On Saturday we celebrate mankind's most spectacular failures of flight at Red Bull Flugtag. If Lake Carolyn feels too far, stick yourself in Dallas proper for BurgerFest; join an art walk and bike swarm; or pop up to Addison for Oktoberfest. There's more, a lot more. So eat a dinner, then jump in.
Click the event titles for more information and share this guide with your party crew. I'll see you out there. (I'll be the one wearing the "I got splashed by Flugtag" shirt.)
Thursday 9.19 North Texas Giving Day's 8,201 Events -- If you haven't heard by now, today is North Texas Giving Day, meaning when you donate $25 or more to a participating non-profit your gift is amplified through a communal booster funding pool. There's a lot going on, so check out the site for more details.
Addison Oktoberfest Kicks Off -- Beers large enough to make you feel like a Lilliputian! Pretzel necklaces to satisfy your stationary forging needs! Wiener dog races! It's a big, drunken weekend so draw designated driving straws and go explore the bottoms of pint glasses. Prost!
Phoenix, The Re-Opening Show of Kettle Art Gallery -- The Phoenix is a multi-use symbol: rooted deep in mythology, cultural and religious history. Hell, it was even an emblem of choice for muscle cars. Tonight you'll celebrate Kettle's rise from the ashes of Deep Ellum gentrification as the artist-run space reopens at 2650-B Main Street. The group show runs from 7 to 10 p.m. so go support. Expanded Cinema Pre-Party at Craft and Growler -- We fell in love with this project last year when artists commandeered the OMNI's programming for a night of locally-produced video art. They're doing it again on October 4, so add the date to your Google Cal. Tonight is the hype-up party, happening at Craft and Growler where you'll get drink specials, a look at last year's highlights and a DJ. There's no cover and you can turbo-boost a donation to Dallas VideoFest through North Texas Giving Day while you're there. Trak Meet at CentralTrak -- The best way to learn about your favorite UTD art residency space is by getting sloshed on gin. You can do that tonight at Trak Meet, an event sponsored by your liver's pen pal, Bombay Sapphire. It's free to get in and there's live music by Ashton Hart and those Track Meet DJs, food by Mesero Miguel and a look at the newest undertaking by HOMECOMING! Committee. Plus, gin will be there.
Friday 9.20 International (PARK)ing Day -- We're a concrete city. A car town. Here, "road rage" is an acceptable sick day excuse. Well on Friday downtown's parking spots get an overhaul for (PARK)ing Day where businesses, non-profits, musicians and others fill up the turf with their own decor. It runs from 11a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cirque du Burlesque at Lakewood Theater -- Those Viva Dallas! vixens are back and they're putting on a show worthy of a big top. Watch in awe as aerial dancers and side show acts give the sexier side of the three-ring romp.
'Til Midnight at the Nasher and Late Night at the DMA -- Our museums offer free admission, loads of programming, live music, films and interactive events that stretch well beyond evening this Friday. Pop by and see the newest and latest at each.
Plano Balloon Festival -- This weekend-long festival is the yin to Flugtag's yang. Here peaceful hot air balloons float through the sky, gently telling gravity to shove it. (Here's our favorite photos from last year.)
Salute to Supernatural -- Man, you guys LOVE Supernatural, huh? This fandom weekend event is sold-out aside from lone Friday-only tickets. If you need to get in before its 9th season (yes, you read that right: 9th season) kicks off, hit up the usual resale spots. Benjamin Terry presents lo-fi at Re-Gallery -- Benjamin Terry is one of those "Gosh, this kid is everywhere" artists. He's filled the walls of 500X, Cohn Drennan, RO2 and more in the last couple years and on Friday he'll tackle local house-space, RE Gallery with lo-fi.
Saturday 9.21 Red Bull Flugtag -- I'll be not-tanning myself on Observer Beach, happily watching as thousands of hours of labor come crashing gloriously apart. You'll be there somewhere. Let's have a drink in the name of destruction.
DADA and Deep Ellum Fall Gallery Walk and Bike Swarm -- Nearly 50 galleries will participate in this day-long endurance art movement. You can go solo at your own pace, or you can mob up with the bike swarm, which has several hop-on and hop-off spots.
Panel Discussions About Race -- Hey, you know a great way to have nobody show up to a city panel discussion about race? Hold it at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning in the Arts District. I can't even get my friends to brunch before 11:30 on Saturday, and brunch has champagne.
BurgerFest -- Your two favorite words got together and organized a party in Deep Ellum. That means you can force-feed yourself meat-carbs while enjoying the neighborhood's gallery walk. Still on the fence? Fine: there's a beer garden.
Friskt Kopplat, Hälften Brunne at CentralTrak -- We've talked a bit about this show on our arts blog already and on Saturday you can visit it more formally in this reception at CentralTrak. The folks of HOMECOMING! Committee are examining energy consumption and ideas of consumerism by collecting janky-ass IKEA cast-offs. They're building shipping containers to send the discards back to Sweden to feed its peculiar trash-to-fuel program. Better grab your Allen wrench.
Group Show at New Temporary Art space, Green Bandana Project -- Just next to the Dallas Contemporary, already-too-busy writer/promoter/art foster-er Darryl Ratcliff opens a new, 18,000 square foot space on Saturday night. Yes, that's big. Steph Hargrove, Fred Villanueva and Jordan Scott Castilleja christen the place. The opening runs from 8 to midnight.
Sunday 9.22 Learn Curling -- Curling is a strange sport, especially here where we fear precipitation of any form. Oddly enough, we have a strong DFW curling community and they'd like you to come out and flex your Olympic ambitions on Sunday.
Peter and the Starcatcher -- I know ladies, I know: The last thing we need is another example of male-specific arrested development. That said, this new prequel of the Peter Pan saga takes you back before the croc, green hat and hornball fairy sidekick. Catch it at the Winspear.