It's time to send those gowns and tuxes to dry cleaning and dust off the "good" cowboy boots in hiding since Cowtown Ball. Fort Worth's 2024 spring gala season officially starts the first weekend of January and goes strong until May.

This year's black-tie balls will be especially diva-licious, with Jewel Charity Ball welcoming Diana Ross to the stage and Fort Worth Symphony Gala featuring Renee Fleming. The Cliburn Gala goes to Italy, and JDRF Gala goes wild (for a cure) at the zoo. American Heart Association celebrates 100 years with not one but two heartfelt fundraisers, and the Texas Rangers continue their World Series celebration with a big boot-scoot featuring Brooks & Dunn.

These are all the spring 2024 fundraising galas to put in your social calendar (and buy tickets for) now.

Junior League Grand Entry Gala, January 6
The first big gala of the season comes barreling out of the gate in early January. Junior League of Fort Worth's annual Grand Entry Gala serves as a glam kickoff to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, which officially starts January 12. The Western-chic evening features dinner, dancing, cocktails, silent auction, and a concert by Texas country music legends Ray Benson, Roger Creager, Radney Foster, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jack Ingram, and Gary P. Nunn on "the dirt floor" of Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum. Grand Entry Gala supports the organization's mission to promote volunteerism, develop the potential in women, and improve the lives of women and children in Fort Worth. Amanda Landfried and Mackenzie Zwick are this year's gala chairs, and former mayor Betsy Price is the honorary co-chair; tickets and tables are available here.

Former Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price and Tom Price at the 2018 Grand Entry Gala. Photo by Trey Daugherty

Fort Worth Symphony Gala, February 17
On the heels of her stunning celebration as a Kennedy Center Honoree, soprano icon Renee Fleming stars alongside baritone Rod Gilfry as this year's FWSO Gala Concert guest artists. Per tradition, this mega-gala evening has many parts. First, Fleming, Gilfry, and the FWSO will enchant concertgoers at Bass Hall with a performance of Broadway hits, under the direction of maestro Robert Spano. Then the black-tie gala commences in the Grand Ballroom of the Worthington Renaissance Hotel, featuring cocktails, a delectable four-course meal, live entertainment, and dancing. Honorary gala chair Mercedes T. Bass and co-chairs Anne Marie Bratton, Kimberly Johnson, Misty Locke, and Dana Porter lead the proceedings, which support Music Education initiatives. Tickets to the concert can be purchased through the FWSO website. For information about the dinner, email develop@fwsymphony.org.

Opera legend Renee Fleming will be the guest artist for the FWSO Gala Concert. Photo by © Andrew Eccles/Decca

St. Jude Celebration at Sundown, February 24
The fifth anniversary-edition of this sweet gala takes place at Tannahill's Tavern, the restaurant-music venue in the Stockyards' Mule Alley. Benefiting the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and chaired by Jennifer Wright and Paige Charbonnet, the cocktail-casual event includes silent and live auctions, dancing, drinks, dinner, and live entertainment by Straight Tequila Night. It's always a powerful evening, with a special emphasis on the challenges that child cancer patients face. Families who go to St. Jude, founded by Danny Thomas and located in Memphis, Tennessee, never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. Tickets and information are here.

Go Red for Women Luncheon, March 1
Benefiting the American Heart Association's efforts to research and eradicate cardiovascular disease in women, the beloved Tarrant County luncheon takes place at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel. The 20th anniversary of the event coincides with the AHA's 100th year, too. Go Red for Women is chaired by Texas Health's Dr. Monika Mathur and Omni Group's Melissa Huffman, with mayor Mattie Parker serving as honorary chair. It will feature onsite health screenings, as well as champagne, multicourse lunch, moving survivor stories, and a fireside chat moderated by DFW radio personality Kellie Rasberry. Tickets and information are here.

Red is the color of the day at the Go Red for Women Luncheon. Photo courtesy of AHA

Jewel Charity Ball, March 2
Fort Worth's grandest gala of all is celebrating a 70-year legacy of giving in fabulous '70s style. The 70th Jewel Charity Ball will welcome disco and entertainment icon Diana Ross (one of their biggest "gets" ever) to the stage at Will Rogers Memorial Center, Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall. Jewel Charity president Kathy Sneed and ball co-chairs Michelle Miles, Laura Rooker, Sandra Tuomey, and Tara Warren promise a groovy evening that also includes a seated dinner by Wolfgang Puck, dancing, a silent auction, and raffle. The JCB's official jeweler, Neiman Marcus, will add sparkle with an onsite store featuring cases of exclusive pieces. Ball designer Melanie Tatum of Melanie Tatum Events is sure to make it look far out. Since 1954, Jewel Charity has helped raise more than $81 million for Cook Children's Hospital, and the ball celebrates the Angel donors who generously support the patients. For information and tickets, visit jewelcharity.org or call 817-347-6104.

