Awards News

Biggest country music awards show to return to Dallas-Fort Worth in 2024

Actress and awards show regular Kristin Cavallari at the 2022 ACMs.

ACM

Dallas has landed the next Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony: According to a release, the 59th ACM Awards is set for May 2024, and will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.

Additional details, including award submissions and voting timeline, hosts, nominees, performers, and ticket on-sale details, will be confirmed in the months ahead.

It follows the 2023 edition, a smash success that marked its return to Texas for the first time since 2015, when the ceremony took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

In collaboration with the Academy of Country Music and producer Dick Clark Productions, Prime Video will again offer an exclusive livestream not only of the 2024 ceremony but also its milestone 60th anniversary in 2025. The 57th annual awards in 2022 was the first major awards show to stream live for a global audience.

Hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, the 2023 show garnered more than 7.7 million viewers on Prime Video plus additional viewership across Amazon Music, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, and Amazon Live, making it one of the most-watched awards shows of the year.

The night featured an all-star lineup of memorable moments, including 18 show-stopping performances from 25 artists, along with exclusive collaborations and unexpected moments that captivated fans worldwide.

The 2023 ACM Awards is still available on demand on Prime Video, Amazon Freevee, and Amazon Music.

“When Prime Video first streamed the ACM Awards in 2022, we were overwhelmed with the response from our global audience,” says Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement. “After seeing last year’s show grow to more than 7.7 million viewers, we could not be more thrilled to continue our relationship with the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions for the next two years, and especially through the show’s milestone 60th anniversary in 2025. We look forward to continuing the success and bringing even more star-studded and captivating shows to fans around the world.”

Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside says that, “thanks to the biggest host pairing of all time, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, the comprehensive, cross-platform program with our partners at Prime Video and Amazon Music, and the dedicated fans in Texas and around the world, the May 2023 show was a groundbreaking success and illustrates that our pioneering and innovative move to streaming was absolutely the right one at the right time! We’re eager to see everyone back in Texas once again at the home of the Dallas Cowboys next May for another groundbreaking ACM Awards show!”

Ford Center at The Star in Frisco opened in 2016 and serves as the practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the home for major sporting events throughout the year. Last year’s ACM Awards were the first awards show to take place at Ford Center.

Founded in Southern California in 1964 as a regional trade organization, the Academy of Country Music has grown in the almost-60 years since into a leading association for the country music industry. Now headquartered in Nashville and boasting record-high membership of nearly 5,000 nationwide, the Academy serves as an advocate for country fans, artists, and all facets of the business, as well as a supporter of philanthropic work.

real-housewives festivals music concerts awards

Party Is Over

Party City chain to close all stores including 9 in Fort Worth

Party City

A chain of stores where the party is always going on is closing down: Party City will close all of its stores and has initiated layoffs, effective immediately. According to CNN, CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees that Party City has to “commence a winddown process immediately,” and that Friday would be their last day of work for the company.

However, the actual store locations, including those around North Texas, will be open until February 28.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Party City is largest party goods retailer in the U.S. — the go-to destination for every type of celebration, with more than 700 company-owned and franchise store locations across North America selling home decor, candles, balloons, wrapping paper, tableware, bulk candy, baking supplies, and more.

A typical Party City store ranges in size from 10,000 to 12,000 square feet and carries approximately 30,000 items. Halloween accounts for as much as one-quarter of yearly sales, but they celebrate all seasonal holidays, from New Year's Eve to the Fourth of July to Father's Day to Super Bowl Sunday, and offer a wide array of merchandise for birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, wedding and bridal showers, and baby showers.

Party and costume merchandise has become more competitive in recent years, with companies like the budget-focused Spirit Halloween expanding beyond its Halloween pop-ups into “Spirit Christmas” stores, as well as competition from Amazon and other online retailers.

In 2023, the chain filed for bankruptcy, then emerged with a plan that included transitioning into a privately held company and canceling nearly $1 billion in debt. At that time, there were approximately 800 U.S. stores.

There are 64 stores in Texas, with 9 in the Fort Worth area, as follows:

Arlington
Burleson
Denton
Euless
Fort Worth
Hurst
Lake Worth
Mansfield
Watauga

Dallas-Fort Worth stores have already started sales between 5 and 50 percent off.

holidays closings