It’s May, folks. Spring is in full swing and summer waits just around the corner. With outdoor brunches, patios, rooftops, and more at your disposal, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the cool weather in Dallas before it gets really hot!
1. Visit The Other Art Fair this month and discover unique artwork to elevate your space
The Other Art Fair is coming to Dallas, taking over the Dallas Market Hall from May 15 – 18, 2025. Explore thousands of unique artworks from over 120 independent artists at this can’t-miss fair, with prices starting at just $100. Enjoy plenty of Instagrammable interactive installations, a Friday night performance, drinks at the Fair bar, a scavenger hunt fun for the whole family, and more.
This edition features “Everybody Draw Everybody,” a fast-paced 3-minute portrait session that’s equal parts fun and social, aura portraits by Mad Watson, who paints your energy in watercolor, and complimentary henna tattoos from Haus Of Henna on Thursday and Friday. Support independent art at a fair known for its emerging artists from around the world.
🎟️ Tickets start at $18 right now—grab yours before prices go up at the door! – Melissa Maynard
2. Send your senses soaring with a Dining in the Dark experience
Eminent psychologists have been advocating dining in the dark as the ultimate taste experience for many years. Studies show that 80 percent of people eat with their eyes; with that sense eliminated, the theory is that the other senses—namely taste and smell—take over to elevate your meal to a whole new level.
After donning your blindfold in the darkened, candlelit room, you’ll soon realize that focusing on taste and smell alone can be a truly enlightening experience—provided you’re not afraid of the dark!
Take your date night to the next level or enjoy a surreal experience with friends, tempting your senses with dark surroundings to focus on more important things like exquisite food and wine pairings.
Diners can choose vegan, seafood, or red meat options, enjoying a starter, main entree, and dessert.
Tickets and more information can be found here.
3-4. Marvel at the magic of a Candlelight Concert
With better weather comes new events and experiences that we’ve not been able to enjoy for several months. One of these is open-air concerts which offer an enchanting combination of flickering candles and melodic sounds.
Fever Originals’ wildly popular Candlelight series concerts are taking place in extraordinary indoor and outdoor venues all over the city this May so rain or shine there is always an option whatever the weather.
Can’t decide? Gift a loved one a Candlelight Concert with a Candlelight gift car.
Choose from concerts featuring jazz, rock, pop, classical music, and even movie soundtracks in spectacular venues around Dallas or any other city in the U.S. throughout the year.
See the full list of candlelight concerts taking place in Dallas here.
5-6. Attend a concert beneath the stars
Concerts Under the Stars is another terrific outdoor musical experience taking place on Wednesdays of this month.
Both Amy Winehouse: Jazz Under the Stars at Sky Blu Rooftop Bar on May 10 and Sinatra Under the Stars at Sky Blu Rooftop Bar on May 17 provide two enchanting events this month.
7. Catch a Concert
There’s a great lineup for this May in Dallas. If you want to catch a live concert in Dallas, here are the best artists performing in the city this month:
- Sam Morrow (May 1)
- Mayday Parade (May 1)
- Etta May (May 2)
- Mogwai (May 4)
- Jack White (May 6)
- Waxahatchee (May 7)
- Paul Simon (May 7-8)
- Post Malone (May 9)
8. Lone Star Smokeout
Get ready for a Texas-sized celebration as the inaugural Lone Star Smokeout rolls into Arlington from May 2–4, 2025, transforming the grounds outside AT&T Stadium into a haven for country music aficionados and barbecue enthusiasts alike.
Featured performers at the festival include: Cody Jinks, Jon Pardi, Midland, Eli Young Band, Randy Rogers Band, and more!
9. Enjoy 11th Century Entertainment at Medieval Times
Immortalized in the iconic ’90s comedy, Cable Guy, Medieval Times is an 11th century banquet and tournament for the whole family to enjoy. Housed inside a replica castle in Dallas, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament features live jousting, hand-to-hand combat, horsemanship, and more – all show for a four-course banquet meal fit for queens and kings!
Read more here10. Boot ‘Scoot down to the Largest Honky Tonk in the World
Known as the world’s largest honky tonk, Billy Bob’s is a 100,000-square-foot, country-themed entertainment center at the Fort Worth Stockyards. The venue regularly hosts top country stars as well as pool players, barbecue-eaters, and 6,000 dancers atop its Texas-sized dance floor.
Read the full article.11. Dallas Country Music Festival
Get ready to immerse yourself in the heart of Texas music at the Dallas Country, Blues & Red Dirt Music Festival on Saturday, May 3, 2025, from at The Sound at Cypress Waters in Coppell. In addition to an artisan market, gourmet food and drinks, the festival will feature performances by Lara Price, Hill Country Revival, Jake Bush, Joe Stamm Band, and The Damn Quails.
12. Cuddle up at East Dallas’ new cat café
If you like kicking back with some four-legged friends, you’ll be happy to hear that East Dallas now has an adorable new cat café.
As both a casual café and a place for potential parents looking to adopt, Whiskers and Soda is the perfect place for any feline fanatics wanting to kick back with a cup of coffee and mingle with some furry friends.
Operating in partnership with animal rescue and adoption agency A Voice for All Paws (AVAP), where Caroline is president, Whiskers and Soda ensures the cats are fully vetted and in the most relaxed environment to hang out with humans.
Read more about Whiskers and Soda here.
13. Let loose at Bolder Adventure Park
Time to come back to the real world, and wake that body up with a real taste of the action at the new Bolder Adventure Park.
A short drive down to Grand Prairie, thrill-seekers of all kinds can find an array of activities across a 66,000-square-foot air-supported dome.
