In a city this big, there’s something to do every single day of the week. How could there not be? Dallas is a destination for festivals, traveling art exhibitions, stand-up comedy circuits and literally everything in between. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it is a curated, weekly guide of top picks you won’t want to miss. And the ways to fill your schedule don’t stop here — check out our full events calendar for even more ways to get through the week in North Texas. 

This week officially marks the month of December, so whether you’re feeling the holiday spirit or not, the best things to do in Dallas-Fort Worth require at least a little bit of cheer. That’s asking a lot these days, we know.

Monday, Dec. 8

Primitive Man at Club Dada
Finding a good show on a Monday night in December might seem fruitless, but never where Club Dada (2720 Elm St.) is concerned. Denver metal trio Primitive Man are back with a new album titled Observance. They’ll be supported by Buffalo Nichols, Today is the Day and God is War. Tickets are available online.

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Tuesday, Dec. 9

The Office Holiday Party at Rooftop Cinema Club
If your real-life workplace is a bit of a snooze, come party with one of TV’s most chaotic and inappropriate, yet weirdly lovable, coworkers. Rooftop Cinema Club (235 Throckmorton St., Fort Worth) isn’t just throwing an office Christmas party. They’re throwing The Office Christmas party by screening three fan-favorite holiday episodes (“Christmas Party,” “Benihana Christmas” and “Secret Santa”) on their cozy rooftop patio this Tuesday, starting at 6:45 p.m. The event is 18+ and tickets start at $21.

Wednesday, Dec. 10

It’s a Wonderful Life at Angelika Film Center
Do you feel like your dreams are being crushed by the demented whims of petty old capitalists? Try commiserating with Frank Capra, James Stewart and a theater full of like-minded cinephiles this holiday season. It’s a Wonderful Life is an annual must-watch around the holidays thanks to its Christmas setting, but the story of George Bailey (Stewart), the depressed businessman who constantly puts his own livelihood on the line to protect his family and community from the villainous banker Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), is an increasingly poignant tale for all seasons. The Angelika (5321 E. Mockingbird Lane) will be screening the film as part of its holiday series this Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $16.19.

Thursday, Dec. 11

Pluto TV Rage Room at The Secret Chambers
Paramount-owned streaming platform Pluto TV is bringing a free (and cathartic) pop-up experience to The Secret Chambers (513 Alta Mere Dr., Fort Worth) this Thursday at 5 p.m. This rage room, cheekily titled “Holidays Are Brutal,” is themed to Paramount action titles like Gladiator, Bad Boys and Charlie’s Angels and is decked out with wrapping paper, packages and ornaments that guests can tear up and smash to their hearts’ content. Appointments can be booked online.
Get ready to rage in Fort Worth.

Friday, Dec. 12

Anime Frontier 2025
Anime studio Crunchyroll’s annual convention returns to the Fort Worth Convention Center (1201 Houston St., Fort Worth) this weekend (Friday through Sunday) for another year of art, creativity and cosplays galore. This year’s event features cosplay meetups and contests, panels featuring top artists and voice artists, merch and vendors as far as the eye can see. Plus, there will be after-hours dances and parties where you can hang out with fellow fans from all around the world. One-day badges start at $43.87 and weekend badges start at $82.39.

Ho Ho Ho Down at Longhorn Ballroom
Longhorn Ballroom’s (216 Corinth St.) “country Christmas party for nice people” is returning for its third year this Friday at 7 p.m. Attendees are invited to dress in their most festive cowboy garb and mosey on down to Longhorn for a night of country dance lessons, a live DJ, raffle prizes, a photobooth and a local vendor market. The event benefits OurCalling, a Dallas-based non-profit that supports the local homeless community, and guests who bring donations of blankets, coats and warm clothing will be entered in a raffle for exclusive prizes. Tickets start at $45.

