Festival News

Bookmark these 28 festivals hitting Dallas-Fort Worth in spring 2023

There are a lot of things that spring brings to Dallas-Fort Worth, and at that top of that list are festivals.

Moderate temperatures provide the perfect setting for people to gather outdoors, even more so in the post-pandemic world (although DFW loves its festivals so much that there are indoor versions, too). In April, it seems like there's pretty much a festival every day.

They cover a wide range of categories, from film to nature to food to music to the environment, giving everyone a chance to get on the festival bandwagon.

Below are 28 of the best festivals taking place throughout the remainder of spring in Dallas-Fort Worth, arranged in chronological order:

Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival
Taking place April 14-16 in Ennis, the 71st Annual Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival features an abundance of activities and live music throughout the weekend, as well as a spectacular array of Texas bluebonnets across 40 miles of trails.

Fort Worth Tattoo Arts Festival
Taking place April 14-16 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, the Fort Worth Tattoo Arts Festival will feature dozens of tattoo artists and tattoo contests, entertainment, and special guests, including various contestants from the reality competition show Ink Master.

Festival of Joy
Taking place on April 15 at Klyde Warren Park, Festival of Joy is a fun-filled day of bright colors, flowers, traditional street food, and a free vegetarian feast, along with music, dance, and interactive holistic living and cultural activities.

Syndicate Smokedown
The Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate's 2nd Annual Smokedown is Cowtown's premier music festival and BBQ competition. Performers at the one-day event will include Josh Abbott Band, Kevin Fowler, Bri Bagwell, Jacob Stelly, Randy Brown, and Clayton Mullen.

Big Texas Beer Fest
Taking place on April 15 in the Automobile Building at Fair Park, the Big Texas Beer Fest will feature 100+ breweries and 500+ beers, ciders, hard seltzers, hard kombuchas, meads, and more. There will also be local food trucks and vendors and performances from local bands.

Dallas Festival of the Arts
Taking place on April 15 and 16 at Reverchon Park, Dallas Festival of the Arts (formerly known as Turtle Creek Spring Arts Festival) is a fine art outdoor festival featuring approximately 125 local and regional painters, photographers, sculptors, metalwork, glass artists, jewelers, and more.

USA Film Festival
Taking place April 19-23 at Angelika Film Center, the USA Film Festival is the first of two big film festivals in Dallas this spring. Highlights include opening night films Chevalier and Judy Blume Forever, Flamin' Hot, Little Richard: I Am Everything,The Pod Generation, and Master Gardener. The festival will also present its Great Director Tribute to Lasse Hallström.

Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival
Taking place April 20-23 in downtown Fort Worth, the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival showcases 215 jury-selected visual artists, live music on two stages, local cuisine, the family-friendly “TCC Makers Zone,” craft beer, wine tastings, and more across 18 square blocks,

Dallas Art Fair
Taking place April 20-23 at Fashion Industry Gallery, the Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a rich selection of modern and contemporary artworks presented by leading national and international galleries.

EarthxExpo
Taking place April 21-23 at Fair Park, EarthxExpo features hundreds of exhibitors with products and solutions focused on benefitting humans and the planet. There will be hands-on activities and crafts for children, an adult playground, an XR installation, a fuel car show, and eight stages packed with speakers, panel discussions, short films, and more.

City of Grand Prairie presents Main Street Fest
Taking place April 21-23 in downtown Grand Prairie, the City of Grand Prairie Parks, Arts & Recreation Department will present the annual Main Street Fest. The event will include live music performers, carnival rides, arts & crafts, food & beverage gardens, a Kidzone, and more.

The Range Vintage Trailer Resort presents Bluebonnet Food + Wine Festival
Taking place on April 22 at The Range Vintage Trailer Resort in Ennis, the inaugural Bluebonnet Food + Wine Festival will feature a wide range of flavors from talented chefs, paired with a selection of wines. The festival will also feature tours around the resort, music, a resort-style pool, ponds for fishing, and outdoor games.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden presents Japanese Spring Festival
Taking place on April 22 and 23 at Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the Japanese Spring Festival features performances by Taiko drumming groups, traditional dances, karate experts, displays of bonsai trees, demonstrations in Origami, Calligraphy, and Japanese Games, and more.

