Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

ArtsGoggle takes place at Near Southside on October 8.

Photo courtesy of Near Southside Inc.

This weekend in Fort Worth will feature a big local focus, including the fact that all the listed events take place within the city limits. There will be two new local theater productions, a new version of an old opera, an arts festival, a new art exhibition, and more. You can also enjoy visits from an acclaimed comedian, an Oklahoma band, an EDM festival, and more.

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

Thursday, April 21

Cliburn Concerts: Jennifer Koh and Vijay Iyer
Violinist Jennifer Koh is a forward-thinking artist dedicated to exploring a broad and eclectic repertoire, while promoting diversity and inclusivity in classical music. In 2018, she launched Limitless, a project celebrating the collaborative relationship between composer and performer; duo commissions are played by Koh and the composers themselves. Her partner for this special Cliburn debut is leading-edge composer-pianist Vijay Iyer. They will perform at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Circle Theatre presents Pressure Makes Diamonds
Circle Theatre presents Pressure Makes Diamonds, an original production that will shine a bright light on a diamond’s similarities to life. Denise Lee, recently seen at Circle Theatre in The Glass Menagerie, with the help of her band, will touch audiences' souls with a collection of songs from many classic artists. The production, a collaboration with and directed by Monique Midgette, will run through April 30.

Amphibian Stage presents River Butcher
River Butcher is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcast host. Butcher is best known for personal, observational comedy focused on his vegetarianism, feminism, love of baseball, and experiences as a queer person. He will perform at Amphibian Stage through Saturday.

Turnpike Troubadours in concert
Oklahoma red dirt country band Turnpike Troubadours have been around since 2007, but they've been hiatus since 2019. Their last two albums, including 2017's A Long Way from Your Heart, each reached the top 3 on the Billboard Country charts, indicating their rising popularity. If their stint at Billy Bob's Texas is any indication, that popularity remains, as they'll play there for three straight nights through Saturday.

Friday, April 22

Fort Worth Opera presents La Traviata
Fort Worth Opera will present La Traviata, the timeless classic that was their first production on November 25, 1946. The emotionally gripping, 90-minute chamber realization of the opera is reimagined through a contemporary lens, bringing into sharp focus the inner conflicts of love and duty, freedom, passion, and self-sacrifice. There will be two performances — one Friday and one Sunday — at Bass Performance Hall.

Saturday, April 23

Fort Worth Botanic Garden presents Spring Japanese FestivalUPDATE: Given the potential for heavy rainfall Sunday, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden has canceled the Spring Japanese Festival on Sunday only.
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas will present Spring Japanese Festival, featuring the arts and culture of Japan. Hosted in cooperation with the Fort Worth Japanese Society, the festival includes cultural demonstrations, performances, unique shopping opportunities, and traditional foods. The festival will take place through Sunday.

Amon Carter Museum of American Art presents "Art Making as Life Making: Kinji Akagawa at Tamarind"
Opening on Saturday at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art is "Art Making as Life Making: Kinjia Akagawa at Tamarind," which offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life at Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles in the 1960s. Akagawa collaborated there with more than a dozen leading artists, including Ruth Asawa, Herbert Bayer, and Jose Luis Cuevas. The exhibition, on display through October 30, features more than 40 works from the Carter’s collection of more than 2,500 Tamarind Workshop prints.

Near Southside Inc. presents ArtsGoggle
ArtsGoggle is Fort Worth's premier festival of local arts, featuring more than 1,000 visual artists, 50 musical performances, artistic displays of every kind, food, drink, and more. The festival exclusively focuses on highlighting the work of local artists, musicians, and performers of all mediums and experience levels. Taking place along 21 blocks of Magnolia Avenue, visitors are invited to park their cars and rediscover the revitalized urban neighborhood by foot or by bicycle, including Fort Worth Bike Sharing bikes.

Casa Mañana presents Disney's Descendants the Musical
Based on the popular Disney Channel original movies, Descendants is a brand-new musical comedy featuring the beloved characters and hit songs from the films. Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos — the children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, and Jafar — are welcomed to Auradon Prep to attend school with the children of their parents’ sworn enemies. Now entering a completely foreign world and way of life, the four Villain Kids have a difficult choice to make: should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good? The production runs through May 8 at Casa Mañana Theatre.

Ubbi Dubbi Festival
Ubbi Dubbi is a two-day, three-stage electronic dance music festival featuring some of the world’s top dance music artists, food and retail vendors, art installations, and more. Performers will include Alison Wonderland, Decadon, Kumarion, Peekaboo, Wreckno, Casmalia, Kyle Watson, Redrum, The Sponges, Zeds Dead, and more. The festival takes place at Panther Island Pavilion through Sunday.

Thunderstorm Artis in concert
Any fan of NBC's The Voice will already be familiar with Thunderstorm Artis, who was a finalist on Season 18 of the reality singing competition. A singer/songwriter hailing from Hawaii, he comes from a musical family, learning at a very young age how to play piano, guitar, harp, and percussion. He'll play at Downtown Cowtown at the Isis.

Sunday, April 24

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents "Recent Acquisitions 2002-2022" closing day
Sunday is the final day to view "Recent Acquisitions 2002-2022," a permanent collection installation focused on works acquired since the building’s opening. Both floors will showcase paintings, photographs, sculptures, and videos by artists from a wide range of cultures and geographies. Artists included in the exhibition include Takashi Murakami, Andy Warhol, Eddie Martinez, Ed Ruscha, Kamrooz Aram, Shirin Neshat, Kehinde Wiley, and more.

