The first weekend in October is here! Are you looking for recommendations to make this weekend around DFW a fun one? Here’s our five recommendations for you and your crew!
State Fair of Texas highlights
CELEBRITY CHEF KITCHEN Watch as top chefs create dishes in the demo kitchen inside the Creative Arts Building. Among the chefs appearing this week are Cowboy Chef Newton (Newton at the Cellar, Oct. 1 at 11 a.m.), Nikky Phinyawatana (Asian Mint, Oct. 1 at 4:30 p.m.), David Peña (Goodfriend Beer Garden, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m.), Tiffany Derry (Roots Southern Table, Oct. 4 at 4:30 p.m.) and Brittany Bryant (Vector Brewing, Oct. 6 at 12:30 p.m.).
CONCERTS Chevrolet Main Stage performances include Shinyribs (Oct. 1 at 8:30 p.m.), Eleven Hundred Springs (Oct. 2 at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.), Kevin Fowler (Oct. 2 at 8:30 p.m.), Grand Funk Railroad (Oct. 3 at 8:30 p.m.), Retrophonics (Oct. 4 at 4, 5:45 and 8:30 p.m.), the Imaginaries (Oct. 5 at 4, 5:45 and 8:30 p.m.), Squeezebox Bandits (Oct. 6 at 4, 5:45 and 8:30 p.m.) and Brave Combo (Oct. 7 at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.).
STARLIGHT PARADE Lighted floats, stilt walkers, costumed characters and vehicles parade through the fairgrounds nightly from 7:15 to 7:45.
ILLUMINATION SENSATION Find a spot along the Esplanade to see dancers and acrobats, dancing waters and synchronized fireworks. The show begins nightly at 8.
Ramblin’ Roads Music Festival
The inaugural three-day festival will bring rock, country, Americana, blues, jazz and Tejano music to Arlington’s downtown area. Eighteen venues, including Arlington Music Hall, Levitt Pavilion and Texas Live, will host more than 60 events by more than 50 musical acts. The festival will also include a free classic car show, Jazz in the Park, a Sunday gospel brunch, a youth talent showcase, an urban artisan market and a screening of American Graffiti.
Oct. 1-3 at various venues in downtown Arlington. $45 for a single-day pass, $22.50 for ages 6-12. $100 for a three-day pass, $50 for ages 6-12. ramblinroadsfest.com.
Autumn at the Arboretum and Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum
Get in the autumn spirit at the Dallas Arboretum, where there will be thousands of fall-blooming flowers and more than 90,000 pumpkins, squashes and gourds from Floydada, the Pumpkin Capital of Texas. Orange, white, yellow and green pumpkins will line the gardens’ pathways and be available to buy in the patches, but most will be used in the Pumpkin Village’s 20-foot-tall houses and other arrangements. This year’s theme is “Bugtopia,” and displays will include an 18-foot-long dragonfly, a caterpillar, a praying mantis and other oversized insects. Also, the Pumpkin Village has a new location: behind the Jonsson Color Garden. There are plenty of special events and activities throughout Autumn at the Arboretum, including live music and other performances on the weekends, cooking demonstrations, Mommy and Me Mondays, Tiny Tot Tuesdays, BOGO Wednesdays, a Pumpkin Thursdays Scavenger Hunt and more. Though Autumn at the Arboretum ends Oct. 31 after a two-day Halloween celebration, the Pumpkin Village will be open through Thanksgiving weekend.
Now through-Oct. 31 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. Tickets must be reserved in advance. $17 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and up, $12 for children 2-12, free for children younger than 2. Entrance to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is $3 extra. $15 for parking or $10 if bought online in advance. dallasarboretum.org.
‘Jurassic World: The Exhibition’ at Grandscape
The dinosaurs of “Jurassic World: The Exhibition” will spend the holidays in Dallas-Fort Worth. The exhibit, which had been scheduled to close Sept. 5, has been extended through Jan. 2. The interactive 20,000-square-foot experience is inspired by the Jurassic World film franchise and offers visitors a walk-through of the world of Jurassic Park. The journey begins with a ferry ride to Isla Nublar. There guests will encounter life-size dinosaurs, explore jungle-themed environments and visit sights such as Hammond Creation Lab and a life-size gyrosphere. The exhibition is in a temporary structure next to the Galaxy Theatres at Grandscape in The Colony.
Through Jan. 2 at 5752 Grandscape Blvd., The Colony. Open Mondays from noon to 7 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays. Tickets start at $29.50 for ages 16 and older, $19.50 for ages 3-15 and range up to $89.50. jurassicworldexhibition.com.
DogFest Texas
FREE Pups and peeps can have fun while helping raise funds for Canine Companions, which provides service dogs to people with disabilities. At Mutts Canine Cantina in Fort Worth, there will be a doggy costume contest, a kids zone and activity booths. And the Sound at Cypress Waters will have a costume contest and other competitions, a training demonstration and performances by student musicians from School of Rock.
Oct. 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mutts Canine Cantina, 5317 Clearfork Main St., Fort Worth, and the Sound at Cypress Waters, 3111 Olympus Blvd., Coppell. Registration is free; donations and fundraising encouraged. canine.org/dogfesttexas.