Weekend Event Planner

St. Paddy's Day shenanigans top 14 best events in Dallas this weekend

This weekend in and around Dallas will have a nice variety of events, with a range of performances to enjoy. They include three comedians, an acrobatic circus, two local theater productions, two symphonic concerts offering vastly different music, two St. Patrick's Day celebrations, a rock concert, an influencer, an iconic radio host, and a dance production.

Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dallas

Photo by Jerry McClure

The annual Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival takes place along Greenville Avenue on March 15.

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, March 13

Adam Ray is Dr. Phil Live!
Adam Ray has been a working comedian/actor since 2007, with roles in a wide variety of TV shows and movies. But he hit upon a great gimmick in 2019 when he began impersonating Dr. Phil in his stand-up routines, something he's been doing almost full-time since 2023. He'll perform at Majestic Theatre with Dr. Phil Live!, a heightened version of the daytime talk show in which Ray talks to fellow comedians.

Friday, March 14

Circus Vazquez
Circus Vazquez features an all-star assemblage of performers who have graced the stages of circus festivals around the world. They include Ringmaster Memo Vazquez; Russia’s award-winning clown, Boris Nikishkin; French trapeze artist Alexander Lichner; China’s Kung Fu Boys, who combine traditional martial arts with high level acrobatics; Ethiopia’s Gondor Troupe, showing off strength and dexterity in a high-energy acrobatic display; and more. The circus will be at Riders Field through March 30.

North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre presents Into the Woods
The Tony-Award winning Into the Woods follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later. The production runs at North Texas Performing Arts in Plano through March 23.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Brahms and Schumann"
Two beloved Romantic works grace this concert program from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Acclaimed French pianist Hélène Grimaud solos in Robert Schumann’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. The concert, conducted by Fabio Luisi and featuring vocalist Siphokazi Molteno, also includes Brahms' Symphony No. 4 and Julia Perry’s Stabat mater. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Improv Addison presents D.L. Hughley
Known for being politically savvy in true comedian-style, D.L. Hughley dives head first into hot-button controversial topics with insightfully sharp observations and his signature rapid-fire jokes. He's also known for his sitcom, The Hughleys, as host of his own late night talk show on CNN, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, and as one of the Original Kings of Comedy. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Pegasus Theatre presents Mystery at the Old Cafe
Mystery at the Old Cafe is an all-new adventure in Pegasus Theatre's Harry Hunsacker series … but with a trio of tomatoes on the case instead of Hunsacker and his pals. Bubbles La Tour is heartbroken that her fiancé, Lt. Foster, will miss their wedding date. Her best gal pals and fellow dancers do their best to console her. But soon a series of murders at the old cafe take all of their attention. The production, a simulation of a live radio broadcast from the 1930s in Pegasus Theatre's trademarked RadioVizion(tm) style, runs through March 29 at Bath House Cultural Center.

Candlelight presents The Rock Orchestra
The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight is a 90-minute spectacle that infuses iconic rock and metal anthems with a hauntingly beautiful energy. In an ethereal candlelit setting, the band of 14 classical musicians will perform the music of iconic bands such as Metallica, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, The Cranberries, and more. The concert will be at Winspear Opera House.

Saturday, March 15

Lower Greenville St. Patrick’s Day Block Party
The annual Lower Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Block Party will feature a full day of music, beer, and plenty of St. Patrick’s Day cheer. A tradition on Lower Greenville for over 30 years, it includes three music stages near the area's many participating bars, including Stan’s Blue Note, The Dubliner, Terilli’s, Dodie’s Reef, Halcyon, Christie’s Sports Bar, Sister, and Goodwins. Speaking of St. Patrick's Day...

Dallas St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival
The annual Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival is the largest St. Patrick’s Parade in the Southwest. Starting at Greenville Avenue and Blackwell Street and ending at SMU Blvd. and Central Expressway, the parade draws upwards of 125,000 people along the two-mile route to see more than 90 floats, 1,700 participants, bands, and more. The parade is preceded by the St. Paddy's Day Dash 5K. (For more St. Patrick's Day celebrations, check out these two lists.)

Deftones in concert
Alt-metal band Deftones is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album, 1995's Adrenaline. That first album wasn't initially successful, but it set up an influential career that has featured eight more albums, only two of which didn't make the top 10 on the Billboard 200. A reported 10th album has yet to be released, but fans will get to enjoy all the band's hits and more at this concert at American Airlines Center.

Trisha Paytas: The Eras of Trish Tour
Trisha Paytas is an American personality, entrepreneur, and author who was one of the first to bubble off of YouTube. Embracing life milestones including sobriety, marriage, and motherhood, she has cultivated a newfound sense of purpose. From lifestyle vlogs and ASMR content to cosplay videos, Paytas has demonstrated her versatility and creativity. She also hosts the podcast, JustTrish. She'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Seven Things I've Learned: An Evening with Ira Glass
Ira Glass is the creator, producer, and host of This American Life, the iconic weekly public radio program. Using audio clips, music, and video, Glass will deliver a unique talk, sharing lessons from his life and career in storytelling. During his presentation, Glass will mix stories live onstage and help the audience better follow his creative process. The event will be at Winspear Opera House.

Taylor Tomlinson: The Save Me Tour
Comedian Taylor Tomlinson is the host of the CBS late night show After Midnight. She premiered her third hour-long comedy special, Have It All, in 2024 on Netflix, and also co-hosts Self-Helpless along with Delanie Fischer and Kelsey Cook, a podcast that combines hilarious send-ups of self-help books, trends, and more. She'll perform at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Sunday, March 16

World Ballet Company presents The Great Gatsby
World Ballet Company will present the world premiere of The Great Gatsby, a production that features the glitz, glamour, and tragic romance of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel. Featuring a multinational cast of 40 professional ballet dancers, an all-star creative team, hand-crafted costumes, and groundbreaking sets, the production will be at Majestic Theatre.

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Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer is an unappreciated mom in Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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