Lizzo | Oct. 5, 8 p.m. | South Side Ballroom
Houston’s finest flautist and body-positive breakout pop star is thriving. Lizzo released her third studio album, Cuz I Love You, to critical and popular acclaim this spring, climbing the charts with unapologetic self-love anthems built on a foundation of gospel, like “Truth Hurts” and “Juice.” With a personality as infectious as her music, the 31-year-old has become a fast icon, a status solidified by her recent performance alongside Cardi B and J. Lo in the stripper crime comedy Hustlers. Her powerful stage presence should be a highlight of this month’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, but you’re better off catching her when she comes to Dallas between festival sets. She’ll be at South Side Ballroom with up-and-coming R&B starlet Ari Lennox (listen to “BMO” to get acquainted) and DJ Sophia Eris.
Zac Brown Band | Oct. 26, 7 p.m. | Dos Equis Pavilion
Zac Brown Band hasn’t stayed relevant by playing it safe, collaborating with everyone from Jimmy Buffet to the late Swedish DJ Avicii. The Atlanta-based country group takes risks that don’t always pay off, but its sixth album, The Owl, pushes in the right direction with poppy songs like “Need This.”
Renoir: The Body, the Senses | Oct. 27–Jan. 26 | Kimbell Art Museum
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s dreamy brand of impressionism lent itself particularly well to depicting the human form. And yet, this show is the first major exhibition to highlight Renoir’s figure paintings as they evolved throughout the course of his career.
Marco Antonio Solís | Oct. 13, 8 p.m. | American Airlines Center
Mexican music icon Marco Antonio Solís started his career at age 6, and in the half-century since he has racked up five Latin Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The El Más Querido Tour— which translates to “the most loved”—recaps his rich repertoire.
Billie Eilish | Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m. | American Airlines Center
Eilish is the first 2000s baby to have a No. 1 album in the United States, and her “Bad Guy” managed to knock Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” off the top of the singles chart, but she’s not your typical teen pop star. The moody singer is forging her own path in the industry, and fans love her all the more for it.
Park & Palate | Oct. 26, 12:30 p.m. | Klyde Warren Park
This food and wine festival has become a hot ticket for Dallasites looking to taste a little bit of everything that the city has to offer, which includes 40 great chefs and restaurants, plus libations from more than 30 brands and live entertainment.
Denise Lee | Oct. 17, 8 p.m. | Sammons Center for the Arts
Dallas’ own Denise Lee has been a force in cabaret—real cabaret, that is—for more than two decades, and she’s not slowing down anytime soon. See the founder of the Dallas Cabaret Festival put on her fabulous one-woman show.
BodyTraffic | Oct. 25 & 26 | Moody Performance Hall
TITAS brings one of the buzziest dance companies of the last decade back to town for two nights of unforgettable performances. With industry-leading choreographers like Hofesh Shechter and Ohad Naharin, the Los Angeles-based BodyTraffic continues to push the envelope of contemporary dance.
Piff the Magic Dragon | Oct. 26, 2 & 7 p.m. | Wyly Theatre
British comedian and magician Piff the Magic Dragon showed his wit on America’s Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, but you’ll want to see this show for Mr. Piffles, his trusty sidekick and The World’s Only Magic Performing Chihuahua.
Wu-Tang Clan | Oct. 4, 8 p.m. | The Bomb Factory
The rap crew is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its genre-defining debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), still widely acknowledged as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. Wu-Tang again? Ah, yeah, again and again.
Party on the Green | Oct. 4, 6:30 p.m. | Sammons Park at AT&T Performing Arts Center
TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) brings together some of Dallas’ most talented culinary creatives for a fun evening in support of the North Texas cultural community. Taste dishes from top restaurants, sip wine, and see TACA grant recipients perform at this elegant annual party.
The Magic Flute | Oct. 18–Nov. 3 | Winspear Opera House
The Dallas Opera takes you on a mystical journey through the enchanted forest and into a battle of good and evil as the Queen of Night saves Prince Tamino and sends him on a dangerous rescue mission for her daughter. Sung in German with English supertitles.
Texas Latino Pride | Oct. 5, 2 p.m. | Longhorn Ballroom
The largest Latinx pride music festival in the state takes over the recently refurbished Longhorn Ballroom with drag queens, dance teams, Tejano music, food trucks, and a mechanical bull. This year features April Carrión from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Selena tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda, and Sleyla Edwards.
Eric Andre | Oct. 10, 9 p.m. | Majestic Theatre
Recently heard in the live-action remake of The Lion King, the actor, comedian, writer, and creator of The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim brings his surreal sense of humor to Dallas for the Legalize Everything Tour.
Tyler, the Creator | Oct. 23, 7 p.m. | The Theatre at Grand Prairie
There are few modern musicians who can maintain a reverent fandom while being absolutely weird. Tyler, the Creator is as offbeat as ever, but his fifth studio album, May’s Igor, gave him his first No. 1 record. He’s joined on tour by funky R&B singer Dev Hynes, better known as Blood Orange.
Chicago the Musical—In Concert | Oct. 4–6 | Meyerson Symphony Center
The “Cell Block Tango” and other hits get a dramatic revamp in the world premiere of the symphonic production of Chicago. Rob Fisher conducts a crew of show-stopping Broadway vocalists and musicians in this rousing theatrical event.
DanceAfrica | Oct. 4 & 5 | Moody Performance Hall
The Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s season continues with a fierce performance by guest artist Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago. The show presents a groundbreaking fusion of ancient and contemporary African dance against a backdrop of irresistible drum rhythms.
Turtle Creek Fine Arts Festival | Oct. 5 & 6 | Reverchon Park
The 43-acre park in the Oak Lawn area hosts a fine arts event each fall, a tradition that transforms it into a charming artisanal marketplace with 125 painters, photographers, sculptors, leather- and metalworkers, glass blowers, and jewelers.
Maggie Rogers | Oct. 18, 8 p.m. | The Bomb Factory
Discovered by Pharrell Williams, singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers earned critical praise earlier this year when she released her debut album, Heard It in a Past Life. It also quickly became a commercial hit, sky-rocketing to No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. British-Nigerian singer Jacob Banks opens for Rogers.
First Sight First Night | Oct. 17 & 18 | Winspear Opera House
The Dallas Opera kicks off its 10th anniversary season with a weekend of glamorous engagements, beginning with the First Sight Fashion Show and Luncheon, featuring iconic label Dolce & Gabbana on Thursday, and continuing with a red-carpet opening night of The Magic Flute on Friday.
