Celebrations fit for a king

All the ways to watch and celebrate King Charles III's coronation around Dallas-Fort Worth

He's been waiting 70 years to wear that crown.

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Hip hip, hooray! Eight months after the death of Britain’s beloved Queen Elizabeth II, it’s finally time for the coronation of King Charles III and soon-to-be Queen Camilla, on Saturday May 6 at London's Westminster Abbey. Dallas-Fort Worth is ready to party with the rest of the world tuning in to watch all the pomp and pageantry that makes Britain great.

It’s all happening a wee bit early for DFW royal-watchers. The coronation service will start at 5 am CDT time (11 am in London), with a horse-and-carriage procession starting around 4 am. The two-hour service will be followed by more carriage processions and a royal family appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Set your alarm, fluff your fascinator, and use this guide to the local coronation-watching parties, royal-themed events, specials, and more. (It will be updated as more are announced.) Prefer to watch in your jammies at home? Check out the viewer’s guide below.

British Emporium
Dallas-Fort Worth’s premier destination for all things British will host a Coronation Watching Party in the parking lot, 140 N. Main St., Grapevine. Guests are asked to bring their own chairs and to dress as if attending at Westminster Abbey; fascinators are encouraged.

Viewing of the procession will begin at 4 am. Attendees are asked to arrive by 5 am so as not to disrupt the Coronation when it begins at 5 am. At 7 am, the viewing will end and the store will open to shop commemorative items. British Emporium has an impressive selection of official coronation teacups and mugs, books, tea towels, shopping bags, Christmas ornaments, and more. (They also have party items like paper bowls, napkins, children’s activities books, and British groceries like pasties, meat pies, and sausage rolls for at-home celebrations.)

Special guests Amy Bishop from WRR Classical 101.1 FM and Bill Young from KERA will join the party.

At 11 am, His Grace Bishop Keith L. Ackerman, bishop for the Diocese of Quincy in the Episcopal Church, and the bishop vicar of the Diocese of Quincy of the Anglican Church in North America and Assisting Bishop of Fort Worth, will be at the store to say a blessing for the new king.

The Londoner
All three DFW locations - Colleyville, Addison, and Mockingbird Station Dallas - will host Coronation Celebrations from 5-10 am May 6. Coffee and tea, scones & crumpets, and bacon/egg/toast will be served during the live coronation broadcast. The Dallas and Addison locations encourage patrons to arrive early; reservations for the Colleyville location are required here.

Regular brunch with tea and scones will be served at all locations from 11 am-3 pm. A signature cocktail called "His Majesty" along with English Rosie & Pimms Cup cocktails will be offered at a discount all day.

A special afternoon tea will be available by reservation only in Colleyville from 10 am-2 pm.

From Across the Pond
The British gastropub in Colleyville will offer coronation-day specials: Baked Chicken Entree, Mushroom on Toast Appetizer, and Victoria Trifle for dessert.

Central Market

Central Market cooking schools in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano will host coronation-themed classes this week:

Afternoon Tea: A Coronation Tea Partywill take place 3-4:30 pm Thursday, May 4 at Central Market-Lovers Lane and 3-4:30 pm Sunday, May 7 at Central Market Plano. Guests will learn about and enjoy traditional tea, coronation pastries, and more. Menu includes Scottish Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches, Beef Wellington Bites, White Cheddar & Chive Shortbread Coins, Buckingham Palace's Fruit Scones, Strawberry & White Chocolate Mini-Cakes, Chocolate Biscuits, Lemon Bar Bites, and Pots of Hot Tea. Reservations are $50, and the class is 16+.

Central Market Lovers Lane, Plano, and Fort Worth cooking schools will host A Coronation Dinner at 6 pm May 6. Menu for the hands-on class includes Coronation Roast Rack of Lamb with Asian-style Marinade with Roasted Potatoes, Coronation Aubergine (Grilled Eggplant with Fried Onions, Raisins & Coriander), Strawberry & Ginger Trifle. The 2 ½-hour class is $75, for 18+ up (those 21 and older will get a complimentary glass of wine.)

British-themed events continue Sunday, May 7 with a Great British Baking Intensive at Central Market-Lovers Lane (details here) and an Alice in Wonderland-inspired tea party for parents and kids at Central Market Fort Worth (details here.)

The Proper Baking Co.
The East Dallas bakery, which handcrafts authentic British baked goods, is offering a celebratory King’s Coronation Menu. Choices include Coronation lemonade cupcakes, Coronation Chicken pasties and party-size savory pies, chocolate biscuit cakes, sausage rolls, scones, crumpets, beef Wellington, and more. Orders must be placed 24hours in advance. DFW Delivery is available Wednesday and Friday, and curbside pickup is available from their kitchen at 2201 Tucker St. #110, Dallas. (UPDATE: As of Tuesday, May 2, they closed pre-orders but announced they would be at the Dallas Farmers Market on Saturday, May 6 for last-minute coronation needs.)

