Dallas Pride is this weekend, and the city’s LGBTQ community has plenty to be proud of. A celebration is in order. Disregard every other unimaginatively named Pride Guide you’ve seen, because our Guide to Pride — much better — is as definitive as these things get.
Take a peek into the rest of the weekend below.
Friday (09/16)
A “barrage” of flamenco performances hits the Bishop Arts District, as dancers stroll through the neighborhood to kick off the Oak Cliff Flamenco Festival.
PARK(ing) Day, during which downtown parking spaces on Main Street between Harwood and Field get transformed into creative public spaces, each occupied by an organization and spruced up with its own character, is happening right now, assuming you are reading this on Friday. After 6 p.m., the event re-parks in Deep Ellum. Civic engagement and smart urban planning are a blast.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s season begins, as is tradition, with a swanky gala performance and after-party at the Meyerson. The maestro himself, Jaap Van Zweden, is on hand, as is the internationally acclaimed concert pianist Lang Lang. With the Fort Worth Symphony’s season on hold as musicians continue to strike, this is the biggest symphonic game in town for the moment.
Practice letting loose a “grito” and celebrate Mexican independence, and Hispanic Heritage Month, with Fiestas Patrias at the Latino Cultural Center.
Texas Ballet Theater has the honor of giving famed choreographer Carlos Acosta’s adaptation of Carmen its U.S. premiere at the Winspear. The program, which continues through the weekend and moves to Bass Performance Hall next month, also includes a performance of the elaborate A Grand Vitesse.
To satisfy even more of your ballet needs, TITAS brings the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet to City Performance Hall.
The grape-stomping Dionysian bacchanal known as the Grapefest wine festival is in Grapevine through the weekend.
Saturday (09/17)
Dinosaur Jr., the venerable rock band boasting one of music’s most ruthless shredders in guitarist J. Mascis, is going to blow some wigs off into the rafters at the Granada.
Downtown Plano is the site of the new Plano Artfest, featuring local art and the usual assortment of festival activities to contend that the suburban city has something that could rightly be called an “arts district.” We think it’s a convincing case.
The decade that refuses to die is, again, being celebrated with a festival preying on our susceptibility to manufactured nostalgia. Vanilla Ice, in a travesty, gets top billing over Tone Loc, Coolio, Young MC, and 2 Live Crew for the Yo! ’90s Hip Hop Party at the Bomb Factory.
Sunday (09/18)
The Dallas Pride parade makes its way down Cedar Springs in the early afternoon. The party continues with a festival at Reverchon Park, and the celebration can be found at events throughout town this weekend. The city’s LGBT community has plenty of things to be proud of.
The Dallas Contemporary opens its latest exhibitions, a photo-heavy trio including the great Laercio Redondo, Pedro Reyes, and Bruce Weber.
Sarah Jaffe and S1, united as The Dividends, are the latest act sure to pack the back patio at Twilite Lounge with a free show. (Similar past performances by the Old 97’s and Sam Outlaw have probably given the fire marshal heart palpitations.)
New movies: The new Blair Witch is up to old tricks, which is not a good thing. Oliver Stone has lost whatever edge he once had in Snowden, a good excuse to instead re-watch the documentary Citizenfour.
Old movies: The Majestic is showing The Maltese Falcon, the Humphrey Bogart noir and one of our all-time favorites, on Sunday at 5 p.m. It’s the first in a series of classic Warner Bros. movies being shown next at the Texas Theatre and Encore Park. Go here for more classic movie screenings in Dallas this month.
For more to do, go here.
