Weekend Events Planner

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

Holiday event season always reaches its peak at Thanksgiving, and this year is no different, with seven different holiday-themed events starting or taking place this weekend. You can also get the weekend started early with a national theater production, an ice skating extravaganza, and two concerts.

Below are more best ways to spend your precious free time this Thanksgiving weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Wednesday, November 22

Broadway Dallas presents MJ the Musical
The music. The moves. The icon. Now, the unparalleled artistry of the greatest entertainer of all time is featured in MJ, the Tony Award-winning new musical centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour. The production goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status. The production runs through December 3 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Disney On Ice presents Find Your Hero
Disney On Ice returns with a new magical adventure, Find Your Hero, where audiences will discover what it truly means to be a hero as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and friends from around the Disney Kingdom come together to take families on a journey through timeless tales. The show features Mirabel from Encanto; Moana and Maui from Moana; Anna, Elsa, and Olaf from Frozen; and more. The production has eight performances through Sunday at Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen.

Joshua Ray Walker and Vandoliers present Friendsgiving with Jaret Ray Reddick
Joshua Ray Walker and Vandoliers will present a special co-headlining Friendsgiving concert. Walker is touring in support of his new album, What Is It Even?, while Vandoliers are touring in support of their new album, The Vandoliers. They'll be joined by Jaret Ray Reddick at Longhorn Ballroom.

The Polyphonic Spree in concert
It may be the holiday season, but the real reason for celebration for fans of The Polyphonic Spree is the release of their eighth album, Salvage Enterprise. This special show at Granada Theater will celebrate that album's release, although lead singer Tim DeLaughter and the choral rock group will surely delve into their deep catalog, too.

Thursday, November 23

Grand Prairie Parks, Arts and Recreation presents Prairie Lights
Prairie Lights is a two-mile, drive-through holiday park experience that showcases a display of more than 4 million lights arranged in hundreds of festive holiday scenes throughout the park. At the halfway point, guests can exit their vehicle to enjoy carnival rides, concessions, photos with Santa, the magical walk-thru forest, and holiday shopping. The second half of the drive ends with the new and improved light tunnel. The event takes place at Lynn Creek Park at Joe Pool Lake in Grand Prairie. (For a long list of the best Christmas lights this year, check out this story.)

Friday, November 24

Texas Christkindl Market
The 13th Annual Texas Christkindl Market is a traditional European-style market that brings the charm of German Christmas markets. Visitors will be immersed in a world of twinkling lights, decorations, food, and musical performances. The event takes place in the North Plaza at Globe Life Field through December 23.

Galleria Dallas presents Grand Tree Lighting Celebration
Galleria Dallas will present its annual Grand Tree Lighting Celebrations. Every show features the Missile Toes, Galleria’s ice-skating, back-flipping, pyrotechnic Santa Claus, live performances by Olympic and National Champion-ranked skaters, and local children who introduce the lighting of the country’s tallest indoor tree. There will be performances on both Friday and Saturday.

Heritage Farmstead Museum presents Lights on the Farm
At Lights on the Farm, guests will walk along a quarter-mile trail showcasing holiday light creations, animated displays, a 20-foot Christmas tree, refreshments, and a chance for the youngest guests to visit with Santa. There will also be plenty of selfie photo opportunities throughout the farm property of the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano. The event runs on weekends through December 30.

Chamberlain Ballet presents The Nutcracker
Chamberlain Ballet's annual production of The Nutcracker will feature guest artists Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia from The New York City Ballet as The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. Guests can immerse themselves in a world of waltzing snowflakes, marching toy soldiers, and the timeless tale of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince. There will be three performances through Sunday at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Stravinsky The Firebird"
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Thanksgiving concert, "Stravinsky The Firebird," features conductor Gustavo Gimeno and violinist Alexander Kerr. The program will include Tchaikovsky's Selections from The Nutcracker, Mozart's Concerto No. 5 for Violin and Orchestra, “Turkish,” and Stravinsky's Suite from The Firebird (1945 Revision). There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Texas Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker
Featuring dazzling choreography and exquisite sets, The Nutcracker celebrates the season with enchantment, snowflakes, and sweets. Audiences can experience the most magical Christmas tradition of the season as Clara and her Nutcracker Prince battle an army of mice and travel through a winter wonderland to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Kingdom of Sweets. The production runs through December 3 at Winspear Opera House.

Photo by Steven Visneau

Texas Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker at Winspear Opera House, November 24-December 3.