Diana Ross headlines the 2024 Jewel Charity Ball. Photo by © Michelle Watson CultureMapSNAP.com

Design Inspirations, March 6-7
If you get inspired by pretty homes and pretty things, this is the event to attend. 2024 marks the 31st year of this chic two-part fundraiser at Ridglea Country Club, thrown by the Fort Worth Alumnae Associations of Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi. Gill Children’s Services, Inc. and Breakthrough of Fort Worth are this year's beneficiaries. The event features more than 60 tables elaborately decorated by local interior designers, florists, and creative individuals. There are two chances to see them — at the Preview Party (with cocktails, dinner, and entertainment) the evening of March 6, or at the Luncheon on March 7. Award-winning architect Gil Schafer III will give the keynote speech. Tickets are sold separately for each event; for more information and reservations, visit the website.

Classically Cliburn Gala, April 5
Viva Italia! This year, the Cliburn's glamorous black-tie ball transports patrons to Italy, where gondolas glide and vineyards pour fine wine. Guests can expect to bask in all the sights, sounds, and tastes of a buona notte at the Fort Worth Club. After drinks and dinner, the Jordan Kahn Orchestra will, no doubt, keep the dancefloor lively. Gaylord and Bradley Lummis serve as event chairmen, and sister-brother team Priscilla Martin and Charles White are the honorary co-chairs. For gala information and tickets, visit the website, email khowell@cliburn.org, or call 817-738-6536.

The Classically Cliburn Gala is always an elegant affair. Photo by Joyce Marshall

JDRF Fort Worth Gala, April 6
The JDRF Gala is a fun and elegant cocktail-attire affair that raises crucial funds toward the eradication of type 1 diabetes. This year’s gala theme is Wild Abut a Cure, appropriate for its location at the Fort Worth Zoo. Event chairs Dr. Matt Hammons and Lis Hammons promise a joy-filled night that includes dinner, an expansive auction, and inspirational stories of hope. JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. For more information and tickets, visit the event website.

Puttin' on the Pink Luncheon, April 10
The 31st edition of this fashion-forward luncheon will bring all the best-dressed women (and some men, too) to a new location this year — Dickies Arena. It's hosted by the Kupferle Health Board of Texas Health Resources Foundation and supports mobile health outreach and screenings for underserved women in Tarrant County. Attendees should plan to arrive early for a champagne reception at 10 am, followed by a sit-down lunch and fashion presentation. For information and tickets, visit the website.

TEX Gala, April 22
Expect a sell-out crowd for the 2024 gala benefiting the World Series-champion Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, which improves the lives of children, the military, and first responders' families in the community. Attendees will experience a red-carpet arrival, cocktail hour and dinner on the playing surface of Globe Life Field, auctions featuring exclusive Rangers experiences and Hollywood memorabilia, and a live performance from country superstar duo Brooks & Dunn. There are always some surprise sports hero and celeb appearances, too; last year’s TEX Gala, headlined by Kenny Chesney, saw Matthew McConaughey drop by for a few words and raised a record $2 million. For information and tickets, visit the website.

Texas Rangers Six Shooters at the TEX Gala. Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers

Ally's Wish Boots & Blessings Gala, April 27
Ally's Wish is a 10-year-old, lifechanging organization that still flies under the radar — but shouldn't. It grants "last wishes" to terminally ill mothers with young children — a memory for the family that will last a lifetime. Ally's Wish is named for a local young mother named Allyson who passed away of ovarian cancer in 2014. This year's Boots & Blessings Gala will be a "Birthday Ball" celebrating 10 years. The Western-chic night will include dinner, auctions, cocktails and boot-scooting, at Lucky Spur Ranch Retreat in Justin. For more information and tickets, go here.

Ally's Wish's Boots & Blessings Gala is a fun, Western-chic event. Photo by WJNPHOTO

Butterfly Wishes Gala, May 3
A Wish with Wings has been bringing joyful experiences to children with life-threatening medical conditions since 1983. Details are still in the works for the 2024 Butterfly Wishes gala; it takes place a little later this year, on May 3. Check the website for plans as they develop. As a precursor, the organization is hosting a Bloody Mary Brunch at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo All-Western Parade on Saturday, January 13. From 10 am-1 pm, a brunch filled with cocktails will be served as guests watch the parade from the premier downtown steakhouse. Tickets ($200) are available here.

Heart Ball, May 4
American Heart Association is marking its 100th anniversary in 2024, and this year's inspiring gala promises to be the grandest celebration yet of their lifesaving work in greater Fort Worth. The Tarrant County Heart Ball will take place May 4 in a new location - River Crest Country Club — with more information to come.

Treanise Owens, Joel and Lisa Mohrman, Michael Tilley, Denise Castle, Georfe Terrazas, Boozaziel Chavez, and Tim Dohse at 2023 Tarrant Heart Ball. Photo by Stacey Brooks