There are those Friday nights when you spend hours scouring Facebook, trying to cobble together some sort of social experience that won’t end with you slumped in a dirty vinyl booth, listening to bad karaoke and really wishing you hadn’t imbibed that last shot of tequila. And then there are those when your homework has been done for you; when an evening is so perfectly put together by someone else that all you have to do is show up, look around and enjoy it. That’s the beauty of “Late Nights in the Arts District,” packed to the gills with so many options for Friday night fun that your head will be spinning even without tequila. You can start at the Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St., with a 7 p.m. concert from Mon Julien (whose “Punchline” will stick in your head for weeks). Stick around after that for a viewing of Oscar darling The Artist at 9 p.m. If you’re too restless for a picnic blanket and a show, head to The Crow Collection of Asian Art at 7 p.m. for a lecture on Puccini’s famous Turandot by Dr. Stephen Dubberly, which includes performances from the opera and will end with a tour. And if that’s not enough to set your events calendar on fi-ah, the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood St., has a virtual cornucopia of music, lectures, storytimes and more from 6 p.m. until midnight. The Nasher and Crow events are free; Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art will cost you $10 or less in admission. Visit dallasartsdistrict.org.
Fri., July 20, 6 p.m., 2012