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

Weekend Event Planner

Photo courtesy of Ray Wylie Hubbard

A first-time music festival will be the dominating force in and around Fort Worth this weekend, with artists, music industry insiders, and fans taking over the city's various venues. Other choices include a visit from a big rock band, a symphonic tribute to Motown, a local production of a Broadway musical, monster trucks, a dance performance, and more.

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.

Photo courtesy of Ray Wylie Hubbard

Ray Wylie Hubbard will be one of the performers during the Fort Worth Music Festival & Conference, going on through March 4.

Thursday, March 2

Fort Worth Music Festival & Conference at the Stockyards
The inaugural Fort Worth Music Festival & Conference at the Stockyards is a new music networking conference for aspiring agents, managers, promoters, and emerging local Texas-based artists. Taking place at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall and other venues through Saturday, the event includes panel discussions, keynote speakers, workshops, and live performances by a variety of local and regional artists. Performers include Radney Foster, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Josh Weathers, Prophets & Outlaws, Max Stalling, Stoney LaRue, and more. (See the full lineup here.)

Friday, March 3

Magnolia at the Modern: One Fine Morning
Sandra, a young mother who raises her daughter alone, pays regular visits to her sick father. While she and her family fight tooth and nail to get him the care he requires, Sandra reconnects with Clément, a friend she hasn't seen in a while. Although he is in a relationship, the two begin a passionate affair. The film, which is in French with English subtitles, will screen six times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Muse in concert
English rock band Muse are veterans of the music industry, having released their first album in 1999. They've been popular in their native country from the jump, but didn't cross over for real in the United States until 2006's Black Holes and Revelations. They still have yet to have a true blue hit on this side of the pond, but they clearly have their fair share of fans as their albums consistently sell well. They'll play at Dickies Arena.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown"
From 1961 to 1971, Motown Records had more than 100 hits in the top 10. That kind of success didn't come by accident - founder Berry Gordy Jr. had a true knack for identifying soul artists with a mainstream pop appeal who would flip the music world on its head. This concert, conducted by William Waldrop, will feature hits by Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Michael Jackson, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and more. There will be three performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Improv Arlington presents Guy Torry
Guy Torry is an actor and comedian who's had roles in movies like American History X, Pearl Harbor, and Runaway Jury. His television credits include The Tonight Show, Def Comedy Jam, Jimmy Kimmel, and Late Night with Craig Ferguson. His comedy has been described as dash of Chris Rock, shavings of Richard Pryor, a scoop of Lenny Bruce, and some spice of George Carlin. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Treaty Oak Revival in concert
Treaty Oak Revival is an up-and-coming country band out of West Texas, forming in Midland in 2019. After putting out a couple of singles in 2020, they put out their debut album, No Vacancy, in 2021. That release was well-received, and now they're making their first headlining appearance in Fort Worth as part of the Fort Worth Music Festival at Billy Bob's Texas.

Saturday, March 4

Casa Mañana presents Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Before she was hit-maker Carole King, she was Carole Klein, a spunky, young songwriter from Brooklyn with a unique voice. From the chart-topping hits she wrote for the biggest acts in music to her own life-changing, trailblazing success with Tapestry, Beautiful takes audiences back to where it all began – and takes them on the ride of a lifetime. The production, running through March 12 at Casa Mañana, features classics like “You’ve Got a Friend,” ”One Fine Day,” “Natural Woman,” and more.

Monster Jam
Monster Jam drivers are trained, world-class male and female athletes who have mastered not only the physical strength and mental stamina needed to compete, but the vital dexterity to control 12,000-pound machines capable of doing backflips, vertical two-wheel skills and racing at speeds up to 70 miles-per-hour to produce jaw-dropping, live motorsports action seen around the world. The event takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents Dancing Beyond Borders
DBDT: Encore! takes its talents to Fort Worth with Dancing Beyond Borders, pushing the lines of contemporary modern dance. Choreographer Jess Hendricks brings the dancers to the brink of physical exhaustion in the dance Shedding Skin. The work will singe the emotions of the audience as the dancers move through the strenuous and athletic work. The performance will be at W. E. Scott Theatre at Arts Fort Worth.

Mike Ryan in concert
Bringing a close to the Fort Worth Music Festival & Conference, singer Mike Ryan will make his return to Billy Bob's Texas after a seven-year absence. The San Antonio native, as evidenced by his performance at the festival, is a favorite all around Texas. And, for the first time in five years, he has new music to showcase, as he released his fourth album, Longcut, in 2022.

Sunday, March 5

Silversun Pickups in concert
It's no rest for the weary at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall, as it will host alt-rock band Silversun Pickups just a day after the Fort Worth Music Festival ends. The L.A.-based band has been a mainstay on the alternative charts since their debut in 2006, landing top 10 hits like "Lazy Eye," "Panic Switch," and "The Hit." They're on tour in support of their latest album, 2022's Physical Thrills.

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Property Showcase

'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

Quonset hut in south Fort Worth to be transformed into ballroom

Quonset Hut News

A Quonset hut in south Fort Worth is about to make a Cinderella-like transformation: Called the Quonset Ballroom, it's being developed into an entertainment space which will host live music, food trucks, and events.

The hut is located at 2608 W. Dickson St., and was previously home to a lawn care operator for 30 years.

