Things To Do This Weekend.

Let Local Natives Steer You Away From This Weekend's Riff Raff.

Hey, it's everyone's favorite holiday weekend!

OK, maybe that's not actually true. Let's count the ways in which St. Patrick's Day isn't many people's favorite holiday:

• you don't get any gifts.
• you're required to wear green, unless you want to get pinched.
• you can get drunk on the other 364 days of the year, too.

Consider the upside, though:

• you're not required to buy gifts for anyone.
• green is a pretty rad color.
• you can start your drinking before noon and no one will judge you.
• you don't have to see your family on this holiday.

That last point might be the reason a lot of people like this holiday, actually. Maybe the true lesson to St. Patrick's Day is that there is a silver lining to everything. Or maybe it's that you shouldn't squander the chance to see a free parade.

Whatever.

Go have (responsible) fun this weekend and embrace everything that's going on around Dallas, as there really is plenty, including a whole spate of SXSW spillover concerts, many of which you can read about right here.

Friday
Texas Pinball Festival
Starting today and continuing on through the weekend, the Texas Pinball Festival will take place at Hilton Anatole, completely taking over the space with about 400 pinball machines, all of which are on free to play once you pay the cover. There will also be tournaments and vendors.

KMFDM at Trees
You pretty much know what you're going to get from the German industrial pioneers in KMFDM these days — a hard-hitting, spectacle of a show — but that doesn't mean these guys don't have a little something new to bring to the table these days. On their just-released 18th album, the band has a song called “Pussy Riot,” which is meant as a show of support for the jailed Russian feminist activists and punk rockers of the same name.

French Montana
See our SXSW spillover post for more info.

Loud Harp at WELD
WELD is more than a co-working space — it's always purported itself as such — and, tonight, that gets proved as the space, for one night only, turns into a pop-up music venue.

Saturday
Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Parade
Who doesn't love a good parade? Sure, they're taking a hard stance against naughty floats this year. But still!

Snoop Dogg, A.Dd+, Ishi and the Effinays at Energy Square
It's tradition: You check out the Greenville Avenue parade, and then you head on over to Energy Square to see whoever the Observer's brought to town for their outdoor after-party concert. This year, the weekly went big, too, snagging the great Snoop Dogg to headline this show, which will also feature favorite locals A.Dd+, Ishi and the Effinays. Hope you already scored your tickets, though: This sucker's sold out already.

South By So What?! Music Festival
See our SXSW spillover post for more info about this 80-band offering.

Local Natives at South Side Music Hall
See our SXSW spillover post for more info.

Alt-J at Granada Theater
See our SXSW spillover post for more info.

9th Annual Savor Dallas at Irving Convention Center
Savor Dallas is a festival devoted to fine Dallas cuisine and wine. Let's hope there's a lot of free wine and cheese samples. And toothpicks! We love toothpicks!

Luck of the Locals at Barcadia
The goal of Luck of the Locals is to have local Dallas businesses and artists help a) raise money for charity, and b) to party, party, party! You'll already be drinking (it is St. Patrick's Day, after all), so you might as well do so for a good cause, while entering in various raffles, at this free-to-attend event.

Texas Bigfoot Conference at Fort Worth Convention Center
“Why do people make a big deal about St. Patrick's Day?,” you ask no one in particular. “Leprechauns are not even real. Screw it. I'm going to the Texas Bigfoot Conference instead.”

The Mike Haskins Experience at Cohn Drennan Contemporary
If you haven't yet had the chance to check out this galley's “Dallas PUNK!” show, which showcases photos of the late '70s Dallas punk scene, this show from the Mike Haskins Experience gives you the perfect excuse to do so. Haskins was a member of The Nervebreakers, one of the that era's driving bands and one of the greatest Dallas bands ever, and his band is filled out with a few other Dallas punks of note.

Darwin Deez at Three Links
See our SXSW spillover post for more info.

Sunday
Dirt Nasty at Trees
See our SXSW spillover post for more info.

Teenage Bottlerocket and Off With Their Heads at Three Links
See our SXSW spillover post for more info.

Wavves at The Prophet Bar
See our SXSW spillover post for more info.

Parade of Flesh's Spillover
See our SXSW spillover post for more info about this almost 30-band offering.

Alicia Keys & Miguel at Verizon Theater
Alicia Keys you know. The talented pianist and “Girl on Fire” vocalist will be hitting Grand Paririe tonight. Opening act Miguel you should know — and after a Wiz Khalifia-supported performance at the Grammys (and subsequent thank you speech shout-out and cosign from Burleson's own Kelly Clarkson), you might. “Adorn” alone is worth getting to this show early for.

Natural Child Family Band at Lola's Saloon
Featuring members of King Tuff and Natural Child, The Natural Child Family Band headlines this sure-to-be-rowdy, crowd-pleasing affair, which also features Pujol, plus locals The Longshots and War Party.

Honky Tonk PBR-BQ at Club Dada
OK, this is cool: A whole cast of adored area alt-country bands (J. Charles & the Trainrobbers, Somebody's Darling, The King Bucks, The O's, Grant Jones and the Pistol Grip Lassos, Madison King Band, Greg Schroeder Band) will be joined at this PBR-sponsored affair, which will also feature free barbecue and a performance from Chris Shiflett and the Dead Peasants, the latest band from Foo Fighters, No Use For a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes guitarist Chris Shiflett.