Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

It's that time of year again — the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is saddled up and ready to entertain visitors for the next three weeks. But there's more to do in Fort Worth this weekend than just that, including a final chance at local outdoor ice skating, two comedy events, screenings of an acclaimed film, a classical music concert, concerts from a big star, and art exhibition openings and closings.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend.

Thursday, January 13

Tarrant Regional Water District presents Panther Island Ice
This is the final weekend to enjoy Panther Island Ice at Coyote Drive-In, which is open through January 17. Fort Worth is not usually the kind of place you can enjoy outdoor ice skating, but the city’s only outdoor skating rink brings a winter wonderland of fun and excitement. Guests can make it a full day of entertainment and stick around for a movie after the skating.

Amphibian Stage presents Johnston & Welch
Amphibian Stage will present a stand-up comedy triple feature with L.A. comedians Alana Johnston, Mo Welch, and Beth Stelling, who will be in town for a special three-night comic residency. It will be a mash-up of comedy mixed with music and a little bit of immersive art all in one insane night of fun. There will be three performances through Saturday.

Friday, January 14

Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo
The three-week-long Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is back after last year's cancellation. The main events are the daily rodeos at Dickies Arena, but there are also shows with pigeons, chickens, goats, and more; livestock auctions; ~~the annual All-Western Parade through downtown Fort Worth (11 am Saturday);~~ (Note: The All Western Parade has been canceled due to weather.) a midway with carnival games and fair food; retail vendors; and multiple concerts. The FWSSR takes place through February 5.

Magnolia at the Modern: Drive My Car
Highly praised by critics and already appearing on the Best of 2021 lists, this adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short story Drive My Car is a haunting road movie traveling a path of love, loss, acceptance, and peace. The film, which is in Japanese with English subtitles, will screen six times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "Robert Spano Conducts Scheherazade"
This concert, featuring conductor Robert Spano and violinist Randall Goosby, will feature selections like Lyric for Strings by George Walker, the first African American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music; Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade; and Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5. There will be three performances through Saturday at Bass Performance Hall.

Improv Arlington presents Eddie Griffin
A popular comedian-turned-actor who started his career on-stage as a dare, funnyman Eddie Griffin has built an ever-growing fan base since jumping onto the comedy scene in 1990. He has a long filmography, including appearances in The Meteor Man, Undercover Brother, and A Star is Born. He'll perform four stand-up shows through Saturday at Improv Arlington.

Kid Rock in concert
Rocker Kid Rock was supposed to play two weekends at Billy Bob's Texas in August 2021, but the second weekend was canceled when most of his band contracted COVID-19. Now recovered, they're back and raring to play all of his hit songs like "Batwitdaba," "Picture," and "All Summer Long." Kid Rock's most recent album was 2017's Sweet Southern Sugar. He'll play on both Friday and Saturday.

Saturday, January 15

Amon Carter Museum of American Art presents "Stephanie Syjuco: Double Vision"
"Stephanie Syjuco: Double Vision" is an expansive multimedia exhibition in the Carter’s first-floor galleries. The newly commissioned, site-specific installation by the artist uses digital editing and archive excavation to transform images of renowned works from the Carter’s collection and reconsidering mythologies of the American West. Reframing iconic works by American artists including Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington, and others, Syjuco’s work will highlight the constructed nature of historical narratives and reveal how these works and their presentation can perpetuate colonial lore. The exhibition will be on display through December 2022.

Sunday, January 16

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler: "Flora" closing day
Two important new works by Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler, Flora and Bust, have joined the Modern’s permanent collection. Flora is based on Hubbard / Birchler’s discoveries about the unknown American artist Flora Mayo, with whom the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti had a love affair in Paris in the 1920s. Unfortunately, Mayo’s oeuvre has been destroyed and her biography relegated to a footnote in Giacometti scholarship. Interweaving reconstruction, reenactment, and documentary into a hybrid form of storytelling, Hubbard / Birchler reframe history through a feminist perspective and bring Mayo’s compelling biography to life.

Monday, January 17

Cowboys of Color Rodeo
The legendary Cowboys of Color Rodeo at Dickies Arena is part of a celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Tickets for the rodeo, which is part of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, provide same day admission to the midway, petting zoo, exhibit hall, livestock exhibits, National Cowgirls Museum, Cattle Raisers Museum, and Fort Worth Museum of Science & History. Later in the afternoon, the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum will present A Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., concluding with the airing of his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on YouTube.

The Cowboys of Color Rodeo takes place on Monday, January 17 at Dickies Arena.

Photo courtesy of Cowboys of Color Rodeo

The Cowboys of Color Rodeo takes place on Monday, January 17 at Dickies Arena.

rodeo concerts museums event-planner

National spotlight

2 Dallas-Fort Worth families charge up for ABC's Christmas Light Fight

Joules-Cornetti, Great Christmas Light Fight

Photo courtesy of ABC

The Joules-Cornetti family's Christmas light display in McKinney is so big and bright, it can be seen from an airplane.

