Best Things To Do in Dallas This Weekend

Friday

One of Dallas’ premier craft beer events, Big Texas Beer Fest, is back for its seventh go-round and its third iteration as a two-day event. If you’re a local beer geek, you’ve probably been to a few, run through a 12-sample card or two, fueled up on food-truck grub and heard that rolling roar of disapproval every time someone drops a sampling cup. Every. Time. This year’s particulars: A hundred breweries offer about 500 beers, including Bedford’s Turning Point Beer, which is gaining a reputation for its hazy IPAs and just got label approval for its white IPA, Snowblower. David Matsler Band, Chucho and Atlantis Aquarius play Friday, and Marc Rebillet, Cody Jasper and the Roomsounds take the stage Saturday. Admission $35 from 7-11 p.m. Friday and $39 from 2-6:30 p.m. Saturday. VIP privileges, available Friday for $60 and Saturday for $69 (nice, but sold out), include entry an hour early, meaning first tastes of the whales, plus in-and-outs, a dedicated entrance and other benefits. Bottoms up at the Fair Park Automobile Building, 1010 First Ave. Full beer list, schedule and tickets are at bigtexasbeerfest.com. Jesse Hughey

Whatever you think of Dallas is probably not near the same as what the rest of the world thinks of Dallas. Thanks to a little TV show that debuted 40 years ago, America has linked horses, cattle and old money to our little city. And there’s not much we can do about it but celebrate. Yes, just hang your hat and choose to go with it. The Dallas TV series is celebrating its 40th anniversary Friday and Saturday with some of its original cast members, including Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray. Friday’s Southfork Fan Day is when you’ll get to tour the Ewing Mansion, 3700 Hogge Drive in Parker, and relive exciting memories from the show in an exhibit. At Saturday’s Dallas Fan Party, you will enjoy live entertainment at the Longhorn Ballroom, 216 Corinth St., where many of the show’s bar scenes were filmed. The original cast will be on hand through all of it. Tickets are $125 at prekindle.com. Paige Skinner

Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project has consistently challenged itself to push the boundaries for new artists and new spaces for dance. Millepied being a dancer and choreographer isn’t so unusual for a director of a company, but his being so current in his career feels like a win for LADP. There are no tired techniques or expected seasons. They’re constantly edgy and vibrant, from modern movement right into the costuming. TITAS welcomes LADP for its Dallas debut at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St. Tickets are $25-$75 at tickets.attpac.org. Oh, and dancers looking for inspiration from the company can get it via a free master class from LADP company member Rachelle Rafailedes at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts, 2501 Flora St. Walk-ins are welcome. Visit attpac.org. Merritt Martin

Saturday

Get a jumpstart on all those activities and events that make summer tolerable with a good, ol’ fashioned crawfish boil. Even better, you can join one for a great cause. The Lil’ Warriors Crawfish Boil lays out a ton of tasty mud-bugs and shrimps with all the fixings just so you can enjoy them in unlimited quantities until you explode. All it costs is $40 at the door or $30 if you get your tickets ahead of time. Proceeds go to the Lil’ Warriors project, a local nonprofit that provides financial assistance to families struggling to pay their children’s medical bills. The event runs from 1-5 p.m. Saturday at The Barley House, 5612 SMU Blvd. Register online at lilwarriorscharity.org. Danny Gallagher

Black Flag Theatre Company opens its inaugural season with the regional premiere of Uncanny Valley by Thomas Gibbons, with Sue Birch (artistic director of Theatre Britain) starring as a retiring neuroscientist with one final project — teaching the newest advancement in artificial intelligence (Michael Salimitari) how to be human. (Many wives can relate.) The 8 p.m. Saturday performance continues with shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through April 28 at Cox Building Playhouse, 1517 H Ave., Plano. Tickets cost $29. For more information, call 972-941-5600 or visit blackflagtheatre.org. Reba Liner

April Fools’ Day is almost here, and there are only two kinds of people on this hallowed holiday: the people who pull the tricks and the people who get laughed at for falling for them. Are you tired of being in the latter camp year? We can’t stop that annoying accounting guy from super-gluing your mouse to your hand, but we can give you a reason to laugh at someone else. The Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, 1001 Performance Place, will host the April Fools’ Comedy Jam, a live comedy show with seasoned comics performing their best material. The show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday will include live performances by comedian and Oscar nominated actress Mo’Nique, Chappelle’s Show’s Donnell Rawlings, D.C. Young Fly, Jess Hilarious and many other big names in comedy. Tickets are $39.50-$99.50 at axs.com. Danny Gallagher

Using drone imagery, newspaper pictures, internet archives and more, The Future's Ecology, artist Bogdan Perzynski's second solo exhibition at Liliana Bloch Gallery, speaks to the dangers of digital culture. The exhibition comprises two works: "Table (2018)," a photographic installation, and "Epimentheus," a video installation. Perzy?ski is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he co-founded the transmedia area of study, one of the first interdisciplinary arts program at a U.S. university. The opening reception for the show, on exhibit through May 5, is from 6-9 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, 2271 Monitor St. Maybe try to stay off Facebook for a few hours. For more information, visit lilianablochgallery.com. Emily Goldstein

Sunday

Puppies are what bring us together. Puppies in costumes are what keep us going as a society. Just when you’ve hit a bump in the road and don’t think you can do this whole spring thing nature has planned for you, puppies in costumes save you. On Sunday — which is Easter, you heathen — dogs will gather at Oak Lawn Park for The Conservancy Pooch Parade 2018. Prizes will be awarded to dogs for Best Look-A-Like, Best Easter Inspired, Best Spring Costume, Best Group, Most Creative, Best Overall, and Best Child and Dog Costume. Only good boys and girls allowed. It happens from 1-4 p.m. at Oak Lawn Park, 3333 Turtle Creek Blvd. Advanced registration is $10. For more information, visit bringfido.com. Paige Skinner