Ubbi Dubbi Festival
Taking place April 22 and 23 at Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth, the annual Ubbi Dubbi Festival will feature an expanded festival site and a new fourth stage. There will be performances by over 40 electronic music artists, including Adventure Club, Bonnie x Clyde, Fairlane, Kaskade, Slushii, and more.

Dallas International Film Festival
Taking place April 28-May 5 at Violet Crown Cinema in West Village, the Dallas International Film Festival will screen more than 100 feature films, documentaries, and shorts. The full lineup has not yet been revealed, but the first 17 films include a number of films with local connections.

Southlake Women's Club presents Art in the Square
Taking place April 28-30 in Southlake Town Square, Art in the Square will be a weekend of art, music, food, spirits, and children’s activities. The artwork of 200 juried renowned, emerging, and high school artists will be showcased, and there will also be entertainment from schools, performing art studios, dance groups, and more.

Fort Worth Aviation Museum presents Hops and Props Beerfest
Taking place on April 29 at the Fort Worth Aviation Museum, Hops and Props Beerfest will feature local brewers, live music, food, family-friendly vendors, airplane rides, games, activities, and more. The event is the annual fundraiser for the museum, with proceeds supporting their educational and preservation programs.

Mayfest
Taking place May 4-7 at Trinity Park in Fort Worth, Mayfest features four days of live music, festival food, carnival rides, performing arts, pet adoptions, more than 60 Art and Gift Market vendors, children's activities, special attractions, and more.

Dallas International Guitar Festival
Taking place May 5-7 at Dallas Market Hall, the Dallas International Guitar Festival is the largest and oldest guitar show in the world, blending musicians, fans, collectors and celebrities together into one huge musical extravaganza. There will be over 50 live performances, including ones by headliners Eric Johnson, Orianthi, and Philip Sayce.

Create Arlington presents West Main Arts Festival
Taking place on May 6 along Main Street in Arlington, the West Main Arts Festival will be a six-block street scene that includes over 100 art/vendor booths, 12 food trucks, and food vendors. There will also be an interactive kids area, four stages featuring 30 local bands, and buskers playing along West Main.

The Other Art Fair
Taking place May 11-14 at Dallas Market Hall, The Other Art Fair is a global art event dedicated to showcasing independent artists. It will feature a mix of 130 local and internationally-based independent and emerging artists. Visitors can meet artists in person and discover thousands of original artworks and limited edition prints across various media.

H-E-B presents Allen Food + Wine Festival
Taking place on May 13 at The Village at Allen, the Allen Food + Wine Festival will feature wine tastings, craft beer, cuisine, live music, shopping with local boutiques, photo ops, and more. Wineries will be set up at the festival and throughout the local shops at The Village at Allen.

Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival
Taking place May 19-21 at Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival features live performances by national, regional, and local bands, including headliners X Ambassadors, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-a-Whirl Band. There are also a variety of other family-friendly activities.

39th Annual Main Street Fest: A Craft Brew Experience
Taking place May 19-21 in Historic Downtown Grapevine, Main Street Fest: A Craft Brew Experience features a carnival, artisans, shopping, food, craft brews, and live music will from a variety of bands, including headliners Vertical Horizon and Little Texas.

City of Carrollton presents Chalk Art Festival
Taking place on May 20 at Mary Heads Carter Park in Carrollton, the Chalk Art Festival features talented contestants turning sidewalks into works of art. The event will feature music, food, games, and lots of chalk, with awards given to the best chalk artists.

Tacos & Tequila Festival
Taking place on May 20 at Panther Island Pavilion, the Tacos & Tequila Festival will feature some of Dallas-Fort Worth’s best taco chefs, Lucha Libre wrestling, an exotic car showcase, and more. In addition, there will be a huge live music showcase, including performances by Flo Rida, Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Bones Thugs-N-Harmony, and more.

Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair
Taking place May 27-29 in Deep Ellum, the Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair — a grass-roots event replacing the now-defunct Deep Ellum Arts Festival — will be a weekend filled with curated exhibits, concerts, and food showcasing the talent and businesses inside the community.

Taste Addison
Taking place on June 2 and 3 in Addison Circle Park, Taste Addison is a celebration of food, music, and fun that includes national music artists, Addison eateries, wine and spirits tastings, special performances, family activities, and more.

