If you’re planning on going to the fair this weekend, fear not. We have a new guide for you right here, and you can check out all our food recommendations over on SideDish. We have the fried goodies, and we have healthy eats. Seriously, the fat-free frozen Greek honey yogurt with baklava is fantastic. If you go to the fair with a case of the sniffles, which I definitely did not do, no one will ask you to share.
Friday
Dallas Video Fest officially begins next week, but we’ll get a little taste tonight with Expanded Cinema: MultipliCity. The digital facade of the Omni Hotel gets a one-night makeover with video art from local and national artists and a soundtrack on KXT. (This event was so popular last year that it just had to happen again. People pulled off on the side of the highway to watch.) You can tune in on your radio from anywhere you can see the hotel, or you can drop by the official watch party at Hickory House Barbecue in Oak Cliff. Arrive early for a good spot, because the videos, which “reflect on [the artists’] perceptions of the city, both in terms of its diversity and wholeness,” begin screening at 8 p.m. There’s also an after-party planned for 9:30 p.m. at the Texas Theatre.
Also tonight, the Nasher Sculpture Center’s music series, Soundings, offers a first look at Cuatro Corridos, a four-act chamber opera that debuted in San Diego in May inspired by the true and truly disgusting story of a human trafficking network from Tijuana to San Diego, where kidnapped Mexican women were forced to prostitute themselves near the strawberry farms. The opera has four composers, each one responsible for one woman’s tale. You can still get tickets online. If you’ve yet to experience a Soundings piece, this is an excellent opportunity. Our critics have consistently called it some of the best musical programming in town.
Saturday
Lots going on Saturday, including the big game between Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M at the Cotton Bowl. It’s a rivalry that dates back to the ’40s. I’d go just for battle of the marching bands at halftime. Kelly Rowland performs prior to the 4:30 p.m. kick off.
If you’re already feeling nostalgic for Paste Untapped (or you missed out on the fun at Gilley’s last month entirely), Canned is happening Saturday afternoon in downtown Denton. The music and canned beer fest (no kegs, just cans) is put on by all the same folks who brought you the original Untapped Festival a couple years ago, such as Spune Productions and Uptown’s The Common Table. There will be more 50 different cans from some 25 breweries, plus seven bands—Menomena, Helio Sequence, Joe Pug, Chambers, Pageantry, Hares on the Mountain, and A.M. Ramblers. The beer ticket package includes admission to the concert, a tasting cup, and a card good for 12 pours. I’d probably punch someone for an entire can of Heady Topper from Vermont, but alas, it’s not on the brew menu. Y’all are safe.
In the Arts District, there are couple of fun things. First, the Crow Collection celebrates the opening its new sculpture garden by closing down Flora Street for a family-friendly block party. In attention to visiting the garden, you can partake in art activities, food trucks, and guided tours. There will also be music and traditional dance performances. Just down the road at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, there’s a marketplace from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. as part of DanceAfrica. During the day you’ll find art, crafts, and entertainment. In the evening, don’t miss the collaborative dance performance from the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, DanceAfrica artistic director Chuck Davis, Bandan Koro Drum and Dance Ensemble, and the Booker T. Washington HSPVA World Dance Ensemble in celebration of African history and culture.
Sunday
The Cottonwood Art Festival continues on Sunday in Richardson, offering the chance to be proactive about your Christmas shopping this year along with all sorts of all-ages fun. There’s a whole area devoted to kids that includes a pottery wheel, so prepare to get your hands dirty.
There are also a few tickets left for the matinee performance of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s An Evening of Gershwin program, despite the fact that when you scroll over the seating areas on the DSO’s website, it all says “unavailable.” Not so. You can snag seats on the Grand Tier. This concert is essentially the same as the Bass Hall show last month, right down to conductor Jeff Tyzik. If you missed that one, this is a good second chance to hear the melodies that set the American standard for jazz and bridged a gap between pop and classical music during an era that was feeling its societal and political constraints. The afternoon includes “An American in Paris” and of course, “Rhapsody in Blue.”
For more to do with your weekend, go here.
