The slate of events in and around Fort Worth this weekend is an eclectic one, starting with a honest-to-God Catholic priest and ending with the return of a favorite singer. Other choices in between include an art/music festival, screenings of a new film, the national tour of a Broadway musical, a Day of the Dead festival, two other concerts, a home tour, and a festival celebrating all things car-related.
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.
Thursday, October 23
Father Mike Schmitz: The Parables Tour
Father Schmitz is an American Catholic priest, speaker, author, and podcaster. He serves as director of youth and young adult ministry in the Diocese of Duluth and Newman Center chaplain at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Schmitz is most notable for his social media presence, including YouTube videos and The Bible in a Year podcast. He’ll appear at Dickies Arena.
Friday, October 24
ArtWorks Foundation presents Art Worth Festival
The Art Worth Festival is a celebration of both visual arts and classical music. The exhibition component features the work of over 80 artists, as well as live demonstrations of disciplines like glass-blowing, metalsmithing, sculpting in stone, and more. Additionally, the event showcases classical music performances by area elementary, high school, and college ensembles, as well as The Fort Worth City Band and professional companies such as Fort Worth Opera. The festival takes place through Sunday at The Shops at Clearfork.
Magnolia at the Modern: The Mastermind
In a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970, JB Mooney (Josh O’Connor), an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels. The film will screen seven times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Broadway at the Bass presents The Addams Family
Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family – a man her parents have never met. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. A comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, The Addams Family is the macabre musical featuring everyone’s favorite creepy, kooky characters. The production has five performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.
Denton’s Day of the Dead Festival
Held outside on Hickory and Industrial St, Denton’s Day of the Dead Festival is a true collaboration of the eclectic art and music community of the city. It pays homage to many of fall’s treasures such as cooler weather, the harvest, the celebration of Dia de los Muertos, and all things Halloween. Highlights include live music, the Halloween Cabaret “Cirque du Horror,” Coffin Races, a lantern-lit twilight parade, and more. The festival runs through Sunday.
Banda MS in concert
Few bands/musicians have been more prolific than the Mexican band Banda MS. Debuting in 2005, they have released 20 albums in as many years, a level of output that has made them one of the most popular groups in their genre. They’ll celebrate their 20th anniversary at this concert at Dickies Arena.
Josh Meloy in concert
Singer Josh Meloy is one of the latest up-and-comers from the Red Dirt country genre that’s well-known in Texas and Oklahoma. An Oklahoma native, Meloy released his debut album in 2018 and has steadily earned a loyal following. He’ll make his debut at Billy Bob’s Texas in support of his 2024 album, Where You Came From.
Saturday, October 25
Wedgwood Historical Association presents Parade of Homes
The Wedgwood Historical Association will present the fourth installment of its historic home tour, the Parade of Homes, the largest fundraiser for the local nonprofit. The tour features three homes that uniquely showcase the midcentury flair of one of the most established planned neighborhoods in Fort Worth. The tour will feature exterior and interior docent-guided tours of the properties. The event takes place on Saturday only in the Wedgwood neighborhood.
FuelFest
FuelFest blends the enthusiast’s passion for the automotive world with appearances by Fast & Furious franchise stars Tyrese Gibson and Cody Walker, live action drifting, live music with multiple artists on the festival stage, a huge car show, automotive culture, dozens of custom exhibits, and more. More than 700 top custom, exotic, rare and exclusive cars and trucks will be featured. The FuelFest drift pits are open access, allowing fans to get up close to their favorite race cars. The one-day event takes place at Texas Motor Speedway.
Gary Allan in concert
Gary Allan may not have the same cachet as many of the top tier genre musicians, but he’s had a big impact nonetheless, scoring 11 top 10 singles and six top 5 albums, including 2013’s No. 1 album, Set You Free. Allan, whose most recent release was 2021’s Ruthless, will play at Billy Bob’s Texas.
Photo by Meredith Mashburn Photography