Ida Claire
In honor of the coronation, the Addison restaurant has crafted a cocktail called The King’s Gambit, described as a modern take on the classic Royal Balmoral Punch. The mixologist behind the drink told Forbes the elegant cocktail is a blend of apricot-infused Aberfeldy 12-year-old Scotch and apricot brandy, organic English breakfast demerara syrup, fresh-pressed apple juice, and lemon juice. It's finished with black walnut bitters and apple bitters and garnished with three lemon roses on a crown cocktail pick and served with an edible flower ice sphere. It was inspired by King Charles's love for scotch and draws inspiration from the royal family’s summer home, Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

The Adolphus
The Adolphus hotel is celebrating Coronation Day through the month of May with a glamorous package fit for a king or queen. And for good reason: Buckingham Palace selected The Adolphus for the official state visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Dallas in 1991. At their request, the hotel says, the Queen and the Duke were introduced to every staff member who personally served them during their stay, and the Queen, as a thank-you, gifted an official portrait to be hung in the hotel lobby.

The Adolphus’ exclusive Royal Stay package costs a pearl-clutching $15,000 and includes:

one-night accommodation in a luxury suite with a limited edition coronation tea set by ceramicist Nicole Acquillano.
full use of the Butler’s Pantry with refrigerator, dining table set for six, ample living space with sofa and seating, and a billiards table.
two bottles of Bollinger with exclusive Charles III Coronation Cut Crystal Highland Champagne Flutes.
a private tour in a Rolls Royce Ghost sedan to explore Dallas for the day.
two tickets to the “Royal Tea Service” in The French Room during the month of May.
a Fortnum and Mason Globetrotter Picnic Hamper filled with teas, chocolates, biscuits and more by Fortnum and Mason.

Local viewing guide

No matter how you watch the coronation, you can prepare and follow along using this handy Coronation Liturgy guide.

Major networks and news channels including ABC, NBC/MSNBC, CBS, PBS, CNN, Fox News, and BBC America will cover the coronation live, with most beginning coverage at 4 am. (Some will begin coverage earlier or will air coronation-related specials before the broadcast; check local listings.) Find out more details about anchors, special guests, and commentators here.

Those without cable TV providers will be able to live stream it on DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV and Sling TV.

You can also watch several live streams on the Sky News and BBC website, app, and YouTube channels.

For the most authentically British coverage, download the BritBox streaming app or stream at BritBox.com or on its Youtube channel. (You can sign up for a free seven-day trial, then it’s $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year.)

On Sunday, May 7, a Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle featuring performances by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Tom Cruise, Andrea Bocelli, and more superstars will be covered live on ABC’s Good Morning America beginning at 2 am. (Other networks are expected to cover it, too.) BBC, producer of the concert, will stream it live on their platforms.

Coronation Coronation Celebrations King Charles Queen Camilla galas celebrities

Movie Review

Jesse Eisenberg delves into personal family ties in A Real Pain

Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain.

Comedy film duos have a long history, from Laurel and Hardy in the 1920s and ‘30s to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in movies like Baby Mama. But the majority of duos have either been friends or work partners, relationships that can be close, but not as close as family. The new film A Real Pain aims for the comedy that a great duo can bring, but hits deeper because the two lead characters are related to each other.

Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) are first cousins who decide to take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother, who has recently passed. Their personalities could not be more different, with David buttoned-down and reserved and Benji extremely social, if a little wild. This contrast is on display from the moment they leave on their trip, affecting almost every aspect of their journey.

The two meet up with a diverse tour group in Poland, including guide James (Will Sharpe), recently divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey), married couple Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), an African man who has converted to Judaism. As the group visits various historical sites, David confronts contrasting feelings about Benji, who goes from charming to abrasive seemingly at the drop of a hat.

Written and directed by Eisenberg, the film is about both the family we have and the history of those who came before us. With Benji and David being Jewish and their grandmother having escaped from the Nazis in World War II, the themes hit harder than they might in other situations. Eisenberg takes care to honor his Jewish ancestors both in the way he has Benji and David talk about their grandmother and the places they visit.

But even though emotions are heightened due to the significance of the trip, the film is far from a dour affair. Benji keeps things interesting at almost all times with a series of impulsive decisions, many that are entertaining for both the tour group and the audience watching the film. He is one of those film characters that is great to watch on screen, but would likely be too much to handle if you were confronted with him in real life.

The relationship between Benji and David is a complicated one; the two obviously have love for each other, but they rarely see eye-to-eye on the best way to approach certain situations. This tension keeps the film grounded, and Eisenberg does a great job at showing the push-and-pull the two cousins have with each other. The little moments, especially when Benji and David go their separate ways, say a lot as the characters try to reconcile where each is at in their respective lives.

Eisenberg has always been an understated performer, so this role is almost perfect for him. Culkin, fresh off his Emmy-winning role in HBO’s Succession, is an ideal foil for Eisenberg, as he has a manic energy that he can control or not control at will. It’s also nice to see Grey in action again, as she brings just the right touch to her supporting role.

The drama in A Real Pain comes from the life experiences of its two main characters, which are on full display despite the story only doling out details in small doses. The film is subtle yet powerful, a testament to Eisenberg’s filmmaking ability and the actors never trying to make too much of their scenes.

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A Real Pain opens in theaters on November 15.

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