It's a pretty big weekend of events in and around Fort Worth, and that's not even counting making the trek to Dallas for the start of the State Fair of Texas. There are four concerts featuring huge names, the return of an award-winning pianist, three new local theater productions, a timely dance event, 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, September 29

The Cliburn presents Yunchan Lim
2022 Cliburn Gold Medalist Yunchan Lim returns to Fort Worth for his much anticipated Cliburn Concerts debut. Yunchan’s performances at the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition this past June captured the hearts of not only the jury but the audience, as well. In addition to first prize, he won the audience award and best performance of a new work. While this performance at Kimbell Art Museum is technically sold out, those interested can be placed on the waiting list for tickets by e-mailing boxoffice@basshall.com or calling 817-212-4280.

Yunchan Lim won the 2022 Cliburn Competition.Photo courtesy of The Cliburn

Friday, September 30

Magnolia at the Modern: Loving Highsmith
Loving Highsmith is a unique look at the life of the celebrated American author Patricia Highsmith, based on her diaries and notebooks and the intimate reflections of her lovers, friends, and family. Focusing on Highsmith’s quest for love and her troubled identity, the film sheds new light on her life and writing. There will be seven screenings through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Theatre Arlington presents The Cake
Della makes cakes, not judgment calls - those she leaves to her husband, Tim. But when the girl she helped raise comes back home to North Carolina to get married, and the fiancé is actually a fiancée, Della’s life gets turned upside down. She can’t really make a cake for such a wedding, can she? For the first time in her life, Della has to think for herself. The Cake will play at Theatre Arlington through October 16.

Texas Ballet Theater presents Cirque du Ballet
Texas Ballet Theater presents Cirque du Ballet, a world premiere featuring an array of characters and choreography under the big top. Audiences will see favorite moments from ballets like Cinderella, Dracula, Swan Lake, and more. There will be five performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Elton John in concert
The "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour for Elton John has wound up being a lot longer than he intended. Starting way back in 2018, the tour was originally supposed to wrap up in 2021. But the pandemic took most of 2020 and all of 2021 off the board, and now the tour will last through at least July 2023. This concert at Globe Life Park in Arlington will be John's fifth appearance in Dallas-Fort Worth on the tour after four previous concerts at American Airlines Center.

Elton John's voice is in fine form. Photo by Jacob Power

Jubilee Theatre presents Plenty of Time
Plenty of Time is the story of two unlikely lovers, a spoiled rich debutante and a Black Panther. It is 1968, and despite Corey and Christina's obvious differences, they are sexually attracted and share a passionate night together. Over the next 33 years they continue to meet on the same annual date to continue their sometimes illicit affair, bringing their personal growth and experiences, as well as the influences of the ongoing social and political changes for African-Americans. The production runs through October 30 at Jubilee Theatre.

Hip Pocket Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Hip Pocket Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a spooky romp through an American fable, told with song and dance. Does Ichabod Crane know what he's getting into there in Sleepy Hollow? Do you? The production will run through October 30.

Hip Pocket Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Photo by Sarah Sampson

Ned LeDoux in concert
Kids following in their parents footsteps has a long tradition in the entertainment industry, although few manage to outshine their mother or father. Ned LeDoux is the son of cowboy musician Chris LeDoux, whose work inspired Garth Brooks and others. Ned, touring in support of his new album, Buckskin, will play at Billy Bob's Texas.

Saturday, October 1

National Theatre Live: Straight Line Crazy
For 40 uninterrupted years, Robert Moses exploited those in office through a mix of charm and intimidation. He created parks, bridges, and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. Ralph Fiennes leads the cast in David Hare’s blazing account of the most powerful man in New York, a master manipulator whose legacy changed the city forever. This a screening of previously recorded live event will be at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Keith Urban in concert
It's been four years since country superstar Keith Urban played his one and only Texas tour stop in Dallas, and now he'll make his one and only Texas tour stop at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Urban is finally getting around to touring in support of his 2020 album, The Speed of Now Part 1. There's no news on when - or if - Part 2 is coming, but he has plenty of hits with which to entertain his many fans.

Tom Jones in concert
It's not unusual to know that Tom Jones is a legendary singer. Two years shy of his 60th anniversary in show business, the 82-year-old Jones has seen his career ebb-and-flow through the decades, from his peak in the 1960s to a downturn in the 1980s to a resurgence in the 1990s. His music remains part of the broader cultural landscape, something he'll prove at this concert at Billy Bob's Texas.

Sunday, October 2

Mary J. Blige in concert
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige has been presiding over her kingdom for 30 years now. Since her debut with 1992's What's the 411?, Blige has been a mainstay at the top of the charts, with 12 of her 14 albums reaching the top 10 on the Billboard 200. She released her latest album, Good Morning Gorgeous, earlier this year to critical acclaim, and now she'll perform at Dickies Arena as part of a national tour, with support from Queen Naija and Ella Mai.

Mary J. Blige will perform at Dickies Arena on October 2. Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

Monday, October 3

Performing Arts Fort Worth and Texas Ballet Theater present Kyiv City Ballet: A Tribute to Peace
Moving a bit past the weekend for this one-night-only special event presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth and Texas Ballet Theater. The day before Ukraine was invaded in February, the Kyiv City Ballet unknowingly took one of the last flights out of Kyiv, and they have not returned home since. Part of a new tour for the company, their first performances in the United States, the only tour stop in Texas will include a mixed repertory from Texas Ballet Theater.