I have traversed the country, living in Michigan, Kansas, Connecticut, Utah and eventually ending up on the beaches of California. This last July I moved to Dallas. After I got to here, I decided I really wanted to understand the people and culture of this city, so I made a commitment to attend as many events as I could.
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the Texas State Fair and Aurora Dallas, a light festival in the Arts District. After visiting both events, I came to the conclusion that Dallas really knows how to entertain.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have experienced my fair share of so called “entertainment” cities. New York City has the glitz of Broadway, Los Angeles has Hollywood and Las Vegas has The Strip. How could Dallas compete with these world renowned cities known specifically for their entertainment? Let me tell you why.
The State Fair of Texas offers a wide variety of entertainment. The fair has pig races, car shows, live music and fried food as far as the eye can see (the Fried Thanksgiving Dinner was delicious). Just walking around the fair can cause overstimulation for all of your senses. I loved it. You really can’t find anything like that with such a large venue size anywhere in America. It’s proximity to the city is unheard of. Just a coin toss away from downtown Dallas, the State Fair of Texas is easily accessible, considering the population of Dallas. The State Fair of Texas is truly one of a kind.
Aurora Dallas is a light festival held at night in the Arts District. Several blocks lit up with projections, lights and sound. Tens of thousands of people came to see artists works of art come to life. I was transformed into another world once I stepped into the arts district. Buildings came to life as projections transformed facades into moving art.
Music pumped through the city blocks, as if it was the lifeblood of the city. Dallas awoke and celebrated into the night. The greatest part about Aurora was that the whole thing was free to the public.
Attending both of these events last week really opened up my eyes to the treasure of entertainment Dallas has to offer. No other city can you go see a pig race while eating fried s’mores one day and then attend a world renowned art exhibit on your city streets, and I haven’t even mentioned the world class sporting teams in Dallas. Dallas really can compete with the best cities in the world when it comes to entertainment. But don’t take my word for it…experience Dallas for yourself.
Stephen Tanner