There will be no shortage of fun things to do in and around Dallas this weekend, with big events taking place almost every day. Choices include a different kind of home run derby, a trio of concerts (including one huge classic band), four theater productions, a movie star talking about one of his best-known films, two festivals, two comedians, a symphony concert, a car-free bike ride around Dallas, and the opening of a new art exhibition.<\/p>\n
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out our calendar for an even longer list<\/a> of the city’s best events.<\/p>\n Thursday, May 14<\/strong><\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys present Reliant Home Run Derby<\/a><\/strong> Haynes Boone presents The Eric Nadel Birthday Benefit Concert<\/a><\/strong> The Firehouse Theatre presents Sister Act<\/a><\/strong> AT&T Performing Arts Center presents John Cusack’s High Fidelity<\/a><\/strong> Dead White Zombies presents Big Bird<\/a><\/strong> Ochre House Theater present Immovable Beast<\/a><\/strong> Friday, May 15<\/strong><\/p>\n City of Grapevine presents 42nd Annual Main Street Fest<\/a><\/strong> Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> Improv Arlington presents Orlando Jones<\/a><\/strong> Verdigris Ensemble presents The Velveteen Rabbit<\/a><\/strong> Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents “Mahler\u2019s Symphony of a Thousand”<\/a><\/strong> The Avett Brothers & Mike Patton in concert<\/a><\/strong> Saturday, May 16<\/strong><\/p>\n Dallas Bike Ride<\/a><\/strong> Nasher Sculpture Center presents Nic Nicosia: “Everyday Surreal” opening day<\/a><\/strong> Eagles in concert<\/a><\/strong>
At the annual Reliant Home Run Derby, various Dallas Cowboys will swing for the fences to raise money for charity. Each player will take a turn at bat until one Cowboy is declared champion, with each hit and home run earning a donation for The Salvation Army. The event takes place at Riders Field in Frisco.<\/p>\n
The 14th annual Eric Nadel Birthday Benefit concert is another sports-themed charity event, as it celebrates the 75th birthday of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame radio broadcaster. The evening will feature live music from Sammy Rae and The Friends and Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes, as well as live and silent auctions. Proceeds from the event at Longhorn Ballroom will benefit the Grant Halliburton Foundation.<\/p>\n
When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won’t be found: a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community. The musical runs through May 31 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.<\/p>\n
With a body of work spanning the course of over four decades, actor John Cusack has evolved into one of Hollywood\u2019s most accomplished and respected actors of his generation. Cusack will host a screening of one of his most popular movies, High Fidelity, followed by a live conversation \u2014 moderated by Jeff \u201cSkin\u201d Wade of The Ben & Skin show on 97.1 The Eagle \u2014 about his career and the making of the film, as well as a Q&A. The event takes place at Winspear Opera House.<\/p>\n
Big Bird is a performance immersion about the transformation of the human and biological into the digital and artificial. A forest of screens. A birth canal. A Miao shaman and an AI girlfriend who doesn’t know if she exists. Big Bird is Dead White Zombies’ most ambitious production yet \u2014 part ritual, part theater, part something that defies categorization entirely. The production runs through May 30 at The Cedars Union.<\/p>\n
Immovable Beast is a retelling of Moving Creatures, written and directed by Matthew Posey. It’s a politically charged satire about an evil and intolerable oligarch and his tyrannical rise to power. The Baron is a soured, bloated old goat who lords over a once rich and beautiful region that is now a wasteland, due to the Baron\u2019s greediness. People suffer, and their lives have become intolerable under the reckless hand of this narcissistic ruler. The production runs at Ochre House Theater through May 30.<\/p>\n
Main Street Fest is a family-friendly festival where visitors can enjoy food, shopping, a KidZone, live music, a carnival and midway, Grapevine Art Project Market, and more. Headlining the live entertainment lineup will be country singer Jack Ingram, who will close the night on Saturday. The event runs through Sunday in the heart of Historic Downtown Grapevine.<\/p>\n
The annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival will feature live performances by nearly 50 bands, including headlining bands like George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Kaleo, Tonic, Justin Moore, Blues Traveler, and OK Go. The festival also includes the Singer Songwriter contest; Performers Row featuring strolling entertainers, buskers, and acrobats; and more. The event takes place through Sunday in Galatyn Park Urban Center outside of Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.<\/p>\n
Orlando Jones has gone from a brilliant joke writer to a chaos-powered storyteller with receipts. He started out writing for comedic icons like Martin Lawrence, Sinbad, Jay Leno, Colin Quinn, and Ben Stiller. A founding writer and original cast member of MADtv, Jones blends storytelling, razor-sharp political and cultural commentary, and the kind of jokes you think about three days later and start laughing in public like a lunatic. He’ll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Arlington.<\/p>\n
Verdigris Ensemble will present The Velveteen Rabbit, a tender, immersive musical retelling of Margery Williams\u2019s beloved children\u2019s story. Designed as a shared experience for children and adults alike, the semi-staged production surrounds audiences with music, storytelling, and imagination. As the Rabbit\u2019s journey unfolds, music blooms between moments of narration, layering wonder, playfulness, and feeling while exploring timeless themes of love, belonging, and what it means to become real. There will be three performances through Saturday at Dallas Children’s Theater.<\/p>\n
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present the rarely-performed “Symphony of a Thousand” by Gustav Mahler. The 60-minute program, presented without an intermission, will feature the Dallas Symphony Chorus under the direction of Anthony Blake Clark. The concert, conducted by Fabio Luisi, will have three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.<\/p>\n
Folk rock band The Avett Brothers are on the verge of their 25th anniversary in the music business, having released their debut album in 2002. Mike Patton has served as the lead singer of the rock band Faith No More off-and-on since 1988. The two entities have now joined forces the collaborative album, AVTT\/PTTN, which they’ll showcase at this concert at Winspear Opera House.<\/p>\n
Dallas Bike Ride is a 20-mile ride that is the city\u2019s only car-free social ride, a celebration of cycling and community. Participants can cruise at their own pace past some of Dallas\u2019 most iconic landmarks. There will be live music and entertainment to keep participants moving throughout the ride. The Finish Festival will feature live music, food trucks, a beverage garden, and more. The ride starts and ends at Dallas City Hall.<\/p>\n
Nic Nicosia: “Everyday Surreal” is a survey of the last 25 years of the artist\u2019s five-decade career that reveals the material and conceptual evolution of one of Dallas’ most important living artists. The exhibition will feature over 70 three-dimensional works, drawings, photographs, and films made since Nicosia’s mid-career survey in 1999-2000. The exhibition will remain on display at Nasher Sculpture Center through August 16.<\/p>\n
It’s been a very long goodbye for the classic rock band Eagles, who have been on their The Long Goodbye tour since 2023. But this stop at Globe Life Field in Arlington is scheduled to be officially \u2014 truly! \u2014 the last ever tour date for a band that’s been existence since 1971 (they do have a six-show residency planned for The Sphere in Las Vegas later in 2026, though). If you’re a fan, it will be your final chance to hear songs like “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Heartache Tonight,” and more sung live by Don Henley and his bandmates.<\/p>\n