Rain or shine, two via ferrata courses, rock climbing, zip lines, tubing slides, synthetic ice skating, bumper cars, paintballing, a six-story free fall experience, and much more promise an exhilarating day out for friends or family with different levels of adventure for all.
More information can be found here.
14. Check out the Activate Games experience in Plano
If physical challenges float your boat you might also be interested in Activate Games. The indoor, interactive gaming experience, has just opened a new location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area offering an exciting new futuristic form of entertainment and competition.
Fusing technology and physical activity, the Winnipeg-based company has a wide range of high-tech, real-life games. Hundreds of combinations of live-action challenges have been designed to test physical and mental agility pitting teams against each other in one to three-minute face-offs.
Those interested in a casual night out or a fierce competition against friends can now head down to Plano for a live-action gaming experience like no other.
15. Check out the world’s biggest esports arena
Swap that blindfold for a VR set and reignite your reactions with a trip down to the biggest virtual reality esports arena on the planet.
Located 30 minutes north of Dallas, the new Esports Virtual Arenas (EVA) outpost in Flower Mound is their first in the United States and offers a groundbreaking new form of esports that transports gamers into massive arenas to face off against other players in epic battles.
More information can be found here.
16. Kick back in an AMC movie theatre
All those running through flowers might make you just want to kick back for a couple of hours and why not do that in a state-of-the-art AMC movie theatre?
With awards season having just highlighted so many fantastic movies of all kinds from all around the world, picking something to see shouldn’t be a hard task. From the period vampire horror hit Sinners to the extra-terrestrial English adaptation of Watch the Skies, the latest movie features are all the buzz right now.
Whether it’s a rainy afternoon or a special date night, all the best critically-acclaimed creations, comedies, action flicks, and everything in between can be enjoyed at a discount in Dallas, and nationally, with an AMC black ticket.
Grab discounted tickets to a movie showing here.
17. Head out to Frisco to one of the biggest libraries in the state
Located inside a warehouse built in 1998 for rocket construction, the $62 million project offers a 157,000 square feet space that is now one of the biggest in the state.
With 40-foot floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the new library is swamped with natural light and boasts a terrace, a second-floor mezzanine, a community event room, quiet reading rooms, and plenty of other gathering spaces for different ages and purposes.
One of the library’s most exciting new features is its striking centerpiece “Rexy”, a full-size model of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton that greets kids in the children’s area.
18. Cozy up in the nooks of this bookish coffee shop
For all the people out there who have ever been shushed at a library – this place is for you. At the Funny Library Coffee Shop, guests are encouraged to crack up as much as they are to crack open one of its many books.
For all the people out there who have ever been shushed at a library – this place is for you. At the Funny Library Coffee Shop, guests are encouraged to crack up as much as they are to crack open one of its many books.
Shelved inside the ground floor at the Virgin Hotels Dallas lies the Funny Library. Part coffee shop, part library, part Kubrick set a la A Clockwork Orange, Funny Library offers Dallasites a hyper-stylized escape from the hustle and bustle.
19. Put your problem-solving skills to the test with an escape game
Located in Grapevine Mills Mall, The Escape Room Dallas offers a one-of-a-kind, premium adventure experience. Once you arrive, a dedicated game guide will take you on your adventure and help you as needed.
You will have exactly 60 minutes to escape. Follow the clues and solve puzzles with your team to complete your mission together. Choose to play one of four uniquely immersive games such as Gold Rush, Prison Break, The Heist, or Playground. You may or may not escape… but you’ll definitely have fun!
Get tickets to The Escape Game Dallas: Epic 60-Minute Adventures here!
20. Sneak into a stylish speakeasy
There’s something special about speakeasies. The secretive, vicarious forbidden feel of transporting back to the prohibition or entering an establishment only known to the few in-the-know fellow attendees makes imbibing cocktails all the more tantalizing.
Here are a few of our favorite speakeasies in and around Dallas:
- Rare Books Bar is a bookish speakeasy that requires a password via phone booth to enter. Read more about it here.
- Atwater Alley is a dimly lit and old timely yet enchanting den hidden near some dumpsters behind Henry’s Majestic. Read more about it here.
- Room 520 at the SOVA Hotel is an intimate speakeasy adorned with Japanese-inspired decor selling six unique Kyoto-styled cocktails from the confounds of one secretive hotel room. Read more about it here.
21. Sink your teeth into the best cuts of meat in the city
Dallas is well-known for its unbeatable selection of steakhouses. Whether you’re in the mood for a succulent melt-in-your-mouth filet or a juicy ribeye, the city’s iconic steakhouses won’t disappoint.
From classic ambiance to modern interiors, each steak restaurant brings its own unique flavor to the table. Expect high-quality cuts of meat served up with signature sides, and perfectly paired fine wine to create an unforgettable culinary experience.
We’ve rounded up our best steakhouses in Dallas which you can find here.
22. Work Up a Sweat at this Banda Cycling Class
Although there are undoubtedly numerous exceptional indoor cycling facilities and classes in the DFW area, none quite compare to the Banda classes offered at iiCE. Amidst its diverse range of classes that push genre boundaries, participants have the unique opportunity to engage in a full and intense cycling session accompanied by a live Banda ensemble performance.
At iiCE, cyclists have the chance to experience a live performance by the local Banda ensemble, Consetidos Del Llano, while simultaneously testing their limits of resistance, endurance, and speed. These classes integrate Sprint-Shift challenges, weighted arm movements, intervals, and demanding climbs throughout the 45-minute duration.
Read the full article here.[Featured image from Shutterstock]