Start off your year with a bang! From Candlelight concerts, hush hush speakeasies, and more: there’s plenty of ways to usher in the new year in style in Dallas!
1. Astra Lumina
If you didn’t get your fill of lights this past holiday season, Astra Lumina: An Enchanting Night Walk Amongst the stars continues its cosmic journey this January. Located at the Trinity Forest Adventure Park, Astra Lumina features 9 installations imbued with the astral energy of the stars, including a field of thousands of pixel lights: making for a breathtaking experience here in Dallas!
Ongoing until January 31
2. Letrik: A Festival of Lights
Also continuing into January is Letrik: A Festival of Lights. Comprised of over a million LED lights, including 40 meticulously crafted lantern installations, Letrik is another immersive wonderland experience in Dallas to enjoy this month. Plus, acrobatic performers, artisan vendors, and delicious food and beverage offerings!
All month long
3. Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue
It’s the final countdown for Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue in Dallas! Running until January 20, Minecraft Experience features a pixelated world where visitors embark on a journey, collecting resources, taking on mobs, and going off on a couple side quests here and there, to fulfill their mission.
Ongoing until January 20
4. Experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Start your year off with a little bit of magic courtesy of a visit to Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest experience in Austin. Embark on a captivating adventure along a mysterious forest path brimming with enchantment and awe, where delightful surprises await at every turn.
Prepare your wand for spellcasting, encounter Hippogriffs and Nifflers, and relish breathtaking moments inspired by the magical worlds of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. Following the exhilaration, a charming village awaits, inviting you with hearty meals and a crackling fire.
5-9. Enjoy a Concert by Candlelight
Experience the enchanting Candlelight concerts in Dallas, where the brilliance of hundreds of candles combines with breathtaking musical tributes to both contemporary and classical musicians. Your evenings in the city are set to be warmed by live musicians performing beautiful classical renditions of the world’s most recognizable and influential artists.
Immerse yourself in the intimate atmosphere as the music of Beyoncé, Pink Floyd, Hans Zimmer, Bad Bunny, and more comes to life, surrounded by the flickering glow of candles. Prepare to be dazzled by these captivating performances.
- Candlelight: The Best of Metallica and Schubert
- Candlelight: A Tribute to Coldplay on Strings
- Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings
- Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
10. Dine in the Dark
Ever wondered what it is like to eat in the dark? 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.
11. Anime VIP Market
Revel in all things anime at the Anime VIP Market this January on Main St. in Dallas. Running from noon to 5 pm on Sunday, January 19, the event will feature local vendors, live music, food vendors, special characters, and plenty of photo-ops.
January 19
12. Titanic: The Exhibition
While Titanic: The Exhibition, doesn’t float into Dallas until this February, you can secure your seats now! The blockbuster exhibition is set to feature a massive recreation of the ship’s interior as well as over 300 artifacts from the ship and its sister ships, and more. Get your tickets here!
13. Go for a Round at this Techy Mini-Golf Course
Settling into a two-story area spanning 28,000 square feet within Addison’s acclaimed Village on the Parkway, Puttshack Dallas provides visitors with four uniquely designed, technology-driven mini-golf courses. These courses feature the brand’s cutting-edge patented TrackaballTM technology, ensuring a highly competitive experience while automatically keeping score for players as they enjoy the game.
14. Take a spin in this bowling alley hidden inside an old movie theater
Recently opened, Bowlski’s Lakewood Theater is a live concert venue, candy counter, pool lounge, arcade, bar, and bowling alley. When it came to renovating the historical venue, Bowlski’s owners salvaged what they could of their predecessor.
15. Let the Good Times Roll at this Inventive Gaming Alley
Whether you’re young or an adult, games never get old. And while you can find a bowling alley in any given city in America, you’d be hard pressed to find pin toss anywhere else in the world (to our knowledge). Bowl Games in Dallas is a one-of-a-kind gaming bar that offers shuffleboard, foosball, and the aforementioned pin toss – a bowling and football hybrid that leaves no joy to spare.
16. Have Some Fun on the First Glow-in-the-Dark Park
Joya at Oran Good Park in Farmers Branch is an innovative playground that spans 18,000 square feet and is embellished with LED lights that brighten up the night, providing a unique experience not found anywhere else in the United States.
17. Enjoy the Adolphus Hotel’s rooftop winter village
January 5th is the last day to enjoy the magical makeover at Dallas’ iconic Adolphus Hotel. The luxury hotel’s pool deck has been transformed into a winter village complete with snow globes, themed cottages, cozy winter cabins, Croque Monsieur winter soldiers, and festive food and drink options.
18. Sip away in a snow globe on the Statler Rooftop
Another place you’ll find igloos and a revamped rooftop is over at the Statler Hotel.” Winterproof” at Waterproof is back at the hotel’s 19th-floor rooftop and snow globes are now available to rent on Waterproof’s website.
The annual experience runs through March offering a wintry oasis with decorations, frosty dining igloos, cheerful seasonal fare, and much more.
19. Sneak into a speakeasy
There’s something special about speakeasies. The secretive, vicarious forbidden feel of transporting back to the prohibition makes imbibing cocktails all the more tantalizing.
20. Cosm Dallas
Dallas is populated with an exciting variety of sports bars, but none like Cosm Dallas. The venue is an immersive entertainment experience that gives sports fans a close up look into the action with its 360-degree viewing apparatus. The two-story venue is also strapped with wall-to-wall LED displays as well as a bar, restaurant, and rooftop!
You can find a list of Dallas’ best bakeries here.