Two festive spectacles in Dallas-Fort Worth will vie for holiday light glory on ABC's hit reality competition The Great Christmas Light Fight on Thursday, December 5.

The Hughes family of Rockwall will appear on the season 12 premiere at 7 pm, and the Joules-Cornetti family of McKinney will be featured on episode 2, at 8 pm. (They will not be competing against each other.) The show will air locally on WFAA/Channel 8, and will be available on Hulu the following day.

On The Great Christmas Light Fight, four families around the country show off their lights extravaganzas for hosts Carter Oosterhouse and Taniya Nayak, and the victor is awarded a trophy, $50,000, and over-the-rooftop bragging rights.

Both DFW families host "extreme" light displays at their homes, which the public can visit throughout the holidays. Both have heartwarming stories that will be told on the show, and both benefit local charities. Here's a closer look at the two Christmas light extravaganzas that'll compete in the national spotlight, and how to see them in person.

Hughes family of Rockwall - 'Stay in the Light'
Brenda and David Hughes' display at their home in Rockwallfeatures more than 150,000 lights on every groundcover and all over their house. What really sets it apart, says Brenda Hughes, is a larger-than-life “Candy Land.” Inside the magical candy store are candy canes, cupcakes, elves, gingerbread people, a hot air balloon, and more. Towering over it all are two majestic oak trees in the front yard, each lit up with more than 15,000 twinkling lights.

Great Christmas Light Fight, Hughes, Rockwall, Stay in the Light, Christmas lights display Host Carter Oosterhouse checks out Candy Land with Brenda and David Hughes. Photo courtesy of ABC

But behind the sparkle and shine of the Hughes’ happy holiday display are memories of darker days for the family. The Hugheses call their annual display “Stay in the Light” in honor of Brenda’s son Nathaniel, who, in 2019, “passed away suddenly and tragically after a battle with depression,” his mother says tenderly. He was 29.

They use their display to fundraise for Meals on Wheels of Rockwall County and have pledged $50,000 toward the building of a community center over five years.

“It gives me a purpose now instead of staying in a dark place; I’m now able to bring my darkness into the light,” Brenda says.

See it in person: The Hughes' “Stay in the Light” display is at 1655 Plummer Dr., Rockwall, in The Shores subdivision. It runs nightly 6-10 pm, December 1-25, 2024. Read more about the Hugheses, including behind-the-scenes details of their filming of The Great Christmas Light Fight,in this story.

Joules-Cornetti family of McKinney - 'The Gift of Light'
Dr. Nasheel Joules and her husband, Mark Cornetti, put up a holiday lights display at their McKinney home that's so big and bright, it can be seen from an airplane.

“Our Christmas lights are not done to be the biggest and the best,” Nasheel says humbly. “Our display is done, with love, to show the community the love of God and to inspire people to be joyful and have hope even when life is difficult.”

Nasheel and Mark, for whom life has been exceedingly difficult the past few years, call their display “The Gift of Light” and use it to fundraise for the American Heart Association. This year, their goal is to raise $10,000 for AHA.

Nasheel, a 45-year-old internal medicine physician, suffers from congestive heart failure, as well as a rare autoinflammatory disorder called CAPS disease.

Great Christmas Light Fight, Joules-Cornetti, McKinney, Christmas lights Mark and Nasheel talk about their lights display with host Taniya Nayak. Photo courtesy of ABC

“For those who are saddened during the holidays because of tragedy or loss, we hope our display brings back hope and joy and the spirit of Christmas,” they say.

Their extravaganza, which covers the entire multistory house and surrounding lawns, has a little bit of everything - inflatables, wireframe items, yard art, and dazzling lights, all grouped by sections.

The “elegant” section is a subdued, serene section that gives people a chance to reflect on the season; a “fun” section has inflatables, reindeer, Santa Clauses, penguins, polar bears, some Disney characters, and new this year: a Buc-ee’s inflatable mascot. A "nativities" section has manger scenes, crosses, and a place for visitors to write their prayer requests; Mark and Nasheel say they go through them and pray for them every night.

See it in person: “The Gift of Light” display is at 8624 Palermo Way, McKinney. It runs nightly 5-11 pm, November 28-January 1; follow their Facebook page for updates and information on donating to The American Heart Association. To read a full story about their display and their experience filming The Great Christmas Light Fight, go here.

Photo courtesy of ABC

The Joules-Cornetti family's Christmas light display in McKinney is so big and bright, it can be seen from an airplane.

For a list of the most spectacular Christmas lights around Fort Worth, visit this story.

media holiday decorating holiday attractions american heart association charity celebrities holidays