Everybody’s getting into the holiday spirit around Fort Worth this weekend, combining to make for one of the biggest slate of events of the year. Choices include eight concerts, including several with big names; five theater productions, including the national tour of a Broadway show; a holiday cabaret production, a World Cup party, another Nutcracker, an opera production, and a college basketball showcase.<\/p>\n
Photo by Gary Emord Netzley<\/p>\n
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<\/a> of the city’s best events. For a big list of 2025 Christmas lights, go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thursday, December 4<\/p>\n Jonas Brothers in concert<\/a> Stage West Theatre presents All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914<\/a> Casa Ma\u00f1ana presents A Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas<\/a> Friday, December 5<\/p>\n FIFA World Cup Draw Party<\/a> Ballet Frontier presents The Nutcracker<\/a> Jim Brickman: The Gift of Christmas<\/a> Performing Arts Fort Worth presents Holidays with the UNT One O\u2019Clock Lab Band<\/a> Onstage in Bedford presents One Christmas Carol<\/a> Theatre Arlington presents The Game\u2019s Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays<\/a> Lindsey Stirling in concert<\/a> Broadway at the Bass presents A Christmas Story: The Musical<\/a> Stolen Shakespeare Guild presents A Christmas Carol<\/a> Sam Barber in concert<\/a> Saturday, December 6<\/p>\n Opera Arlington presents Hansel & Gretel<\/a> A Merry Little Christmas Show with Ricki Derek<\/a> Brandy & Monica: The Boy Is Mine Tour<\/a>
Jonas Brothers come to Fort Worth in support of their new album, Greetings from Your Hometown, as part of their 20th anniversary tour, Jonas20: Living the Dream. The concert will feature dedicated sets from every chapter of Jonas, including Nick Jonas & the Administration, Nick Jonas\u2019 solo career, Joe Jonas\u2019 solo work, and DNCE, followed by the headlining performance from the Jonas Brothers. They’ll be joined by Jesse McCartney and Franklin Jonas at Dickies Arena.<\/p>\n
On Christmas Eve 1914 in the cold trenches of World War I, something miraculous happened. A lone soldier stepped into no man\u2019s land, lifted his voice in song and began this remarkable true story. In that no-longer-silent night, troops from both sides laid down their weapons for an extraordinary holiday celebration of music, feasting, and camaraderie. The production, making its regional premiere, runs through December 21 at Stage West Theatre.<\/p>\n
Casa Ma\u00f1ana will celebrate the season with A Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Christmas, a high-energy show featuring favorite songs from Elton John, The Eagles, Pat Benatar, and Mariah Carey. The production takes place in the Reid Cabaret Theatre through December 21.<\/p>\n
The North Texas FWC Organizing Committee, in partnership with Visit Fort Worth, will host The Official FIFA World Cup 26 Draw Party Experience. Guests can watch the live reveal of the teams that have qualified for the tournament being divided into respective groups for competition during the world\u2019s biggest sporting event in 2026. The celebration, taking place at Billy Bob’s Texas, will include live music, giveaways, soccer personalities, exclusive merchandise, and more.<\/p>\n
Set to Tchaikovsky\u2019s iconic score, The Nutcracker features a cast of professional dancers and talented younger students who bring the timeless story to life with grace, energy, and heart. The production will highlight dazzling costumes, enchanting sets and unforgettable choreography, designed to transport audiences to a world of holiday magic. There will be four performances through Sunday at I.M. Terrell Academy.<\/p>\n
Pianist Jim Brickman and special guests will present The Gift of Christmas, a special Christmas concert experience. The show will feature holiday classics, plus Brickman\u2019s biggest hits like \u201cThe Gift,\u201d \u201cLove of My Life,\u201d \u201cDestiny,\u201d and \u201cValentine.\u201d The concert takes place at Arlington Music Hall.<\/p>\n
Performing Arts Fort Worth will jazz up the holidays with the University of North Texas’ One O’Clock Lab Band. The Grammy-nominated jazz ensemble will present its annual “Holidays with the One O’Clock” concert, celebrating the yuletide season with all the favorite holiday anthems. The performance takes place in McDavid Studio.<\/p>\n
With one actor and over 35 distinct characters, One Christmas Carol is a one-man tour de force. Utilizing only three unmatched chairs, Dickens\u2019 famous story about selfishness and selflessness is stripped down to its bare essence, forgoing the usual opulence of the holidays and focusing on what is of utmost importance during the season. The production runs through December 21 at Onstage in Bedford.<\/p>\n
It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for the holidays. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, Gillette assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes to track down the killer before the next victim appears. The production runs December 5-21 at Theatre Arlington.<\/p>\n
Violinist Lindsey Stirling comes to Fort Worth as part of her fourth annual Snow Waltz Holiday tour. Stirling will bring her blend of music, dance, aerial acrobatics, and signature holiday spirit. The concert, named for her 2022 Christmas album, Snow Waltz, takes place at Dickies Arena.<\/p>\n
A Christmas Story: The Musical brings the classic 1983 movie to hilarious life on stage. Set in 1940s Indiana, a young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. An infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish. Featuring music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriting team behind Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land<\/a>, and The Greatest Showman<\/a>, the production will have five performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.<\/p>\n
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens\u2019 timeless story of hope and redemption, follows Ebenezer Scrooge as he learns the true meaning of Christmas through visits from three spirits. The production runs through December 21 at Stolen Shakespeare Guild.<\/p>\n
At just 22 years old, country singer Sam Barber is already making a big impact in the genre. His 2023 debut EP, Million Eyes, made the top 40 on the Billboard Country chart, and his 2024 debut album, Restless Mind, went even higher to No. 9 on the strength of top 10 hit “Indigo.” Barber will make his mainstage debut at Billy Bob’s Texas with this concert.<\/p>\n
Opera Arlington invites audiences to step into a world of enchantment with Engelbert Humperdinck\u2019s beloved fairytale opera Hansel and Gretel. The whimsical new production is inspired by the nostalgic charm and twinkling wonder of German Christmas markets. There will be performances on Saturday and Sunday at Wellspring on Main in Arlington.<\/p>\n
Crooner Ricki Derek and his swinging Ho, Ho, Ho Orchestra will return in their 15th year with Derek\u2019s A Merry Little Christmas Show. Drawing inspiration from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby\u2019s Christmas TV specials, A Merry Little Christmas Show is like a time capsule with a wink and a nod. Ricki croons favorite Christmas tunes while backed by his orchestra and a few special guests. The performance takes place at Palace Arts Center in Grapevine.<\/p>\n
R&B stars Brandy & Monica come to Fort Worth as part of their first-ever co-headlining journey. The tour builds on the legacy of their 1998 duet \u201cThe Boy Is Mine,\u201d which spent 13 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a defining cultural touchstone of late \u201890s R&B. They’ll be joined by a powerhouse lineup of special guests, including Kelly Rowland, Muni Long, and rising star Jamal Roberts, fresh off his American Idol Season 23 win. The concert takes place at Dickies Arena.<\/p>\n