Photo by Brian Luenser

The Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival takes place in downtown Fort Worth, April 20-23.

nature music craft-beer galleries kids families food-drink movies concerts shopping fairs-festivals festivals

Weekend Event Planner

Pentatonix tops the 10 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

Photo by Max Bronner

A cappella group Pentatonix will bring their Christmas tour to Dickies Arena on December 21.

The weekend before Christmas in and around Fort Worth will bring handful of new holiday-themed events, including three concerts and a family-friendly opera. Other choices include screenings of an acclaimed new animated film, three comedians, and two other concerts.

Photo by Max Bronner

A cappella group Pentatonix will bring their Christmas tour to Dickies Arena on December 21.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events. For lists of Fort Worth's best Christmas lights, go here and here.

Thursday, December 19

Cody Jinks in concert
Country singer Cody Jinks is a local boy made good, going from growing up in Haltom City to releasing a string of high ranking albums on the Billboard Country chart, including his 2024 album, Change the Game. This concert at Billy Bob's Texas will be a special solo acoustic Christmas show.

Friday, December 20

Fort Worth Opera presents Amahl and the Night Visitors
Amahl and the Night Visitors is a one-act opera that tells the heartwarming story of a young boy named Amahl and his mother who are visited by three kings - Kaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar - on their way to see the newborn baby Jesus. Through their kindness and humility, they ultimately provide the kings with the greatest gift of all: the realization of the true meaning of generosity and love. The production will have four performances through Saturday at Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

Magnolia at the Modern: Flow
A wondrous journey through realms natural and mystical, the animated film Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog aboard a boat in search of dry land, Cat and his companions must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. The film will screen seven times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Orpheus Chamber Singers presents Christmas with Orpheus
The Orpheus Chamber Singers, who are in the middle of their 30th anniversary season, will present their annual holiday concert, Christmas with Orpheus, featuring traditional carols from England, Norway, and Germany. The concert takes place at Arborlawn United Methodist Church.

Big Laugh Comedy Club presents Steve Byrne
Comedian Steve Byrne has established himself as a reliable and versatile stand-up over the course of his 20-plus year career. He has recorded a half hour special for Comedy Central and taped four hour specials: Happy Hour, The Byrne Identity, Champion, and Tell the Damn Joke for Comedy Central, Showtime, and Netflix. His fifth hour special, The Neon Disease, came out in 2022. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Big Laugh Comedy Club.

Improv Arlington presents Don "D.C." Curry
Don "DC" Curry is probably most widely recognized for his role as the zany "Uncle Elroy" in Next Friday and Friday After Next. He’s also the host of the podcast, DC Curry’s Dis-race. He was also the host of BET Comic View, and star of his own Comedy Central Special and his own BET Comedy Special. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Hyena's presents Mike Baldwin
Comedian Mike Baldwin was the 2010 winner of the Trial By Laughter Comedy Competition, was a semi-finalist in the Laughing Skull Comedy Competition in 2010, and got third in the San Francisco Comedy Competition in 2007. His debut album, Bees Can Taste With Their Feet, reached No. 8 on the iTunes comedy charts. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Hyena's Comedy Nightclub.

Kevin Fowler in concert
Texas country music singer Kevin Fowler has been trying to make his way in the industry for over 20 years, releasing nine albums since 2000. He's slowly but surely made his way up the charts, including with his well-received 2019 album, Barstool Stories. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.

Saturday, December 21

Pentatonix in concert
Arlington's own Pentatonix got their big break when they won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011. Since then, the a cappella group has gone on to release five regular albums and six Christmas albums, including Holidays Around the World in 2022. You can expect the full spectrum of those Christmas albums during this concert at Dickies Arena, which is part of their biggest Christmas tour yet, Pentatonix: Hallelujah! It's A Christmas Tour.

Eli Young Band in concert
The Eli Young Band is a prime example of how some college bands can actually make it big in the music world. After forming at the University of North Texas, they quickly gained notoriety, opening for the likes of Miranda Lambert. Six albums later, three of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Country charts, the band remains one of the bigger success stories to come out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas, nearing their 20th anniversary at the venue, having first played there in 2005.

music concerts opera kids families movies holidays comedy event-planner