It's a celebratory weekend in Fort Worth, as the biggest event of the year gets underway in a brand-new arena. But you can also celebrate the final days of an outdoor skating rink, a classic Broadway musical, a new-but-old art exhibit, a great documentary, classical music on the road, two rising country stars, and one of Fort Worth's iconic locations.
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, January 16
Tarrant Regional Water District presents Panther Island Ice
If you haven't had a chance to partake in some outdoor ice skating in the past two months, this weekend is your final chance to do so at Panther Island Ice. Located at Coyote Drive-In, it offers seasonal food and beverages available for purchase, in addition to the full menu at the Coyote Drive-In Canteen. The rink will be open through Monday.
Broadway at the Bass: Hello, Dolly!
Dolly Gallagher Levi is a widow, matchmaker and professional meddler. When she decides the next match she needs to make is for herself, she weaves a web of romantic complications for her newest client, the cantankerous “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder, his two clerks, a pretty hat maker, and her assistant. Featuring Broadway classics like “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” and more, the production will run through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.
Friday, January 17
Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo
The annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo comes barreling into an exciting new location for its big three-week run. The main events are the daily rodeos at Dickies Arena, but there are also shows with pigeons, chickens, goats, and more; livestock auctions; a midway with carnival games and fair food; and multiple concerts, including ones from headliners Home Free and Foreigner. The All-Western Parade through downtown Saturday officially kicks things off. Admission to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo includes free admission to the nearby Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the Cattle Raisers Museum, and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The event goes on through February 8.
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents Red Grooms: Ruckus Rodeo
Coinciding with the opening of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will put on display Ruckus Rodeo by the New York-based artist Red Grooms. The immense, walk-through work of art covers 1,237 square feet of gallery space, consisting of painted two-dimensional surfaces and sculptural three-dimensional figures that celebrate the Fort Worth rodeo. Commissioned originally in 1976, it will remain on display through March 15.
Magnolia at the Modern: Cunningham
A breathtaking explosion of dance, music, and never-before-seen archival material, Cunningham is a timely tribute to one of the world's greatest modern dance artists. The iconic Merce Cunningham and the last generation of his dance company is profiled in Alla Kovgan's documentary through re-creations of his landmark works and archival footage of Cunningham, John Cage, and Robert Rauschenberg. The film will screen seven times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents The Firebird
If you want to hear the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra perform this weekend, you'll have to travel to Denton, as this concert will take place at UNT's Murchison Performing Art Center. Conductor Riccardo Frizza will lead this one-night-only performance of Stravinsky’s iconic Suite from The Firebird, a work of breathtaking beauty and enchanting orchestral pyrotechnics. Also on the program is Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
Lindsay Ell in concert
Rising country singer Lindsay Ell has been a favorite in her native Canada since her debut in 2013, but she's only broken through in the U.S. in the past couple of years. Her biggest solo hit to date is "Criminal" off her 2017 album, The Project, although her 2019 collaboration with Brantley Gilbert, "What Happens in a Small Town," was a top 10 single. She'll perform at Billy Bob's Texas.
Saturday, January 18
Fort Worth Stockyards presents 130th Anniversary Celebration
The Fort Worth Stockyards will offer a stream of events to celebrate its 130th anniversary, including live music from Casey Baker and Andrew Sevener, $1.89 ice cold Shiner and Shiner Light Drafts, free Shake Shack menu items (a teaser for the soon-to-open Mule Alley location), and giveaways to honor 130 years of Western heritage. Guests can enter to win a series of giveaways, including tickets to see Wade Bowen live. Speaking of...
Wade Bowen in concert
Texas country/Red Dirt singer Wade Bowen has slowly but surely made his way up in the industry, scoring three top 10 albums in the 2010s. He collaborated with Randy Rogers on two albums, Hold My Beer, Vol. 1 in 2015 and Watch This in 2016. Bowen's most recent solo album was 2018's Solid Ground. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.
The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo will be at Dickies Arena and the surrounding area, January 17 through February 8.
