Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

Music will reign supreme in Fort Worth this weekend, as movers and shakers of all sorts will come to town for a big festival. In addition to concerts related to that festival, there will be a symphony concert and the start of a local production of a Broadway musical. Other choices include two nature-related exhibitions, a comedian, a screening of another theater production, and monster trucks.

Below are more 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, February 29

Fort Worth Music Festival & Conference
The second annual Fort Worth Music Festival & Conference will take place in multiple venues in the Fort Worth Stockyards, featuring panel discussions and keynote speakers with live music industry executives, networking opportunities, workshops, and live performances. Performers will include Radney Foster, Uncle Lucius, Jack Ingram, Kylie Frey, Louie TheSinger, Abraham Alexander, Ben Kweller, Shinyribs, Slade Coulter, William Clark Green, and more. The event takes place at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall and elsewhere through Saturday.

Them Dirty Roses in concert
Alabama Southern rock band Them Dirty Roses - comprised of brothers James and Frank Ford along with their hometown friends Andrew Davis and Ben Crain - have been pursuing the American musical dream since leaving their home state for Nashville. They've put out a string of EPs in their career, along with two full albums, most recently Lost in the Valley of Hate & Love Vol. I in 2023. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas as part of the Fort Worth Music Festival.

Friday, March 1

New events at Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Fort Worth Botanic Garden will open two new events on Saturday. "Seward Johnson Sculptures in the Garden" features 21 life-size sculptures by the late artist Seward Johnson, a head-turning exhibit of “living” art that fool the eye and beg for double takes. The exhibit will be open through September 1. Butterflies in the Garden is an annual event where visitors can take in a large exhibit of live, exotic butterflies, including ones from Central, North and South America, Africa, and Asia.. The event will be open through April 14.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "The FWSO’s Jennifer Corning Lucio: Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, and Carlos Simon"
This concert starts with Beethoven's classic Symphony No. 7 before renowned conductor Anne Manson teams up with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's principal oboist, Jennifer Corning Lucio, for Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Oboe Concerto. Finally, the orchestra completes the program with a work by composer Carlos Simon, composer-in-residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. There will be three performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Hyena's presents Kevin Farley
Comedian Kevin Farley lives in the shadow of his late brother Chris, but he's forged his own career over the past 20-30 years. A regular at numerous comedy clubs across the country, he's also scored parts in a variety of films and TV shows. He'll perform at Hyena's Comedy Club four times over two days on Friday and Saturday.

Whitey Morgan and the 78's in concert
While the vast majority of country bands emerge from the South, occasionally a popular group can emerge from another music-heavy city like Detroit. Whitey Morgan and the 78's have released four albums since 2008, most recently Hard Times and White Lines in 2018, its highest-charting release yet, making the top 20 on the Billboard Country charts. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas as part of the Fort Worth Music Festival.

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Fort Worth Botanic Garden presents "Seward Johnson Sculptures in the Garden," March 1-September 1.

Saturday, March 2

National Theatre Live: Romeo & Juliet
Romeo (Josh O’Connor) and Juliet (Jessie Buckley) risk everything to be together. In defiance of their feuding families, they chase a future of joy and passion as violence erupts around them. This new film brings to life the backstage spaces of the National Theatre in which desire, dreams and destiny collide to make Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy sing in an entirely new way. The screening of a previously recorded live production will play at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Casa Mañana presents Once
On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story, underscored by emotionally charged music. The Tony-winning musical features all of the songs from the critically acclaimed film, including the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly." The production runs through March 10 at Casa Mañana.

Monster Jam
Monster Jam, featuring an epic 12-truck line-up of fan favorites, includes the ultimate mix of high-flying stunts and four-wheel excitement with unbelievable action to unexpected thrills. Taking place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, it will include the return of The Monster Jam Pit Party, where fans can see the massive trucks up close, participate in Q&As with the drivers, take pictures, and enjoy other family-friendly fun.

The Band of Heathens in concert
Austin band The Band of Heathens has been building up their music bona fides since their debut album in 2008. The band has dabbled in multiple genres, including rock, country, folk, soul, and more. This wide-ranging musicality has kept them popular with their fanbase, as they've released nine albums in their relatively short career, including Simple Things in 2023. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas as part of the Fort Worth Music Festival.

music festivals concerts galleries nature symphony comedy theater sports event-planner

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.

---

A Real Pain opens in theaters on November 15.

movies film