It's the weekend leading into Thanksgiving week, so that means holiday events are kicking into high gear. But even though there are seven big festive events on the list, they're far from the only headliners. Other options the tour of a beloved Broadway musical, a rapper turned country, a new art exhibition, a food-focused documentary, a Star Wars theater show, and two big-name concerts.
Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend.
Thursday, November 18
Broadway at the Bass: Cats
What began as a musical about cats after composer Andrew Lloyd Webber picked up a book of poems in an airport bookshop has become one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. The winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Cats features 20 of Lloyd Webber's timeless melodies, including the hit song "Memory." It will run through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall. (Note the new COVID-19 entry requirements for all ticketholders.)
Texas Christkindl Market
Inspired by the cherished German tradition, the Texas Christkindl Market is a family-friendly market featuring a unique shopping experience for holiday gifts, decorations, and unique one-of-a-kind finds. Taking place at Choctaw Stadium through January 2, visitors can shop for traditional handcrafted gifts and collectibles straight from Germany, indulge in German treats and eats, enjoy festive music, and more.
The Elf On the Shelf Magical Holiday Journey
At the Elf on the Shelf Magical Holiday Journey, audiences will discover the magic of The Elf on the Shelf through a new walk-through experience. Santa’s Christmas Compass has gone haywire, and Tiny Tinkerman and the other Scout Elves need human help to get Christmas back on course. Audiences will journey into the concourse at Choctaw Stadium, shrink down to elf size, and explore enchanting, Texas-sized scenery showcasing a company of 50 cheer-building performers. The event takes place at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington through January 2.
Radiance at the Ranch: A Holiday Light Spectacular
Radiance! A Holiday Light Spectacular is a special holiday event taking place at Parker County Sheriff's Posse in Weatherford. The event is more than a mile long and will take about 20 to 30 minutes to drive through the entire experience. A special Radiance! radio station frequency will be provided for guests to enjoy iconic holiday tunes as they experience the wonder, which includes 160 feet of animated RGB light tunnels. Food and beverages and special items, including hot chocolate, cookies, unique holiday treats, LED balloons, glow stick cotton candy, and more, will be available for purchase. The event takes place through December 31.
Nelly in concert
Other than naming his 2000 debut album Country Grammar, you wouldn't think of rapper Nelly as a natural fit with country music. Perhaps inspired by Lil Nas X, though, Nelly has made a pivot into country with his new EP, Heartland, on which he's collaborated with artists like Jimmie Allen, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, and Darius Rucker, among others. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.
Friday, November 19
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents Focus: Frances Stark
Frances Stark is an interdisciplinary artist and writer whose work is always evolving. Stark’s output comes in many forms, including painting, video, collage, performance, and drawing. For the Censorship Now series, Stark made exceedingly enlarged double-page spreads from the iconic punk musician Ian Svenonius’s 2015 manifesto. For the paintings, Stark painstakingly reproduced her copy of "Censorship Now," replete with her charmingly handwritten annotations, adding the layer of her as a reader and editor into the work. The exhibition will be on display at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth through January 9, 2022.
Tarrant Regional Water District presents Panther Island Ice
Fort Worth is not usually the kind of place you can enjoy outdoor ice skating, but that will change for the next two months. The city’s only outdoor skating rink brings a winter wonderland of fun and excitement, and with it located at Coyote Drive-In, you can stick around for a movie to make it a complete day of entertainment. Including all holidays, the ice rink will operate seven days a week through January 17, 2022.
Magnolia at the Modern: Julia
Julia tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar Julia Child, who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. The film traces Child's surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her fifties and her calling as an unlikely television sensation. The film will screen 14 times through November 28 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Artisan Center Theater presents Scrooge the Musical
Scrooge the Musical follows the plot of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, in which the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of a Christmas Eve night, after being visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. The production will run at Artisan Center Theater in Hurst through December 21.
Downtown Cowtown at the Isis presents One-Man Star Wars Trilogy
Canadian actor and uber geek Charles Ross will bring his solo madcap creation One-Man Star Wars Trilogy to the stage in this mind-bending whirlwind of a show. Ross retells the classic bad hair trilogy in 60 minutes with no costumes, no props, and no sets, but all the characters, the music, the ships, and the battles. There will be performances at Downtown Cowtown at the Isis on both Friday and Saturday.
Saturday, November 20
Casa Mañana presents Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer soars off the screen in this musical adaptation. Filled with holiday hits like “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “The Island of Misfit Toys,” “The Most Wonderful Day of the Year,” and everyone’s favorite, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the family-friendly musical features favorite characters including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph. The production will run at Casa Mañana through December 23.
Evanescence and Halestorm in concert
The rock band Evanescence became big in the early 2000s thanks to their seven-times platinum debut album, Fallen, which featured hits like "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal." They haven't reached those heights since, but they're still at it, just releasing their fifth album, The Bitter Truth. They'll be joined at this special co-headlining by the lesser-known Halestorm, who's had a slew of hits on the rock charts, but none on the Billboard Hot 100. They'll play at Dickies Arena.
Tracy Byrd in concert
Country singer Tracy Byrd was part of the early 1990s country boom alongside acts like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and more. He became a success thanks to hits like "Holdin' Heaven," "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous," "Watermelon Crawl," "The Keeper of the Stars," and more. He's released 10 albums in his career, with the most recent being 2016's All American Texan. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.
Sunday, November 21
GM Financial Parade of Lights
The GM Financial Parade of Lights, themed "Making Spirits Bright," marks its 39th year as the Fort Worth’s official kick-off to the holiday season. Attendees can expect more than 100 festive floats adorned with holiday decor and over half a million sparkling lights, as well as marching bands, antique cars, precision equestrian units, horse-drawn carriages, carolers, and Santa and Mrs. Claus. The parade takes place in downtown Fort Worth, following a route along Weatherford Street, Commerce Street, 9th Street, Houston Street, 2nd Street, Throckmorton Street, and 3rd Street. Here are 14 things to know before you go.
The GM Financial Parade of Lights will take place in downtown Fort Worth on November 21.
