herre," Nelly has also been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Ashanti that resulted in a recent marriage and child. He'll celebrate the 25th anniversary of Country Grammar at this concert, joined by special guest Ja Rule and others at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Saturday, September 6

Grand Prairie Parks, Arts & Recreation presents Pickle Fest
Pickle Fest will feature more than 65 pickle-themed vendors, pickle-inspired food and drinks, and fun for the whole family. Guests can challenge their friends in the pickleball tournament, show off their speed in the pickle-eating and juice-drinking contests, or dress to impress in the pickle costume contest. The event takes place in Historic Downtown Grand Prairie.

Leanne Morgan: Just Getting Started
Leanne Morgan’s style of comedy combines her Southern charm and hilarious storytelling about her own life. As a stay-at-home, mother of three with a husband, people are always accusing her of spying on them because she seems to be living the same life that they do. The fact that everyone can relate to her comedy has made her a hit even among the strangest of audiences. Morgan, who recently released the sitcom Leanne on Netflix, will perform an early show and late show at American Airlines Center.

Simple Plan in concert
Canadian rock band Simple Plan has always been a bigger deal in their home country than the United States, but they've had some success south of the border, most notably with their 2004 album, Still Not Getting Any..., which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. They are celebrating their 25th anniversary as a band with the Bigger Than You Think! tour. They'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, joined by 3OH!3, Bowling for Soup, and Lolo.

Sunday, September 7

Anthony Rodia: Laugh Till It Hurts Tour
A first-generation Italian-American born and raised in Westchester, New York, Anthony Rodia came out of the womb making people laugh. In his twenties he tried a few open mics, but ultimately took a different career path as a finance manager of a luxury car dealership. In 2019, Rodia returned to comedy and left his day job to become a full-time stand-up comic. He hit the ground running and performed 100 shows in just nine months, and within a few years Rodia gained a massive fan base online and around the country. He'll perform at Texas Theatre.

music movies symphony concerts theater kids families dance festivals food-drink comedy event-planner

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.

celebrities lake ray hubbard shaquille oneal impala boat cars rockwall shaquille o'neal