Dua Lipa made the 2024 ACL Fest even hotter.

Rachel Parker

Dallas has felt like the epicenter of pop music lately. In just the past two months, The Weeknd made AT&T Stadium his own, Tate McRae brought her first arena tour to American Airlines Center, and the Jonas Brothers tore up Dos Equis Pavillion, bringing about the surprise reunion of Fifth Harmony (or fourth harmony, really) in the process.

Next week, pop music continues its hot streak in the city as Dua Lipa brings her Radical Optimism world tour for a two-night run at the AAC on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The tour comes a little over a year after the release of her studio album of the same name, marking her third full-length LP. 

It’s a little silly to call a massive pop star in the midst of an arena tour underrated or overlooked, but that feels like the sentiment on Lipa far too often. While her special brand of disco dance pop is undeniable, she’s yet to inspire the cult of personality that’s catapulted her contemporaries (Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, etc) ahead of her. Perhaps that’s for the better, and maybe we should all agree to let music speak for itself more often. But until pop culture agrees on that, we can’t help but feel Lipa isn’t getting the full shine she deserves.

Maybe her two-night stand in Dallas will change that, at least locally — the “Don’t Start Now” singer is continuing the city’s pop invasion with an immersive pop-up shop this weekend.

The pop-up shop will be held at the Kettle Art Gallery in Deep Ellum and is the fourth of six planned events in different cities on the tour. While an appearance isn’t guaranteed, Lipa has made surprise appearances at other events throughout her tour. 

Details about what we should expect are vague, but previous pop-ups in Chicago, Atlanta and New York City featured exclusive merch, photo-ops, a drink bar featuring her signature viral jalapeno pickle Diet Coke, and an immersive listening room where fans could literally “step inside” the music of Radical Optimism. 

Admission to the pop-up at Kettle Art Gallery (2650 Main St.) is free. The shop will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 27 and 28.