Husband-and-wife Jason and Hedy Peña stumbled onto it while searching for a new location for Hedy’s insurance agency, Armor Texas Insurance Agency. They landed at 2612 Dickson St., a cool mid-century office building built in 1957, which was ideal for the agency, even despite its offbeat address in a heavily industrial area.

“It was a piece of property where we could locate the office and it also had this 4,000-square foot Quonset hut next door,” Hedy says. "We started thinking about creating a venue which could be rented for parties, weddings, and social events."

Quonset huts are sprinkled across the Dallas-Fort Worth landscape, most dating back to the 1940s, shortly after the structure was first invented at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island.

Fort Worth is also currently in thrall with Quonset huts, thanks to the hip PS1200 mixed-use development near the Medical District which opened in July.

This one was built in 1948, and will require an overhaul, including new flooring, AC, and framing, with a planned-for capacity of 250 people.

Even as they work on the revamp, the Peñas have hosted private parties as well as a campaign event for Jason Peña, who ran unsuccessfully for Fort Worth city council in May 2023.

“We’ve had some private events there, but it’s not ready for a full event," Hedy says.

They currently have no plans for a bar but they're building a kitchen space to serve as a platform for the food trucks, including hookups.

The tract also has what was once a 10-car garage, which the Peñas are developing as storefronts they hope to lease as office spaces.

The industrial nature of the neighborhood initally gave them pause, but Hedy says it's turned out to be a positive, and the property itself has mature, leafy trees.

"Everything around us is industrial and at first I was uneasy about opening the insurance agency there," she says. "But the neighborhood has not deterred customers. We've even grown. And without homeowners nearby, it's a good setup if we have live music."

She envisions a spot that will eventually have a community feel, where families can dine and sit outside or inside – there will be seating – and enjoy music and conversation.

“It will be open to rent to the public, for sure, and could turn into something where it has regular hours," she says. “It will be for everyone, the public, our friends, family, so that everyone can see what we have here.”

Gamestop stock saga gets fun, star-filled movie treatment with Dumb Money

Movie review

The stock market feels like one of those aspects of American life that only a select few truly understand. The rest of us acknowledge it as something that exists and affects our lives in some way, but how and why any particular stock is traded and becomes more (or less) valuable can be a complete mystery.

Dumb Money tackles one of the most interesting recent stories to come out of the stock market, the surprising inflation of Gamestop stock in late 2020/early 2021. The film bounces around to a variety of characters, but centers mostly on Keith Gill (Paul Dano), a YouTuber who went by the name of Roaring Kitty. Gill, an amateur stock trader, took an early position about liking the lightly-regarded Gamestop stock, regularly posting videos and on the Reddit thread WallStreetBets about how his significant investment in the stock was doing.

Concurrently, hedge fund managers like Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen) were actively trying to short, or bet against, the stock. That began a battle by Gill and other similarly-minded individual investors to fight back against what they saw as unfair trading practices by the big firms, resulting in Gamestop’s stock rising astronomically in a relatively short period of time.

Directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and written by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, the film is notable for what it is not, a deep dive into the inner workings of the stock market. Instead of getting into the nitty gritty details, the filmmakers treat it as the ultimate David vs. Goliath story, with Gill and other everyday people like a nurse, Jenny (America Ferrera), Gamestop worker Marcus (Anthony Ramos), and college student Harmony (Talia Ryder) going up against billionaires like Plotkin, Steve Cohen (Vincent D’Onofrio), Ken Griffin (Nick Offerman), and Vlad Tenev (Sebastian Stan).

Photo by Claire Folger/Sony Pictures

Paul Dano in Dumb Money.

It doesn’t hurt that Gill is an eccentric character who wears cat-emblazoned shirts and a headband, and that the Reddit community he inspires communicates primarily in memes, upping the entertainment factor of their side immensely. The story is also a suspense in a way; as the variety of individuals drive the stock ever higher, their net worth – on paper – also grows exponentially, and the longer each of them holds on without selling ups the potential that they could be burned.

Because the real-life event happened during the thick of the pandemic when it was still up in the air as to the full impact of COVID-19, the story takes on a little more significance. Characters mask up regularly, conversations take place on the phone or over Zoom, and a general feeling of unease permeates the film. That may or may not have influenced how certain people approached the situation, but in the context of the film, it definitely seems to play a part.

The back-and-forth between the haves and have-nots takes up so much time in the film that it barely has time for such well-known actors as Shailene Woodley, Dane Dehaan, Olivia Thirlby, and Pete Davidson, among others. Each of them plays a supporting character to one of the main people, and all of them deliver that little something extra in what could have been throwaway roles.

Dano is a chameleonic actor who’s gone between drama and comedy with ease throughout his career. This role is a mixture of both, and he has an effortlessness about him that makes everything he says instantly believable. Rogen is great casting as Plotkin, amiably playing the buffoon of the story. After her big role in Barbie, Ferrera once again shows that she deserves as many showcases as Hollywood can give her.

Storytellers can rarely go wrong in showing people with little power taking on those with great wealth, and the fact that the story shown in Dumb Money is (mostly) true makes it that much better. You may not understand the stock market any more than you already did at the end, but you’ll be so entertained that it won’t matter.

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Dumb Money is now playing in theaters.

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