ArtsGoggle takes place along Magnolia Avenue in Near Southside on April 23.

Photo courtesy of Near Southside Inc.

ArtsGoggle takes place along Magnolia Avenue in Near Southside on April 23.

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Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

GM Financial Parade of Lights Fort Worth

Photo courtesy of Parade of Lights

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The weekend before Thanksgiving is when the holiday season really kicks into high gear, and this year features a Broadway musical, multiple local festivals, and a big parade. Other non-holiday choices include screenings of an acclaimed new film, three country concerts, a great comedian, an opera, the opening of a new art exhibition, and a small-scale symphony concert.

Photo courtesy of Parade of Lights

The annual GM Financial Parade of Lights takes place in Downtown Fort Worth on November 24.

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, November 21

Performing Arts Fort Worth presents Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical features the hit songs "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas” from the original animated series. Max the Dog narrates the action as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," decides to steal Christmas away from the Holiday-loving Whos. The production runs through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Friday, November 22

Holiday events
In addition to the special one-off holiday performances, the Fort Worth area will have several holiday festival-style events start their run this weekend. They include Texas Christkindl Market at Texas Live in Arlington (running through December 23), Coca-Cola’s Classic Christmas at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington (through December 29), and Lightscape at Fort Worth Botanic Garden (through January 5).

Magnolia at the Modern: Blitz
Sir Steve McQueen’s Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mother and grandfather (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril. Meanwhile, a distraught Rita searches for her missing son. The film will screen seven times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Little Big Town in concert with Sugarland
Country group Little Big Town and country duo Sugarland have a long history together, first collaborating on the song "Life in a Northern Town" in 2008. Sixteen years later, they teamed up again for the new song "Take Me Home," after which this tour is named. Little Big Town has released 10 albums in their career, most recently Mr. Sunin 2022, while Sugarland has released six albums in their career, most recently Bigger in 2018. They'll play at Dickies Arena.

Big Laugh Comedy Club presents Dulce Sloan
Comedian Dulcé Sloan was most recently a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and has been hailed by Variety, Rolling Stone, and Timeout LA as a Top Comedian to Watch. She has also been honored as the NBC Stand UpShowcase Winner, a Montreal Just For Laughs New Face, and as a Comedian to Watch on The Steve Harvey Show. She'll perform four times through Saturday at Big Laugh Comedy Club.

Fort Worth Opera presents Little Women
Mark Adamo’s operatic adaptation of Little Women brings Louisa May Alcott’s classic coming-of-age novel to life in a fresh and powerful way. The American opera is celebrated for its emotional depth and resonant themes of family, sisterhood, growing up, and coming home. Adamo captures the internal conflict of iconic central character, Jo March, who fears that growing up inevitably means growing apart from her family and her sisters, Meg, Beth, and Amy. There will be performances on Friday and Sunday at Arts Fort Worth.

Randall King in concert
A throwback to classic country, Randall King formed an Americana group in college called the Randall King Band, which released an album called Old Dirt Road before splitting. He then debuted as a solo artist in 2016 with the EP Another Bullet before releasing his first self-titled album in 2018 and his second album, Shot Glass in 2022. He'll play once again at Billy Bob's Texas.

Saturday, November 23

Dylan Wheeler in concert
A native of the East Texas town of Edgewood, Dylan Wheeler has made a name for himself on the Texas country music scene. The success of his debut EP, Tell Me I'm Wrong, in 2018 convinced him to quit his job in the oil & gas industry and pursue music full-time. He released his debut album, Times Are Changing, in 2022, and now he returns again to play at Billy Bob's Texas.

Sunday, November 24

Amon Carter Museum of American Art presents Rufino Tamayo: "Innovation and Experimentation"
Exploring more than 60 years of Rufino Tamayo’s prints, "Innovation and Experimentation" showcases the artist’s extensive engagement with prints and his ambitions to add volume and texture to a traditionally two-dimensional medium. In these works, Tamayo's depictions and abstractions of the human figure are highlighted as fertile ground for formal experimentation. A selection of Mesoamerican sculpture complements the prints on view, examining an important source of inspiration for the artist. The exhibition will remain on display through April 20, 2025.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Chamber Series: "Mozart, Schulhoff, and Korngold"
The composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold is remembered best for his film scores to silver-screen classics like The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood, but his concert works are also a testament to his prodigious talent. In this first FWSO Chamber Program featuring members of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Korngold’s music appears alongside Mozart’s Serenade in C minor and a Divertissement by Schulhoff, whose music was buried by the Nazis but has been reemerging in recent years. The performance takes place at Kimbell Art Museum.

GM Financial Parade of Lights
The annual GM Financial Parade of Lights will brighten up the streets of Downtown Fort Worth for its 42nd year, marking the City of Fort Worth’s official kickoff to the holiday season. The parade features the Texas Rangers baseball team as Grand Marshal, along with floats, vintage cars, horse-drawn carriages, marching bands, carolers, and Santa Claus along the 1.59-mile route.

theater music holidays festivals kids families movies concerts comedy opera galleries symphony event-planner