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Scares for Days

9 top Dallas-area haunted houses to scare up Halloween frights in 2026

Photo courtesy of Dark Hour Haunted House

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Halloween has long been about way more than the day itself, with all sorts of spooky and not-so-scary events throughout October to get people in the mood for the season.

But haunted houses/attractions are what really bring out the spirit of the season, and the Dallas area has plenty of great options from which to choose.

Each of the nine venues below offers up lots of frights for anyone who can handle it.

Galleria Dallas presents The BooMont Hotel
The BooMont Hotel at Galleria Dallas has been upgraded with two brand-new rooms, more square footage, bigger thrills, and different ways to explore the hotel. New for 2026 is a ghost pool that will have visitors diving into the deep end of the unexplained, a haunted mirror maze that will force them to find themselves before finding the exit, and a master key scavenger hunt with 13 stops. The event is open daily through November 1.

Six Flags Over Texas presents Fright Fest
Fright Fest at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington features haunted mazes, outdoor scare zones, multiple live shows, and Halloween-themed food and beverages to celebrate the fall season. The haunted attractions are inspired by immersive nightmares and iconic horror franchises, including Doc Varnum’s Hybrid Hell Pit, The Conjuring Universe, The Strangers: No Escape, SAW: Legacy of Terror, EverSmile Industries, and Terror at the Polynesian Palm. Fright Fest will be open on select dates through November 1.

Dark Hour Haunted House
Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano is one of the Dallas-Fort Worth’s most immersive haunted attractions, where elaborate theatrical sets, terrifying creatures, state-of-the-art effects, and unexpected scares are around every corner. The 2026 season features more animatronics than ever before, the all-new Medusa’s Lair and Strega Chamber, and an ever-growing goblin horde taking over the labyrinth. It will be open on select dates through November 13.

J&F House of Terror
J&F House of Terror in Garland is a haunted house maze torn down and built up every year, so it is never the same. Official details about the attraction are scarce on their website, but they claim the "haunt is very scary" and "has jump scares and something hiding in each corner." Located within Firewheel Town Center, it is open on select dates through November 1.

Scarborough's Hollow: A Fall Fantasy Festival
While the majority of the Fall Fantasy Festival at Scarborough's Hollow in Waxahachie is family-friendly, with a pumpkin garden, games, photo ops, light displays, and a fun house, they also have a trio of haunted attractions for those who like to be scared. They include Blackthorn Castle Haunted House, Secrets of Rottingwood Cemetery, and Raptus and Krane's Mythical Monster Museum. The festival will be open every Saturday through October 31, plus Sunday, November 1.

Haunted Shadows Lake Trail
This haunted attraction in The Colony has the distinction of being one of the only outdoor haunts in the area. The trail is a little over a mile in length, taking visitors on a self-guided journey through the woods and weeds along the shore of Lake Lewisville. There is no guide — only a trail. Through the dark, scary woods. The wind rustling through the trees. The snap of a twig from a footstep. The moon shining off the lake. The shadows that provide refuge for some unseen horror. Haunted Shadows is open on select dates through October 31.

Cucuy Nights
Cucuy Nights is one of the newest haunted houses in the Dallas area, having opened in 2025 at a location in Garland and moving to Dallas proper this year. It is is an immersive maze-style haunted attraction rooted in Latino and indigenous mythology. Visitors will step into total darkness, thick practical fog, and rooms filled with culturally iconic characters drawn from living folklore. Located at 423 Singleton Blvd., it will be open on Fridays and Saturdays through October 31.

Junkyard Haunted House
The Junkyard Haunted House is a unique haunted house made out of junk locally picked up by the JunkGuysDFW. The family business takes the time to build a new and different haunted house every year. Imagine rusted machinery groaning in the darkness, flickering lights revealing glimpses of horrifying creatures, and the chilling feeling that you're not alone. It will be open on select dates through October 31.

Junkyard Haunted House at City Park
Junkyard Haunted House is collaborating with the Dallas Parks Department to provide the city with a haunted house experience at City Park. Visitors can enjoy a sprawling haunt stretched across 21 acres, a journey through seven distinct, fear-inducing haunted houses. It will be open on select dates through October 31.

The Parker House
The Parker House in Denton features two main attractions: The Haunted Walkthrough at The Parker House, in which guests are engulfed in the murderous mayhem in which Mary Parker subjected her victims; and Outbreak, where guests can take an interactive ride around the property in specially equipped attack vehicles with a mission to defeat zombies and save the world from chaos. There is also Mary's Not-So-Scary Trick-or-Treat event on October 14 and 21, a tamer version of the normal haunted house. It will be open on select days through November 1.

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