The State Fair has packed up, the pumpkins are still out, and Dallas finally has weather that makes you want to leave the house. This weekend, October 23 through 25, brings Rachmaninoff at the Meyerson, a folk hero at the Majestic, a Texas songwriter in one of the city’s oldest dance halls, and three very good meals in between. Here’s how to spend it.
Friday, October 23
Start the weekend with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which plays Rachmaninoff and Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony at 7:30 p.m. at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Schubert never finished it, and somehow that makes it hit harder.
If your Friday leans louder, Long Beach rapper Vince Staples brings his tour to South Side Ballroom at 8 p.m.
For something gentler, the Dallas Arboretum hosts Pumpkins and Pints from 6 to 9 p.m., an after-hours evening in Pumpkin Village with craft beer, wine and food trucks. This year’s Harvest Hues display turns more than 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash into tributes to Basquiat, Rothko, Louise Bourgeois, Mondrian, Escher and Pollock, which is the most fun anyone has ever had with modern art and a squash.
For dinner, Lucia at 287 N. Bishop Ave. is the move. David Uygur cooks, Jennifer Uygur runs the room, and the kitchen makes nearly everything from scratch, from the bread to the cured meats. The menu runs the Italian way, antipasti through dolce, and changes with whatever Texas farms bring in. Start with the chef’s daily salumi spread, then order whatever handmade pasta is on that night and let David steer the rest. Lucia moved to the Michelin Recommended list this month, and it still holds a few seats for walk-ins if you missed a reservation.
Saturday, October 24
The big outdoor party of the weekend is Oktoberfest Dallas at Flag Pole Hill, just north of White Rock Lake, running 10 a.m. to roughly 10 p.m. Pat Green and George Dunham and the Bird Dogs are on the bill, there are brats, beer and plenty for the kids, and the money goes somewhere good. The Exchange Club of Lake Highlands has raised more than $1.4 million since 2011, much of it for college scholarships for Lake Highlands High School seniors.
Take the kids to the Fort Worth Zoo for Boo at the Zoo, running 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday with treat stations and costumed fun included with admission. Closer to home, the free NorthPark Center Pumpkin Patch runs through November 1.
The art crowd has two strong afternoon options. The Meadows Museum at SMU is showing “Picasso Beyond the Canvas,” 18 ceramic pieces Picasso made after the war at the Madoura studio in Vallauris, including a playful painted plate called “Visage au nez pincé” and a lamp shaped like a woman. It runs through January 24. At Dallas Contemporary, Colombian artist Iván Argote has a new show up through January 31, mixing sculpture, film and public installation.
Collectors and plant people both get their day downtown. Collect-A-Con and PlantCon share the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Saturday and Sunday, one packed with trading cards and anime, the other with rare houseplants. SMU hosts Cal at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and that evening the Mavericks open their home season against the San Antonio Spurs at 7 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.
Oak Lawn throws its annual Halloween Block Party Saturday night along the 3900 block of Cedar Springs Road, the costume parade Dallas plans for all year. Ed Sheeran plays AT&T Stadium in Arlington. And for theater, Dallas Theater Center’s “The Monsters” runs through November 1 at the Wyly Theatre.
Saturday night is stacked. Iron & Wine, the folk project of Sam Beam, plays the historic Majestic Theatre at 8 p.m., fresh off his new album, “Hen’s Teeth.” Texas Piano Man Robert Ellis takes the stage at 8 p.m. at Sons of Hermann Hall, the 1911 wood-frame lodge on Elm Street. Pete Yorn plays a solo acoustic set marking 25 years of “musicforthemorningafter” at The Kessler in Oak Cliff, though the show is already sold out. And Burleson native Casey Donahew, whose “Stockyards” is the official song of the Fort Worth Stockyards, brings Texas country and special guest Chris Cagle to The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.
Before the show, settle into Parigi at 3311 Oak Lawn Ave., the Oak Lawn bistro that has been feeding Dallas since 1984. Owner and chef Janice Provost started there as a prep cook and ended up buying the place, and her fall menu leans on local farms and small cheesemakers. Start with the Portobellini Fries, thick mushroom planks fried crisp and served with parmesan and truffle-buttermilk cream. Then go straight for the slow braised lamb shank, warmly spiced in red wine demi over couscous with goat’s cheese cream, finished with mint and pomegranate seeds. If lamb isn’t your thing, Mr. Jordan’s Crispy Veal Milanese comes with arugula, grilled lemon and Texas olive oil. Reservations are strongly recommended, and valet is complimentary.
Sunday, October 25
For brunch, head to Anise inside The Drey Hotel at The Village, which relaunched this month as an all-day neighborhood restaurant under culinary director Eduardo Osorio, who also runs the kitchen at Meridian, and executive chef Rene Deleon. Order the Eggs in Purgatory, poached eggs and burrata in San Marzano tomato sauce with crispy chickpeas and grilled focaccia for dragging through what’s left. Pair it with the Peanut Butter Espresso Martini, which sounds like a dare and drinks like dessert.
Later in the day, organist Anna Lapwood returns to the Meyerson for a one-night-only recital on the Lay Family Concert Organ. Find details through the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. If you have never heard that instrument fill the hall, this is the time.
Hockey fans can catch the Stars against the New York Islanders at 5 p.m. at the American Airlines Center. Up north, the Plano Food & Wine Festival takes over Legacy West on Sunday. And if you’re up for a drive, Denton’s Day of the Dead Festival wraps up its four-day run downtown, part of the reason Denton carries the official title of Texas’ Capital of Halloween.
Cocktails This Weekend
Bar Collette in West Village earned a 2025 James Beard nomination for Best New Bar, and the drinks live up to it in a small, European-feeling room. Jettison in West Dallas is back with a new team and still pours some of the city’s smartest classics, with a soft spot for mezcal and sherry. And for a nightcap, Gabe Sanchez brought his Black Swan Saloon back to life in East Dallas in 2024, good news for anybody who misses a bartender who remembers your drink.
Opera on Deck
Opera fans get a breather this weekend before a big one. The Dallas Opera opens Janáček’s “The Cunning Little Vixen” at the Winspear Opera House on Friday, October 30, with Emmanuel Villaume conducting. Over in Fort Worth, soprano Jeanine De Bique sings with Fort Worth Opera on October 29.
And save some room for Monday. October 26 is Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day, and the cream gravy will be waiting.
