Located in the heart of Dallas, the Dallas Arts District embodies the culture of the city's art scene. With unique restaurants, attractions and lively fine arts and culture, the district is worth a stop for arts enthusiasts.
With 10 music venues, three museums, sculpture walks, parks and more, the Dallas Arts District sees many performances from local and international artists alike.
Winspear Opera House
Music is a prominent part of the district with performances of all forms at spaces put together through the non-profit AT&T performing arts center. Its three main performance stages have been used by traveling Broadway shows, international dance groups, Dallas-based musicians and motivational speakers. One of these stages is the Winspear Opera House featuring the best classical shows in the area.
“Quite justifiably, it has come to be recognized as America’s finest opera house,” John Allison wrote in the Opera Magazine.
The main stage at the venue doesn’t open until next weekend, but the Dallas Opera from Winspear Opera House will perform at a pop-up show Saturday at Levy Event Plaza during the DFW Italian Festival. This impromptu performance of family-friendly opera starts at noon.
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
The Meyerson Symphony center has performances from renowned musicians in its Eugene McDermott Concert Hall, known for its exquisite acoustics and sound projection. The venue has seen the likes of many notable artists, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and soul artist Ray Charles. The beautiful center and incredible musicianship bring extensive crowds, including many well-known figures like former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
This Sunday, “Ring Cycle: Das Rheingold,” will be performed at the Meyerson Symphony center at 2 p.m. This epic prologue of the famous four-part “The Ring of Nibelung,” by Richard Wagner dives into the eternal conflict between power, greed and love. Tickets can be bought at the Dallas Symphony website.
Community Spaces
Connecting the venues in the Dallas Arts District are multiple parks and community spaces for activities, gathering and even more room for performance.
Sammons Park is one of many green spaces offering more concerts, lounging, picnics and community. Many local artists perform here to showcase their art to the district’s visitors. The 10-acre park houses the Donor Reflecting Pool, a water feature for families leading to the front of the Winspear Opera House.
This weekend will feature the annual DanceAfrica Festival & Marketplace in Sammons park with performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and festivities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Moody Performance Hall. Presented by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, the 19th annual DanceAfrica will feature many guest artists including the Ayodele Drum & Dance and Voices of Empowerment choir from Chicago. Tickets to the in-person event or to stream can be bought at AT&T PAC.
The One Arts Plaza overlooks the Dallas Art District, with the 24-story high-rise providing more restaurants and retail for tourists, the biggest digital art exhibit in North Texas housed in the lobby and an impressive outdoor space with a lighted fountain.
MAIN PERFORMANCES IN THE AREA
Friday
For fans of R&B, musical group TGT, consisting of Tyrese, Ginuwine, Tank, will take the stage at the American Airlines Center as part of the R&B Forever Tour. The reuniting of this influential group, with the addition of supergroup Silk and R&B trio Bell Biv Devoe, will be a night to remember.
The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets can be bought at VividSeats.
Saturday
Grammy-award winning pop musician Meghan Trainor will visit Irving, Texas, for a one-night concert with influencer Chris Olsen and musician Paul Russel. Trainor is known worldwide with songs like “All About That Bass,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, and three other songs, “No,” “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” and “Lips Are Moving,” that made the top 10.
The concert will be at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, around 20 minutes outside of Dallas. Trainor’s last Texas show was in 2016, so the tickets, which range from $23 to $500, are selling fast and can be bought at SeatGeek. The show will start at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday
For those wanting to escape the 21st century, Boyz II Men will visit Dallas for a concert at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. Rising to fame in the 1990s, the R&B quartet has racked up many no.1 jams like “End Of the Road,” and “On Bended Knee.”
Don’t miss this group’s Sunday night show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets can be bought online at DallasEvents.
This story was edited by Shelby Emery. Avery Avery copy edited this story.
