This weekend highlights local talent around Fort Worth, with the majority of events on our list featuring groups and performers from DFW. Choices include a music/food festival, screenings of the Oscar-nominated short films, a pair of theater productions, a well-known comedian, two country concerts, a gala symphony concert, and two other classical-style concerts.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city’s best events.
Friday, February 20
Cowtown Cook-Off & Music Festival
The Cowtown Cook-Off & Music Festival will feature performances by Wade Hatton, Calamity Janes, Brett Watts, Bronson Louis, Antebellum – A Tribute to Lady A, Madelynn Griffith Trio, Kyle Redd, Poo Live Crew, and more. Guests will be able to enjoy food and entertainment while giving back, as every team registered and plate bought helps fund mentorship, scholarships, and resources for the charity Cops 4 Kids. The festival takes place on Friday and Saturday at Panther Island Pavilion.
Magnolia at the Modern: Oscar-Nominated Short Films
For the first time, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will host screenings of all three short film categories for this year’s Academy Awards: Live Action, Animated, and Documentary. Movie fans will get a chance to see all of the nominees prior to the ceremony on Sunday, March 15. Filmgoers will have multiple chance to see every nominated film, as they’ll screen both this weekend and February 27-March 1.
UT Arlington Department of Theatre and Dance presents The Beaux’ Stratagem
UT Arlington’s Department of Theatre and Dance will start two new productions this weekend, starting with The Beaux’ Stratagem,a Restoration comedy that abounds with unrequited love, deception, misunderstanding, and hilarity. There will be four performances through March 1 on the Mainstage Theatre in UT Arlington’s Fine Arts Building.
Improv Arlington presents D.L. Hughley
Known for being politically savvy in true comedian-style, D.L. Hughley dives head first into hot-button controversial topics with insightfully sharp observations and his signature rapid-fire jokes. He has also made quite an impression in the television and radio arena, as he is known for his sitcom, The Hughleys, as host of his own late night talk show on CNN, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, and as one of the Original Kings of Comedy. He’ll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.
The Great Divide in concert
A testament to the enduring power of music, Red Dirt group The Great Divide has been around for over 30 years despite the fact that they have rarely broken out of the Oklahoma/Texas region. The band has released nine albums, most recently 2022’s Providence. They’ll play at Billy Bob’s Texas.
Saturday, February 21
UT Arlington Department of Theatre and Dance presents Ivories
The second production from UT Arlington’s Department of Theatre and Dance will be the Dallas-Fort Worth premiere of the queer horror comedy, Ivories. When 20-something Sloane faces selling their grandmother’s old house, the past comes back to haunt them – literally. The production will have four performances through February 28 on the Mainstage Theatre in UT Arlington’s Fine Arts Building.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Gala Concert Starring Gil Shaham
At this special gala appearance, violinist Gil Shaham joins the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Robert Spano in Brahms’ Violin Concerto. The evening begins with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis for strings alone. The one-night-only event takes place at Bass Performance Hall and has an early start time of 7 pm.
Arts Fifth Avenue presents Beethoven Meets Broadway
Arts Fifth Avenue will present Beethoven Meets Broadway, featuring the 6th Ave Trio, comprised of violinist Sarah Price, cellist Daniela Herrera, and pianist Yuki Kumamoto. The concert takes place at Arts Fifth Avenue.
Timeless Concerts presents February Favorites
Timeless Concerts’ February Favorites concert will be a repeat of their Valentines Special music. The program, played by violinists LeeAnne Chenoweth and Keyreel Raskolenko, cellist Alice (Jeong-A) Lee, and pianist Heejung Kang, will include spicy tango music of Astor Piazzolla of Argentina, plus selections of the great romantics. Tenor Sergio Cepeda and soprano Youna Hartgraves will sing songs and arias of Italian and Spanish composers from Puccini to Carlos Gardel, and a famous Neapolitan song. The event takes place at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Southlake.
Photo courtesy of Timeless Concerts
The Bellamy Brothers in concert
Howard and David Bellamy, aka the Bellamy Brothers, have been racking up hits for over 40 years. They’re best known for their heyday in the 1980s, when songs like “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me,” “Do You Love as Good as You Look,” and “Too Much is Not Enough” made them one of the biggest acts of the era. They’ll revisit their long and storied career at this concert at Billy Bob’s Texas.