Saturday, Dec. 13

Joan of Bark Fest at Rubber Gloves
Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio (411 E. Sycamore St., Denton) is hosting this year’s Joan of Bark fest, “a special event celebrating experimental, contemporary, free and adventurous music,” this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The lineup includes White Boy Scream, Little Mazarn, Evil Horns, a special collaboration between Mattie, Stefan Gonzalez and Joshua Canate and the Joan of Bark Ensemble. More information, including the full lineup, can be found on Rubber Gloves’ website.

Sunday, Dec. 14

Hanukkah Menorah Lighting at the Galleria
This Sunday marks the first night of Hanukkah, and Galleria Dallas (13350 Dallas Parkway) will serve as a stylish backdrop for the festivities. Rabbi Andrew Paley of Temple Shalom will lead the lighting of the first candle of the menorah and the temple’s youth choir, Kol Shalom, will perform. Sufganiyots will be served to those in attendance.

Continuing Events

Prairie Lights, through Dec. 31
It’s time to toss that moldy pumpkin, pull down the orange lights and put away the inflatable, spooky lawn displays. Editorial aside: Can we just say that those inflatable cloth displays are the sad, joyless give-ups of holiday yard decorations? Put some effort into it, people. If that’s too much, do what we do and see other people’s efforts from the comfort of your car.  Lynn Creek Park, 5610 Lake Ridge Parkway in Grand Prairie, fires up the Christmas season in a blaze of 4 million lights along a 2-mile drive. (Imagine doing that in the days when one burned-out light could take out the whole string.) Halfway through, stop at the Holiday Village for free carnival rides, concessions, photos with Santa and a walk-through forest. Tickets start a $50 per car and up. It’s open nightly until Dec. 31, but plan to get there early or buy a fast-pass.

Roaming Mexico: Laura Wilson at Meadows Museum, through Jan. 11
Now, if you’re thinking, “Wait, I thought that was going to be a book of Laura Wilson’s photographs,” you’re not wrong. The Roaming Mexico title inspiring artist/author events at the likes of Interabang Books in October, is published to accompany the major exhibition of the Meadows Museum opening Sunday, Sept. 14. The show features nearly 90 of Wilson’s photographs documenting more than three decades of the artist’s travels and studies across the country. It shows incredible range of Wilson’s talents, of course, but also of the people and culture of Mexico. Subjects sometimes provide a vibrant harmony and other times, offer a distinct dissonance when put in juxtaposition. Don’t miss Wilson’s love letter from the lens, hanging through Jan. 11. Find more online.

Return to Infinity: Yayoi Kusama at the Dallas Museum of Art, through Jan. 18
“All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins,” one of Yayoi Kusama’s iconic “infinity room” installations, will be displayed at the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.) for the first time since 2018. The immersive exhibition at the DMA envelopes the viewer in a trippy, tangible display of art history. Kusama hails from the mythic ’60s art scene. “Pumpkins,” created in 1991, incorporates many themes characteristic of the legendary artist’s work: infinity, the sublime, and obsessive repetition. And, of course, pumpkins – so many pumpkins. To book your appointment to honor these pumpkins, visit the DMA’s website.

International Surrealism at the Dallas Museum of Art, through March 22, 2026
The DMA (1717 N. Harwood St.) will be showing its latest exhibition, International Surrealism, from now through March 22, 2026. Featuring Surrealist icons like Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Leonora Carrington, this showcase aims to “[plunge] audiences into the mind-bending dreamscapes of the Surrealist movement” and “[highlight] the wide range of practices and techniques from around the globe that define Surrealism.” Public tickets cost $20 and DMA members get in for free. International Surrealism will be included in the DMA’s Free First Sundays for every month of its run.

Groundbreakers: Post-War Japan and Korea from the DMA Collection at The Crow Museum of Asian Art at UT Dallas, through July 26, 2026
If you missed it at the Dallas Arts District location of The Crow, now’s your chance to see Groundbreakers: Post-War Japan and Korea from the DMA Collection… and consider that second degree. The Crow Museum of Asian Art at UT Dallas offers up the fantastic exhibition that includes pieces created in fascinating ways: with feet, with a mouth, by pouring paint onto a canvas, and other methods that channeled convention after the considerably conventional 1950s. Don’t miss it. Find out more online.