It’s the weekend, folks! Whether you’re mapping out your brunch plans, gearing up for a concert, comedy show, art event, or night out on the town, take a look below at the most exciting things to do in Dallas this weekend.
Experience Hunt Slonem’s colorful, monumental sculptures among the blooms at the Dallas Arboretum this spring and summer. If you’re looking ahead for a standout garden outing, the Dallas Arboretum debuts Hunt Slonem’s large-scale exhibition Bunnies, Birds & Butterflies from April 20 to September 30, 2026, featuring 28 monumental animal and insect installations and roughly 100 pieces across the garden. Tickets start at $21.95 for adults and $19.95 for children (ages 3–12).
Three days of country music and legendary Texas barbecue at AT&T Stadium — April 24–26, 2026. If you’re up for a food-and-music-packed festival, the Second Annual Lone Star Smokeout takes over AT&T Stadium in Arlington from April 24–26, 2026, combining three days of country music with Texas and national barbecue teams, live-fire cooking demos, activations, and vendors.
56th Annual USA Film Festival
The 56th Annual USA Film Festival is set to take over the Angelika Film Center in Dallas this week. The year’s lineup will feature high-profile guest appearances, including a centerpiece screening of the thriller Deep Water featuring director Renny Harlin and music legend Gene Simmons.
Other major highlights of this year’s festival include a special career salute to Academy Award nominee Lesley Ann Warren, a spotlight screening of the legal comedy Out of Order with star Brandon Routh, and a 75th-anniversary presentation of Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train hosted by film historian Stephen Rebello.
Step inside prehistory and come face-to-face with realistic dinosaurs at Sandbox VR.
Sandbox VR brings Age of Dinosaurs to its Dallas Mockingbird Station, a family-friendly VR experience developed with the Natural History Museum, London and paleontologist Dr. Darren Naish. Guests can walk among lifelike dinosaurs with full-body tracking and haptic vests for a hyper-real, science-grounded adventure.
Drive over 40 miles of mapped routes through millions of bluebonnets.
The Ennis Bluebonnet Trails run April 1–30, 2026, featuring over 40 miles of mapped driving routes through rolling hills, grazing longhorns, and millions of bluebonnets; routes are scouted weekly by the Ennis Garden Club and visiting is free.
ECHO returns to Dallas with jaw-dropping acrobatics, immersive projections, and an original score.
Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO opens in Dallas April 9 and runs through May 9, 2026, presenting a 100-minute immersive show of acrobatics, projections, original music and cutting-edge stage design. Tickets start at $59 with VIP and meet-and-greet options available.
Step into a full-scale immersive 16th-century English village for eight weekends of performances, marketplace wares, rides, and living history.
The Scarborough Renaissance Festival returns to Waxahachie for its 45th anniversary, running weekends from April 4 through May 24, 2026, with a special closing celebration on Memorial Day, May 25. The immersive English-village event features over 20 stages, 200+ shoppes, themed weekends, hands-on attractions, rides, animal experiences, and period entertainment.
Nowhere else serves barbecue with an Ethiopian twist quite like Smoke N’Ash. If you’re willing to hop over to Arlington for a standout weekend meal, Smoke N’Ash is a Tex‑Ethiopian barbecue restaurant in South Arlington founded by Patrick and Fasicka Hicks, blending Texas smoked meats with Ethiopian flavors like Berbere and Awaze. Signature dishes include Berbere-rubbed brisket, Awaze-glazed ribs, Brisket Tibs, Berbere Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Loaded Injera Nachos, and several vegan tibs and stews.
The super-hyped, celeb-backed bagel shop is set to open its first Texas location in Dallas this Friday! To celebrate, PopUp Bagels is hosting a special grand opening celebration with a live DJ, giveaways, and more.
Step back in time at Barber’s Book Store — a three-story Fort Worth treasure with some 60,000 books. For a classic weekend day trip from Dallas, head to Barber’s Book Store, founded in 1925 and widely regarded as the oldest bookstore in Texas. Located at 901 Throckmorton in Fort Worth, the family-owned shop houses roughly 60,000 books across three stories, with rotating rare editions and daily opening hours.
