There is a nice variety of events going on around Fort Worth this long holiday weekend, including two major sports competitions. There will also be a celebration of a legendary actor, a trio of country concerts, a music festival, a trio of theater productions, a collector's convention, a tour of a popular kids podcast, 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, May 26
Charles Schwab Challenge
After a one-week break for the PGA Championship, the PGA Tour comes back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area with the Charles Schwab Challenge. Taking place at Colonial Country Club through Sunday, the tournament will feature some of the best pro golfers in the world, including defending champion Jason Kokrak, DFW's own Jordan Spieth, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, PGA Champion Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, and more.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship
Another big sports event will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington as the best teams in the Big 12 Conference will face off. The TCU Horned Frogs are the No. 1 seed, and they'll start off by taking on the No. 8-seed Baylor Bears. The other six teams competing include Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, West Virginia, and Kansas State. There will be multiple games Thursday through Saturday, with the championship game taking place on Sunday.
Fort Worth Stockyards presents John Wayne Day
Legendary actor John Wayne was born on May 26, and John Wayne Day celebrates the Duke’s birthday with live music, cowboy entertainment, family-fun activities, and more. Members of the Wayne family will be in attendance as visitors enjoy treats, lawn games, and more at the John Wayne: "An American Experience" exhibit in the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Zach Bryan in concert
Country rocker Zach Bryan is a worldly man, having been born in Japan and then serving in the Navy for close to eight years. He started his singing career close to the end of his time with the Navy, releasing his debut album, DeAnn, in 2019. He's gotten more and more notice in the three years since, and he just released his third album, American Heartbreak, last week. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.
Friday, May 27
So What?! Music Festival
For the first time since 2017, Third String Entertainment will present the So What?! Music Festival, which features a weekend of metal, rock, rap, hip-hop, alternative, and pop-punk performances. Bands performing at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington will include I Prevail, Parkway Drive, The Ghost Inside, Blackbear, Simple Plan, Sum 41, 2 Chainz, Rae Sremmurd, Trippie Redd, Tyga, Knocked Loose, The Maine, Princess Nokia, 3OH!3, and more. The festival takes place through Sunday.
Fort Worth Stockyards presents Summer Up! Stockyards Style Memorial Weekend
Memorial Day doesn't get the celebrations that other holidays do - and perhaps rightfully so, given the solemness of the holiday — but the Fort Worth Stockyards will mark the occasion with special activities. Over four days through Monday, there will be live music, lawn games, rodeos, giveaways, and more.
Reduced Shakespeare Company presents Complete History of Comedy (abridged)
Reduced Shakespeare Company tackles the subject it was born to reduce. From the high-brow to the low, The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) covers comedy through the ages, from Aristophanes and Shakespeare and Moliere to Vaudeville and Charlie Chaplin to The Daily Show and Anthony Weiner. There will be two performances — one Friday and one Saturday — at Downtown Cowtown at the Isis.
Upright Theatre Co. presents A Midsummer Night's Dream
With a royal wedding near, four lovers flee into a dark, eerie forest. There they become pawns in the impassioned battle between Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the supernatural fairies who are led by Puck. What ensues is sorcery, explosive passion, dance, fickle infatuation, shape-shifting and madcap antics which provide a magical, and often humorous, exploration of romance, lust and marriage. The production will take place through June 18 at Upright Studio on Main in Euless.
Jubilee Theatre presents If Pretty Hurts, Ugly Must Be a “MF”: An African Folktale
Combining West African folklore and contemporary American culture, If Pretty Hurts, Ugly Must Be a “MF” follows four teenage girls — Kaya, Massassi, Adama and Akim — all in their respective internal wars with the societal definitions of beauty and how it makes them feel. Set in the fictional village of Affreakah-Amirrorkah, the young women are given an opportunity to live in a society where their individual beauty can reign supreme. But that high stature also brings heart-wrenching pitfalls they must deal with to keep their souls sacred. The production runs through June 26 at Jubilee Theatre.
Neal McCoy in concert
Country singer Neal McCoy was part of the country boom in early-to-mid 1990s, scoring with hits like "No Doubt About It" and "Wink." McCoy has tried to reinvent himself in a couple of ways in recent years, including with his 2017 anti-protest song, "Take a Knee ... My Ass!!" and an American standards album, You Don't Know Me. He'll play at at Billy Bob's Texas.
Saturday, May 28
Collect-A-Con
Collect-A-Con will feature over 500 vendors selling sports cards, Funko Pops, comic books, vintage toys, video games, Pokemon, and more. Taking place on Saturday and Sunday at Fort Worth Convention Center, the event will also feature celebrity appearances and a performance by Vanilla Ice.
Chris Cagle in concert
Country singer Chris Cagle had a lot of success in the first 12 years of the 21st century, putting out five albums, two of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts. But just when he was at the top of his game, he walked away, retiring to spend more time with his family. However, this is his second concert at Billy Bob's Texas in six months, so it's clear he's got the music buzz again.
Sunday, May 29
Tinkercast presents WOW on Wheels
Wow in the World, the No. 1 podcast for kids and their grown-ups, comes to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History with WOW on Wheels. Designed for children ages 6-11, the event will include community art projects and scavenger hunts around the van designed for kids to discover the wonders in the world and share how they add WOW to the world. Wowzers are asked to bring a teal-colored item that can fit into the palm of their hand to help create a rainbow collage of WOW.
Jordan Spieth and other top PGA golfers will be competing at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, May 26-29.
