Weekend Event Planner

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

This is a big weekend around Fort Worth, with an annual film festival, the return of a beloved pianist, a national tour of a Broadway musical, two opera productions, larger-than-life Hot Wheels cars, the city's annual marathon, awards honoring the best in Texas country music, 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, November 10

Lone Star Film Festival
The 2022 Lone Star Film Festival will feature eight narrative feature films, nine documentary feature films, and over 50 short films across four days. Highlights include opening night film Butcher's Crossing starring Nicolas Cage; a showcase screening of Living starring Bill Nighy; and a retrospective screening of Pedro Almodovar's 2006 film Volver. Most screenings will take place at Downtown Cowtown at the Isis. The festival will also include a gala on Friday honoring Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan with the Larry McMurtry Award.

Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth presents Beethoven Quartet Cycle
The Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth presents Beethoven Quartet Cycle, featuring the Miro Quartet. The concerts, going on through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, highlight all 16 of Beethoven's string quartets. Bill McGlaughlin, host of Exploring Music will be a special guest at this event presenting the pre-concert talks about the works being performed.

Theatre Wesleyan presents Wonder of the World
Theatre Wesleyan will present Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire, a laugh-out-loud comic confection intended for mature audiences. The play follows the exploits of Cass as she flees from her troubled marriage in a frantic search for the life she thinks she missed out on. Cass heads to the natural wonder of the world - Niagara Falls - crossing paths with a shipload of nutty characters. Does all of the comedic chaos push Cass over the water's edge ... literally? The production runs through November 19 in Thad Smotherman Theatre on the Texas Wesleyan University campus.

The Cliburn presents Vadym Kholodenko
Vadym Kholodenko's dynamic and technically phenomenal performances earned him the gold medal at the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013. He went on to be named the first artist-in-partnership of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, among other honors. The native of Ukraine and honorary Fort Worthian returns to Fort Worth for his first Cliburn Concerts appearance in nine years, performing a traditional recital at the Kimbell Art Museum on Thursday, and a more casual concert at The Post at River East on Friday.

Friday, November 11

New Fort Worth Opera productions
Fort Worth Opera will present two single-performance productions this weekend. On Friday at Fort Worth Community Arts Center will be the world premiere of Stand Up!, a socially conscious chamber opera that gives the audience a snapshot of the life of South African activist Stephen Biko during 1960s Apartheid, and segues into a modern-day story of a similarly racially divided college campus in Texas. On Sunday at Van Cliburn Recital Hall at TCU will be Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love & Justice, a recital curated by Karen Slack that features a program with songs around the themes of love and justice as a reminder to the audience that no matter your race, ethnicity, politics, etc., we are all human.

Performing Arts Fort Worth presents Elf the Musical
It may be a bit early to get into the full Christmas spirit, but the story of Buddy the Elf in Elf the Musical is hard to resist. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. The production runs through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Cody Canada & The Departed in concert
The music of Cody Canada & The Departed blurs the lines between hard-edged country, rock & roll, and all the gritty sounds in between. The band has released four albums in their career, most recently 2018's 3. They'll play at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall.

Saturday, November 12

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live
At Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, fans will enjoy a new and expanded lineup of monster trucks as they experience the thrill of watching the iconic Hot Wheels monster truck toys come to life in a full-size, kid-focused, immersive Hot Wheels experience. This is the only opportunity to see real-life versions of the famous Hot Wheels monster truck toys, including fan favorites Bone Shaker, Tiger Shark, V8 Bomber, and Demo Derby. There will be three performances through Sunday at Dickies Arena.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Coral
Specially curated by Japanese composer and keyboardist Nobuo Uematsu, the program for Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Coral is a monumental, retrospective celebration of the Final Fantasy music catalogue. Conductor Arnie Roth leads an orchestra and chorus of 100 musicians on stage at Will Rogers Memorial Center, with exclusive HD video direct from creators at Square Enix.

Sunday, November 13

Fort Worth Marathon
The Fort Worth Marathon course is certified by the USA Track and Field Association and can be used to qualify for the Boston Marathon. It is a flat out-and-back course along the Trinity River. The event will also include a 20 Mile Race, Half Marathon, and 5K. Beginning and ending at Panther Island Pavilion, there will also be food trucks, hot showers, music, and free money giveaways.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "Robert Spano Performs Chamber Music"
Robert Spano, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's new music director and an accomplished pianist, will launch the Kimbell Chamber Series with a song cycle of his own composition, the Sonnets to Orpheus, featuring mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor. The intimate concert experience at Kimbell Art Museum's Piano Pavilion will also include Brahms' Piano Quintet in F Minor and Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp.

Texas Country Music Awards
The 2022 Texas Country Music Awards will feature performances by headliner Roger Creager, as well as Terry McBride & The Ride, co-host Brandon Rhyder, Bailey Rae, and more. Artists up for the top award, Entertainer of the Year, include Aaron Watson, Creed Fisher, Jon Stork, Kin Faux, and Randall King. The awards will take place at Billy Bob's Texas.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Elf the Musical will play at Bass Performance Hall, November 11-13.

movies festivals music concerts symphony opera theater holidays cars races awards event-planner

This Week's Hot Headlines

Best neighborhoods for Christmas lights lead Fort Worth's top 5 stories

Photo by Stacy Luecker

undefined

Editor's note: Christmas is just around the corner, and Fort Worth is in the holiday spirit. This week's most-read stories include a complete guide to DFW's best neighborhoods for Christmas lights, plus where to eat and drink during the holiday season.Catch up on the five hottest headlines of the week below.

Looking for the best Fort Worth events of the weekend? We have those here.

1. Best Fort Worth-area neighborhoods for magical 2024 Christmas lights. Fort Worth-area residents have decked their halls, merry and bright, for the holiday season. Homes, streets, and entire subdivisions are dazzling with lights so spectacular, they can be seen from the North Pole. Here is our expert guide to the best neighborhoods for a Christmas light pilgrimage during the 2024 holiday season. For a longer list of spectacular Fort Worth Christmas lights, check out this story.

2. Where to drink in Fort Worth right now: 14 bars oozing Christmas cheer. The holiday pop-up trend has erupted across the country as more and more bars jump on the bandwagon every year. Consumers are craving a big dose of Christmas cheer in the form of over-the-top decor, Christmas music, and Christmas-inspired cocktails. Stress of the season got you down? Here are 14 bars in Fort Worth that are making spirits bright.

Curfew Christmas cocktails at Curfew. Curfew Bar/Facebook

3. Where to eat in Fort Worth: 9 restaurants to take your holiday guests. The holidays draw near and for many of us, that means one thing: family’s coming to town. Cook your heart out for them, yes, but take advantage of Fort Worth’s thriving restaurant scene and show off some of our city’s finest places to eat.

4. Novel Thai restaurant in north Fort Worth comes with its own market. A mom-and-pop Thai restaurant in north Fort Worth comes with a unique twist: Called Bangkok Thai Street Food & Market, it’s a restaurant serving traditional Thai food but also a market selling all sorts of goods, from cooking ingredients to clothing to household gear.

5. Grab subs and pizza at new family-owned Lunch Break Cafe in Fort Worth. A well-regarded cafe serving sub sandwiches has risen in east Fort Worth: Called The Lunch Break Cafe, it’s a family-owned restaurant that opened in early December at 7251 Stoneway Dr. N. 400, in the former Riverbend Bistro space at River Bend Plaza.