Hannah Steiner
This Weekend, Choose Your Own Niche Festival Destiny.
Welcome to Perfect Date Night, a new weekly feature that acts as your spirit guide for going on a perfect date in what is objectively Texas' best city, Dallas. Each week, we'll give you a night's worth of suggestions for a date night in a specific neighborhood, complete with recommendations for bars, restaurants, concerts, art shows, sporting events or, well, anything, really. Just make sure you include an emoji or two when you text your crush to invite them out.
Date Details.
• When: Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
• Duration: Between a few hours and all weekend — it's up to you.
• Number of Stops: 1-3.
• Modest Estimated Budget For Two:$30.
• Ballin' Estimated Budget For Two: $800.
• Ideal Partner: That special someone that's about that festival life.
• Romance Scale: 2 out of 5 hearts.
This week, we've got our focus on February festivals, mainly because I wanted to type that sentence. Since festivals tend to be a one-stop shop full of food and fun, we've got an option for every day of the coming weekend to choose from. Choose your own adventure.
Friday Stop: DFW South Asian Film Festival Opening Night Party at The Perot Museum (2201 N. Field Street Dallas). Saturday Stop: Mardi Gras Texas Style at Fair Park's Automobile Building (1010 First Ave Dallas). Sunday Stop: North Texas Craft Beer & Chili Challenge at LUCK (3011 Gulden Ln Suite #112, Dallas).
The first festival on this list starts our weekend off with some real culture. And, hey, after the disaster that was post-Super Bowl social media, we could all use a bit of cultural education. The organizers of the South Asian Film Festival are here to steer you the right way. Friday's opening night schedule includes a cocktail reception, a showing of the critically acclaimed movie Miss India America, a post-show red carpet display and an after-party. Nothing says fancy like bookending your movie with classy cocktails at the Perot.
If work or school caused you to miss all of the Fat Tuesday celebrations, make up for it by partying at Saturday's 15th Annual Mardi Gras Texas Style festival. There, 28 different country bands will be playing on five stages. With The Josh Abbott Band and Whiskey Myers headlining, this isn't something any country lover should miss. Plus, who doesn't love Cajun food and copious amounts of beer? Novelty points if you can convince your date to attend the Vanilla Ice-hosted after-party.
If the words “craft beer and chili challenge” don't already have you hooked, let me elaborate. So far, over 24 craft beer breweries have signed up to cook up some kickass chili utilizing one of their beers. That's pretty great, in itself. But wait till you hear the rest: It's just $10 for 10 cups and a spoon, and the proceeds all go to the North Texas Food Bank. Add in some live music and the fun that covers with the public voting aspect of the competition, and you've got yourself a pretty good little Sunday.
