The Curated Weekend of October 9–11, 2026

Dallas, Texas knows exactly what weekend this is.

The rivalry turns into revelry, Big Tex is holding court at Fair Park, and burnt orange and crimson are temporarily part of the city's color palette. We've already covered where to watch TX-OU and where to celebrate before and after kickoff. But if football isn't your thing—or you're looking for something beyond the game—there's plenty worth exploring.

One of North Texas' more interesting food-and-wine weekends asks what Texas cuisine actually looks like now. The Dallas Opera opens its season with a little romantic mischief. African dance moves from the theater into Klyde Warren Park. And a Dallas art collective formed more than four decades ago returns with something entirely new.

Then there's Gruene. Wine, Texas music, and enough happening to justify packing a bag.

Headed to the game or just here for the revelry? Explore our dedicated Rivalry Turns Into Revelry guide for the TX-OU weekend.

Five other things earned their place.

EDITOR'S PICK | COME HUNGRY

Shef Food + Wine

This one has grown up quickly.

For its third year, Shef Food + Wine returns to EpicCentral with chefs Tiffany Derry and Tom Foley assembling a weekend around a much more interesting idea than another tasting festival: What does Texas food actually look like now?

The answer moves well beyond barbecue. Mexican, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Indian, Korean, Black Southern, Gulf Coast, Indigenous, European, ranching, and agricultural traditions all have a place at this particular Texas table.

And the talent is substantial.

Carla Hall leads Friday's Sno Social. Tiffany Derry's restaurant takeover brings together an impressive roster of culinary talent. Kristen Kish joins Hall for a fireside conversation. Saturday's Grand Tasting features Nyesha Arrington, Tristen Epps, Kevin Bludso, Angelo Sosa, and others.

What makes Shef our Editor's Pick isn't simply the names. It's the point of view.

This is Texas food presented as something evolving rather than nostalgic.

There is also a purpose behind the weekend: Shef supports Roots Impact, helping provide culinary education, mentorship, and scholarships.

THE DETAILS

Friday–Sunday, October 9–11
EpicCentral | Grand Prairie
Individual experiences and weekend packages are available
Ticket prices vary by experience; advance purchase recommended.

Explore Shef Food + Wine + tickets →

OPENING NIGHT | A LITTLE LIQUID COURAGE

The Elixir of Love

A hopeless romantic. A woman who barely notices him. And a traveling salesman offering a supposedly magical solution.

What could possibly go wrong?

The Dallas Opera opens its 2026–27 season Friday with Donizetti's The Elixir of Love, one of opera's enduring romantic comedies, in a new-to-Dallas production set against postwar Italy.

Soraya Mafi stars as Adina opposite Anthony León as Nemorino, with Alessandro Corbelli as the salesman behind the questionable elixir. It's sung in Italian with projected English titles, so no previous relationship with Donizetti is required.

Opening night has its own appeal, but Sunday's afternoon performance offers another way to experience the production.

If you've been waiting for an opera that doesn't require tragedy, Wagnerian stamina, or extensive homework, this seems like a rather good place to start.

THE DETAILS

Friday, October 9 | 8 PM
Sunday, October 11 | 2 PM
Winspear Opera House | 2403 Flora Street
Approximately 2 hours, 35 minutes, including intermission
Additional performances on October 14 and 17
Ticket prices and seating vary.

The Elixir of Love + tickets →

CULTURE | FOLLOW THE DRUMS

DanceAfrica

Some performances should probably refuse to stay inside the theater.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre brings DanceAfrica back to the Arts District Friday and Saturday nights, combining traditional and contemporary African dance with live drumming and guest artists, including Bandan Koro.

But Saturday afternoon adds another layer.

The celebration extends beyond the stage with a Festival & Marketplace at Klyde Warren Park, bringing dance, artisan crafts, local vendors, and African cultural traditions into the heart of Dallas.

Go to the park for an easy Saturday afternoon. Add the performance that evening if you want the fuller experience.

We like having both choices.

THE DETAILS

DanceAfrica Festival & Marketplace
Saturday, October 10 | 10 AM–2 PM
Klyde Warren Park | Complimentary

DanceAfrica Performances
Friday and Saturday, October 9–10 | 7:30 PM
Moody Performance Hall | 2520 Flora Street
Ticketed performances; advance purchase recommended.

DanceAfrica performances + tickets →

ART | FORTY-FIVE YEARS LATER

Toxic Shock at the Nasher

This may be the quietest recommendation in this week's edit—and one of the most distinctly Dallas.

In 1981, Dallas artists Frances Bagley, Julie Cohn, Linda Finnell, Debora Hunter, and Susan Magilow came together as Toxic Shock, creating their first collaborative work for an exhibition at Dallas City Hall.

More than four decades later, their collective is still making work.

On Saturday, the Nasher Sculpture Center opens Nasher Public: Toxic Shock, featuring a new site-specific installation by the Dallas-based collective. Their collaborative work has long examined power and politics through their experiences as women artists; the new installation turns toward aging within an increasingly polarized world.

And because it is part of Nasher Public, the gallery is free to visit during museum hours and remains visible through the windows after hours.

No timed ticket. No elaborate plan.

Just something new by artists who have been part of Dallas' creative history for 45 years.

THE DETAILS

Opens Saturday, October 10
Nasher Public Gallery | 2001 Flora Street
Complimentary admission to the Public Gallery
On view through January 17, 2027

Nasher Public: Toxic Shock →

WORTH THE DETOUR | FORTY YEARS OF WINE + TEXAS MUSIC

Gruene Music & Wine Festival

We're stretching our usual driving rule.

Intentionally.

Historic Gruene's Music & Wine Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary this weekend, and the lineup makes a convincing argument for turning south on I-35 and staying awhile.

The four-day festival pairs Texas wine and beer with a music roster that includes Robert Earl Keen, Shane Smith & The Saints, The SteelDrivers, Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, Tanner Usrey, Josh Ward, Kat Hasty, and others.

Saturday may be the easiest entry point: Tastings & Tunes runs noon–6 PM at The Grapevine with more than 30 Texas wines and brews, live music, and complimentary admission. Tastings are purchased separately.

Or make a proper weekend of it. Friday's Stars & Guitars combines a private Shane Smith & The Saints performance, meet-and-greet, Gristmill dinner, wine tastings, and auction. Sunday turns Gruene Hall over to an all-star Texas and Americana lineup.

And this one checks another box we've begun looking for: the festival has raised money for the United Way of Comal and Guadalupe Counties since its beginnings in 1987.

Wine. Texas music. Gruene Hall. A reason to stay overnight.

That qualifies.

THE DETAILS

Thursday–Sunday, October 8–11
Gruene Historic District | New Braunfels

Saturday Tastings & Tunes
October 10 | Noon–6 PM
Complimentary admission; tastings purchased separately

Friday and Sunday special events are ticketed. Availability varies.

Gruene Music & Wine Festival + tickets →

Some weekends ask you to pick a lane.

This one doesn't.

Cheer on your team—or skip the game entirely. Try an opera that knows how to laugh at itself. Taste a version of Texas that looks considerably more interesting than the stereotype. Follow the drums into the park. See what five Dallas artists have to say 45 years into a conversation. Or drive south until the highway gives way to wine, music, and Gruene Hall.

Different reasons to make a plan. All worth sharing.