A Complete Guide to the Deep Ellum Block Party

On Saturday, Nov. 23, the Deep Ellum Block Party will take over Dallas’ historic neighborhood for an all-day music spectacular. Beginning at 3 p.m., a free outdoor main stage on Elm Street will feature Branoofunck, We Them Grays performing a Disney set, Raekwon from Wu Tang Clan and a headlining set from the Polyphonic Spree. A myriad of festivities will precede it, including a sip-and-shop wine walk, a dunk tank and the Deep Ellum Spelling Bee.

After the Polyphonic Spree concludes, a sprawling party across 11 Deep Ellum nighttime venues begins. The purchase of a $5 wristband will get you into any of the clubs all night long, each with its own unique lineup.

We’re getting in on the fun too. The Dallas Observer showcase will kick off at 6 p.m. at Ruins. Here’s who’s on our bill.

6-6:30 p.m: Molly Chapin
6:45-7:15 p.m: Rebelle Flor
7:30-8 p.m.: TYRA + TIARA
8:15-8:45 p.m.: Flozilla
9-9:45 p.m.: Helium Queens

We hope to see you there! Here’s what the other venues have to offer. All set times are approximate.

Club Dada

2720 Elm St.

Inside Stage
6 p.m.: Bobby Sessions
9 p.m.: Rakim al-Jabbaar
10 p.m.: Bodega Brovas
11 p.m.: Scuttino
Midnight: Meka Jackson

Outside Stage
7 p.m.: Cure for Paranoia + We Them Grays
8 p.m.: Big Tuck
9 p.m.: Yung Nation
10 p.m.: Tommy Raps
11 p.m.: Dana Harper
11 p.m.: RC Williams

(All set times are approximate.)

Trees

2709 Elm St.

7 p.m.: Paco Estrada
8 p.m.: [daryl]
8 p.m.: Primo Danger
9 p.m.: FIT
10 p.m.: Van Damme
11 p.m.: Rosegarden Funeral Party
Midnight: Ishi

(All set times are approximate.)

Three Links

2704 Elm St.

Noon: Deep Ellum Spelling Bee
2 p.m.: RTB2
7 p.m.: Curl
8 p.m.: Chilldren of Indigo
9 p.m.: Phantomelo
10 p.m.: King Clam
10:30 p.m.: J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed
11 p.m.: Cayuga All-Stars

(All set times are approximate.)

Renos

210 N. Crowdus St.

7 p.m.: Infesta Silvae
8 p.m.: Ultimatum
9 p.m.: Skull Archer
10 p.m.: Interment

(All set times are approximate.)

CheapSteaks

2613 Elm St.

7 p.m.: Diego Bravo
8 p.m.: Ceci Ceci
9 p.m.: Cayuga All-Stars
10 p.m.: Los Gran Reyes

(All set times are approximate.)

Elm St. Saloon

2708 Elm St.

7 p.m.: Buffalo Black
7:20 p.m.: Tommy Raps
7:40 p.m.: David Morgan
8 p.m.: Lord Byron
8:20 p.m.: Hyndrix
8:40 p.m.: Jahn Dough
9 p.m.: Criiipa Cognito
9:20 p.m.: P$O Kwama
9:40 p.m.: Brionne
10 p.m.: Hevy Ben$
10:20 p.m.: Cam McCloud
10:40 p.m.: Blake Cris
11 p.m.: Alexis Ray Parker
11:20 p.m.: Nojo Wallace
11:40 p.m.: Billy White

(All set times are approximate.)

Twilite Lounge

2640 Elm St.

9 p.m.: Tricky Weather
10 p.m.: Jake Quillin
11 p.m.: Stan Fran Cisco
Midnight: Celestial Clockwork

(All set times are approximate.)

Armoury D.E.
2714 Elm St.

7 p.m.: DJ Bisha & Reddy
8 p.m.: Chief
8:15 p.m.: Promise Noelle
8:30 p.m.: Bisha Music Set
8:45 p.m.: Nise Garrett
9 p.m.: Luke Herbert
9:10 p.m.: Carissa Cruz
9:20 p.m.: Jones Monroe
9:30 p.m.: Spaceboi
9:40 p.m.: Devy Stonez
10 p.m.: A Dangerous Affair
11 p.m.: Set the Tone Ska
Midnight: The Infamists

(All set times are approximate.)

TX Tea Room

2815 Main St.

7 p.m.: Jack!
8 p.m.: Lyric Noel
9 p.m.: JNNY
9:30 p.m.: Zetabyte
10 p.m.: Shaolin G
11 p.m.: Last Night of Solace
Midnight: There I Ruined It

(All set times are approximate.)

