Weekend Event Planner

These are the 8 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

This weekend across Fort Worth will be centered around music from beginning to end. Half of the events are concerts, with one major one offering up two separate shows. There will also be screenings of an acclaimed new film, a great comedian, the opening of a unique outdoor art exhibition, and the closing another exhibition about a classic TV holiday special.

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.

Friday, August 18

Magnolia at the Modern: Past Lives
Nora (Greta Lee) and Jung Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this modern romance. The film will screen seven times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Read a review here.

Metallica in concert
There has been no bigger heavy metal band over the past 40 years than Metallica, and their return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area will appropriately be bigger than ever. Just like every other stop on their world tour, they will play two separate shows, promising a "No Repeat Weekend," with two completely different setlists and support lineups at each concert. Joining them on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington will be the reunited Dallas band Pantera (touring for the first time in 22 years) and Mammoth WVH, followed by Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills on Sunday. The tour is in support of the band's new album, 72 Seasons, their first new release in six years.

Improv Arlington presents George Willborn
George Willborn is a Chicago native who got his big break as the house MC at All Jokes Aside, which was Chicago’s first primarily African American comedy club. He shared the stage with and befriended comedy greats like Jamie Foxx, Bernie Mac, and Steve Harvey, among others. He went on to appear on Def Comedy Jam, BET’s Comic View, Showtime at the Apollo, Comedy Central, and TV One. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Jon Wolfe in concert
There are a lot of big-time stars who grace the stage at Billy Bob's Texas, but just as often they showcase talented and hard-working musicians with smaller but loyal fanbases. Jon Wolfe has six albums to his credit, most recently 2021's Dos Corazones, and only one of them — 2015's Natural Man — made any kind of impact on the Billboard Country charts. But you can expect the venue to be packed once again for him, as he's a regular in Fort Worth.

Saturday, August 19

Fort Worth Botanic Garden presents "FLORIGAMIINTHEGARDEN"
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden will present Texas premiere of "FLORIGAMIINTHEGARDEN," a six-month outdoor art exhibit featuring 18 museum-quality sculptures inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding. The event will feature pieces ranging from a few feet to more than 30 feet tall, which portray a variety of forms, including animals, flowers and various geometric shapes. The exhibition will remain on display through February 14, 2024.

Ted Nugent in concert
Ted Nugent has carved a permanent place in rock 'n' roll history as a guitar-shredding showman. From Amboy Dukes’ hit “Journey to the Center of the Mind,” to classics like “Stranglehold” and “Cat Scratch Fever,” Damn Yankees chartbuster “High Enough,” and cult classic “Fred Bear,” Nugent’s career has spanned five decades. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas as part of his Farewell Tour in support of his 2022 album, Detroit Muscle.

Sunday, August 20

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History presents "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!" closing day
Sunday is closing day for "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!" at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The latest traveling exhibition from the Charles M. Schulz Museum examines the making of the animated classic and celebrates the anticipation, joy, and pitfalls of the holiday season.

Rick Springfield in concert
The '80s will come alive again when Rick Springfield headlines the I Want My '80s Tour at Dickies Arena. Also featuring special guests The Hooters, Tommy Tutone, and Paul Young, the concert will feature hits like "Jessie’s Girl," "Don’t Talk To Strangers," "And We Danced," "Everytime You Go Away," "Jenny/867-5309," and more. Springfield will also stick around on Monday to sell and sign bottles of his celebrity rum at Spec's on Hulen.

Photo courtesy of Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield and other '80s bands will play at Dickies Arena on August 20.

movies music concerts comedy galleries nature event-planner

Sports News

New IndyCar race comes to Arlington via Jerry Jones and Texas Rangers

Courtesy rendering

IndyCar Series @ AT&T Stadium

The NTT IndyCar Series will return to Texas with the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington, a race planned for March 2026 that will take place near AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.

The location is no accident as Penske Entertainment, which owns the race series, is partnering with the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers, to put on the event in a first-of-its-kind joint venture. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told a reporter that he was all in on the idea "as soon as [he] saw Roger Penske's name."

The race will feature a 2.73-mile track layout that will weave that will weave through Arlington’s core sports and entertainment district, which features the current homes of the Cowboys and Rangers, as well as Choctaw Stadium, the Arlington Convention Center, and more.

The NTT IndyCar series features a series of open-wheel racing competitions in the United States and Canada, with the Indianapolis 500 being the most famous. Races take place on a mix of oval, temporary street circuit, and permanent road course races.

The new event in Arlington marks a return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the NTT IndyCar Series after Texas Motor Speedway, which had hosted a race every year between 1997 and 2023, but was dropped from the series in 2024.

In a press conference on October 8, Penske said the 2.73-mile course in Arlington will include a straightaway that runs nearly one mile long — making it one of the longest straightaways in an IndyCar race. It will also include on-street racing, which is more appealing to fans than on enclosed tracks.

Planning for the race weekend is underway, including the appointment of veteran motorsport industry executive Bill Miller as president of the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington. Miller previously served as president of California Speedway and senior VP of at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), which represents vendors in the automotive aftermarket.

Like all other NTT IndyCar Series races, it will be broadcast on FOX, which recently signed a media rights deal with IndyCar.

The IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington will feature a full weekend of racing and entertainment, with general admission, reserved seating, VIP hospitality, and party zone areas available.

Fans can register their interest by going to gparlington.com.

races sports-fitness