It will be a busy weekend in and around Fort Worth, with choices available in a variety of topics. They include four different local theater productions, two comedy events, six concerts, a couple of big festivals, the finale of the symphony season, and art showcases.
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.
Comedian Sara Schaefer will perform at Amphibian Stage through May 20.
Thursday, May 18
The Cliburn presents Amir Siraj
Leading up to the third edition of the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival, taking place in June in Dallas, the Cliburn presents a Cliburn in the Community concert featuring Amir Siraj, who competed in the first-ever Cliburn Junior in 2015. He has gone on to perform at the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, Millennium Park, and Carnegie Hall, and for the heads of state of Korea, Canada, and Jordan. He'll perform at White's Chapel Methodist Church in Southlake.
KWC Performing Arts presents Look Up
KWC Performing Arts presents the original musical Look Up, a profound and hilarious production that examines the digital world and its effect on our lives. When going off the grid seems impossible, can we turn these new online communities into tools for positive change? The one-night-only production will be at W. E. Scott Theatre at Arts Fort Worth.
Amphibian Stage Productions presents Sara Schaefer
Sara Schaefer is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, writer, and producer currently based in Los Angeles. She was the co-host of MTV’s late night show Nikki & Sara Live, and has appeared on @Midnight, John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Inside Amy Schumer. She'll perform four times through Saturday at Amphibian Stage.
PBR World Finals Concert Series
With the PBR World Finals continuing through Sunday at Dickies Arena, so too will the nightly post-event concerts at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall. Country singer Easton Corbin will play on Thursday, followed by Texas Hippie Coalition on Friday, and Warrant on Saturday.
Friday, May 19
39th Annual Main Street Fest: A Craft Brew Experience
Main Street Fest: A Craft Brew Experience in Historic Downtown Grapevine is a fun event for all ages, with a carnival, artisans, shopping, A Taste of Texas, the Craft Brew Experience, and more. Live music will be featured along Main Street from headliners Vertical Horizon and Little Texas, as well as tribute bands like Blaze of Glory, Dunn & Brooks, and King George. The festival takes place through Sunday.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "Haydn: The Creation"
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra closes out conductor Robert Spano’s inaugural season with Haydn's monumental Creation, a dramatic oratorio for vocal soloists, orchestra, and choir that renders the Biblical text in music. The Miami-based vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire joins the orchestra while visual artist Elaine J. McCarthy lends her talents to bring this ambitious production to life. There will be three performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.
Impractical Jokers: The Drive Drive Drive Drive Drive Tour
Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray, and Sal Vulcano of Impractical Jokers will bring The Drive Drive Drive Drive Drive Tour to Arlington. Impractical Jokers is a hidden camera comedy show that follows Q, Murr and Sal as they compete to embarrass each other amongst the general public with a series of hilarious and outrageous dares. This event will feature never-before-seen videos and storytelling stand-up.
Artisan Center Theater presents Brigadoon
In Brigadoon, from musical theatre icons Lerner & Loewe, New Yorker Tommy Albright unexpectedly arrives at the mysterious Scottish Highland village of Brigadoon, which only appears for one day every 100 years. When Tommy meets and falls in love with Fiona, a beautiful villager in this magical hamlet, he must decide whether to return to his old life, or stay in Brigadoon - forever. The production runs through June 24 at Artisan Center Theater in Hurst.
Jubilee Theatre presents Praise The Lord and Raise The Roof
Praise the Lord and Raise the Roof is a light-hearted comedy set in the fictional town of Rule Hill County, Virginia, where an African American church takes in a friendly white drifter amid fear and suspicion about a rash of local church burnings. When tragedy strikes, they must reconcile their own prejudice with their Christianity. The production runs through June 18 at Jubilee Theatre.
Hip Pocket Theatre presents Riders of the Purple Sage
Johnny Simons and James Maynard adapted Zane Grey’s original story Riders of the Purple Sage, which was last seen at Hip Pocket in 1996, with two previous productions. Featuring action, adventure, and romance in the wide open spaces, it’s a classic Western of the silent film era, about Lassiter, an avenging gunslinger in black; Jane Withersteen, a plucky and determined cattle rancher; and the dastardly forces that separate them. The production runs through June 11 at Hip Pocket Theatre.
Chancey Williams in concert
Country singer Chancey Williams is a grinder. Since he put out his first album in 2008, he has self-released five of his six albums, a dedication that indicates he's in it for the pure love of the music than for a desire to get rich and famous. He'll get his first-ever showcase at Billy Bob's Texas in support of his new album, One of These Days.
Saturday, May 20
Amon Carter Museum of American Art openings and closings
It's moving weekend at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Opening on Saturday will be Elizabeth Turk's "The Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction," a continuation of the multiyear outdoor sculpture program to activate the Museum’s grounds. Turk’s series, on view through May 1, 2024, comprises vertical sound sculptures of bird species that are endangered or are extinct. Closing on Sunday is "Morning Light: Photographs of David H. Gibson," which takes viewers to two of Gibson's favorite sites, Cypress Creek in Wimberely, Texas, and Eagle Nest Lake, nestled in the mountains east of Taos, New Mexico.
Tacos & Tequila Festival
The Tacos & Tequila Festival will feature some of Dallas-Fort Worth’s best taco chefs, handcrafted margaritas, Lucha Libre wrestling, a chihuahua beauty pageant, exotic car showcase, salsa & queso competition, art installations, photo ops, and more. There will also be a huge live music showcase, including performances by Flo Rida, Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Bones Thugs-N-Harmony, Montell Jordan, Ying Yang Twins, Paul Wall, Murphy Lee, DJ Ashton Martin, and more. The single-day event takes place at Panther Island Pavilion.
Stoney LaRue in concert
Singer-songwriter Stoney LaRue, who was just in town a couple of months ago as part of the inaugural Fort Worth Music Festival, is part of the recent wave of Texas Country/Red Dirt artists, having put out six albums since 2002, including 2019's Onward. LaRue is as close to a regular at Billy Bob's as you can get, having played there multiple times and even recording a live album there in 2007. He'll play there yet again on Saturday night.