The Kimpton Pittman Hotel

2551 Elm St.

6 p.m.: Linny Nance
7 p.m.: Peter Rioux Trio

(All set times are approximate.)

With all 11 showcases happening simultaneously, the prospect of going out Saturday night can seem daunting. Of course, there’s no wrong way to enjoy the night. You could spend the block party wandering the streets of Deep Ellum waiting to hear a band that pulls you in. You could also pick your favorite showcase and camp out there for the night.

But if you’d like to see as much as you can, perhaps with a little guidance, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few curated paths to follow depending on what kind of night you want to have.

I Want to Dance, but Nothing Too Crazy

7 p.m.: Rebelle Flor at Ruins
8 p.m.: Hyndrix at Elm St. Saloon
9 p.m.: Phantomelo at Three Links
10 p.m.: Jake Quillan at Twilite Lounge
11 p.m.: Stan Fran Cisco at Twilite Lounge

(All set times are approximate.)

If a night of gentle grooves is what you want, we’ll see you at Ruins when R&B songwriter Rebelle Flor takes the stage at 7. Head on over for a short but smooth hip-hop set by Hyndrix at Elm St. Saloon, then catch Phantomelo at Three Links right after. The slick indie pop/rap beats of Jake Quillan and Stan Fran Cisco should serve as the perfect nightcap to an evening spent dancing.

The Early Bird

6 p.m.: Linny Nance at The Pittman
7 p.m.: Paco Estrada at Trees

(All set times are approximate.)

Look, sometimes you just don’t wanna be out all night. That doesn’t mean you should have to stay home and miss out on all the fun. If you want to catch some music and then some Zs before an unholy hour, we’ll see you at funk crooner Linny Nance’s set at The Pittman. If you’re up for it, stroll over to Trees’ opening act, pop/soul singer Paco Estrada. You’ll get to say you were there, hear some fun tunes and beat the traffic. Sounds like a fun night.

Let’s Get Rowdy

8 p.m.: [daryl] at Trees
9 p.m.: Skull Archer at Reno’s
10 p.m.: Van Damme at Trees
11 p.m: Last Night of Solace at TX Tea Room
Midnight: Meka Jackson at Club Dada (inside stage)

(All set times are approximate.)

Sometimes being out all night is the point. Sometimes you want to hear a guitar riff that’ll make you jump, or growling vocals that make you want to scream along. Sometimes a band is as good as they are loud, and if you spend the Deep Ellum Block Party this way, you’ll be saying “very” to both.

Starting with the ’80s-rock adjacent [daryl], each band on this path will get progressively heavier until the bloodshot Last Night of Solace takes the stage at 11 p.m. If you’re still standing, Meka Jackson’s aggressive brand of hip-hop hits the indoor stage at Club Dada around midnight.

(All set times are approximate.)

Let’s Get Weird

8 p.m.: Big Tuck at Club Dada (outside stage)
9 p.m.: Helium Queens at Ruins
10 p.m.: Interment at Reno’s
11 p.m.: RC Williams at Club Dada (outside stage)

(All set times are approximate.)

If none of these options apply to you, perhaps a path to total chaos will. Start your night at Club Dada with Big Tuck. Yes, Big Tuck as in “Southside Da Realist.” Go from there to the colorful sonic explosion of Helium Queens, with Poppy Xander, Chelsey Danielle and Leon Carlo filling in on violin. What better way to follow that up than with Interment’s death metal set at Reno’s? Return to Club Dada’s outdoor stage to finish off the night with an unpredicatble soul set from RC Williams.

(All set times are approximate.)

The Deep Ellum Sampler

7 p.m.: Curl at Three Links
8 p.m.: Chilldren of Indigo at Three Links
9 p.m.: Cayuga All Stars at Cheapstakes
10 p.m. Cameron McCloud at Elm St Saloon
11 p.m.: Rosegarden Funeral Party at Trees
Midnight: Ishi at Trees

(All set times are approximate.)

It’ll be a long night, but you’ll leave with a real taste of some of Dallas’ not-so-secret gems. Curl is a pop-rock hybrid in the vein of Slowthai or Bakar. Chilldren of Indigo offer one of the best hip-hop live band acts since The Roots. The Cayuga All Stars, a smooth mix of traditional and contemporary Latin music, are playing a second set at 11 p.m. at Three Links. Recently featured on the Dallas Famous podcast, Cameron McCloud has a certain brand of hip-hop star-making potential that you’ll have to hear to believe. Goth rock band Rosegarden Funeral Party has been a pillar of the Dallas music scene for nearly a decade now and is in a mild sonic rebrand after March’s From The Ashes. And nobody does pop music in Dallas like Ishi.

If you’re game for a six-hour local music bender, you’ll leave with six great shows and a feeling that you’re a little more hip than you were before.