Upcoming events in Dallas–Fort Worth
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Dallas–Fort Worth: match the seat to the city
Before you pick a section in Dallas–Fort Worth, check which city the venue is in. The region's buildings sit in four different municipalities, and a cross-metro drive at rush hour can take longer than the event itself. The Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars play in Dallas proper. The Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers share a stadium district in Arlington, roughly halfway to Fort Worth. FC Dallas plays well north, in Frisco.
Few American metros can match the lineup: one franchise apiece in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and WNBA (the Dallas Wings). On top of the teams come a pair of arenas designed with concerts in mind, an arts district in each of the two big cities, the annual State Fair of Texas and a stand-up circuit with rooms on both sides of the region.
- In Dallas: the Victory Park arena, the downtown Arts District, the Deep Ellum clubs and the Fair Park grounds.
- In Arlington: the Cowboys' and Rangers' stadiums, plus an Improv club a few minutes away.
- In Fort Worth: Dickies Arena, Bass Hall, the Stockyards honky-tonk and a Hyena's club.
- Farther out: soccer in Frisco and the original Improv location in Addison.
Arena and stadium seats across the metroplex
American Airlines Center
Victory Park's arena dates to 2001 and fits about 21,000 for a concert. On an end-stage night, the lower bowl along the sides nearest the stage offers the best angle; a ticket in the rear half of the floor leaves your view up to whoever stands ahead of you. Of all the big venues, it is the only one with a train stop at the door.
Dickies Arena
Fort Worth's arena seats 14,000 and has been open since late 2019 on the Will Rogers Memorial Center grounds; its designers built the room around concert sound. Being smaller than the Dallas arena, its upper rows sit noticeably nearer the stage. The building turns into a rodeo arena each winter for the city's Stock Show.
Stadium concerts
The largest tours book the Cowboys' stadium, and the Rangers' ballpark across the road takes concerts too. Pick lower sideline sections toward the stage end for the cleanest view; seats high at the opposite end put the performers far away, so plan to watch the screens.
Fair Park amphitheater
This open-air venue has cycled through a string of sponsor names (Starplex, then Smirnoff, Gexa Energy and most recently Dos Equis), so confirm what your ticket calls it. Reserved seats are close to the stage, while the grass behind them is general admission, meaning no assigned spots.
Clubs and the honky-tonk
Just east of downtown Dallas, Deep Ellum grew from jazz and blues roots in the 1920s and is still where most club shows happen. Over in Fort Worth's Stockyards, Billy Bob's Texas has presented country music since 1981 and markets itself as the biggest honky-tonk on earth.
Table seating at the Improvs and Hyena's
Three club brands handle most local stand-up; headliners with larger followings book the arenas and performing arts halls.
- Addison Improv, on Belt Line Road in Addison: the region's flagship comedy room. Entry starts at 18, drinking at 21. Every guest orders at least two items, and soft drinks and food count the same as cocktails. The lot is free.
- Arlington Improv, in the Arlington Highlands shopping district: identical rules, and close enough to the stadiums to pair with a game.
- Hyena's Comedy Nightclub: a three-decade-plus local brand with one club on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas and another on Commerce Street in downtown Fort Worth, where the Main Room and the Red Room run side by side. Guests must be 18 or older at every location.
At both Improv clubs, you buy an entire table, sized for 2, 4, 6 or 8 people, not individual chairs; pick the table that matches your party. Comics tend to talk to the front tables, so sit a few rows back if you prefer to stay out of the act.
Teams, home buildings and sightline tips
- Dallas Cowboys: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, built in 2009 under a roof that opens and closes, seats about 80,000 and has held more than 100,000 when standing-room areas are added. The Cotton Bowl Classic is played here each season.
- Texas Rangers: Globe Life Field, a retractable-roof ballpark finished in 2020, staged the entire 2020 World Series, and the Rangers brought home the 2023 title.
- Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars: the American Airlines Center holds 19,200 at basketball and 18,532 at hockey. Choose the sideline for basketball and a raised seat near the red line for hockey.
- FC Dallas: Toyota Stadium in Frisco has served the club since 2005 and houses the National Soccer Hall of Fame. A rebuild scheduled to wrap up in 2028 means construction near the gates for now.
- Dallas Wings: after moving from Tulsa in 2016, the team played at UT Arlington's College Park Center; confirm the current venue on the schedule.
- Fair Park: the 92,200-seat Cotton Bowl stadium hosts the Oklahoma–Texas rivalry during the fair, and the Music Hall on the same grounds has been the city's traditional Broadway tour stop.
The Dallas Arts District's AT&T Performing Arts Center covers opera, dance and drama, with the roughly 2,200-seat Winspear Opera House and the Wyly Theatre. In Fort Worth, the 2,056-seat Bass Performance Hall books the local symphony and opera plus touring Broadway.
When the DFW calendar fills up
- December to March: NBA and NHL games in Victory Park, and the rodeo season in Fort Worth.
- Late March to October: baseball in Arlington and concerts on the Fair Park lawn.
- Spring to fall: MLS matches in Frisco, with WNBA games in summer.
- Late September into October: the fair's 24-day run, with the college football rivalry at its center.
- September to January: NFL home games; Thanksgiving Day in Arlington is about as hard a ticket as the region has.
- Bowl season: the Cotton Bowl Classic, held in Arlington since 2010.
Summer heat changes the math. A July concert outdoors can feel oppressive well after dark, which makes a covered seat worth paying for. Indoor arenas and the two stadiums with operable roofs take weather out of the picture.
Rail, roads and airports
- Victory Park arena: ride DART light rail or the TRE commuter train to Victory station, next to the building, and forget about parking.
- Arlington stadiums: there is no rail service here, so you will drive or use rideshare. On Cowboys game days, parking lots open five hours ahead of kickoff, and rideshare cars meet riders in Lot 15. The 2026 bag rule at the football stadium is a transparent bag within 12 x 6 x 12 inches, or a small clutch; review the current bag page before leaving.
- Fort Worth venues: getting from Dallas to the arena, the hall or the Stockyards on a weekday evening is slow, so build in extra time.
- Airports: DFW International, midway between the two downtowns, is the obvious choice for Arlington; Love Field is the closer airport for downtown Dallas.
Picking a DFW home base
- Victory Park and Uptown: walk to the Mavericks or Stars, with the Arts District a short hop away.
- Arlington's stadium district: sleep within walking distance of both stadiums and skip the late drive.
- Downtown Fort Worth and the Stockyards: closest to the Fort Worth arena, the concert hall, the comedy club and the honky-tonk.
- Addison: a cluster of hotels and restaurants around the original Improv.
Trying to cover three cities in one night rarely works, so base yourself near the main event. Reserved Seat ships tickets free and backs every order with a 100% guarantee. Before a Cowboys game or a stadium tour, look up gate and parking times on the team site or the stadium's own site.
Frequently asked questions
How do Improv tickets work in Dallas–Fort Worth?
You buy a whole table, for 2, 4, 6 or 8 people, at the Addison and Arlington clubs. Admission starts at 18, and every guest orders at least two food or drink items.
Where should you sit for a concert at the American Airlines Center?
On end-stage nights, lower side sections close to the stage usually see more than a ticket deep on the floor. Concert capacity is about 21,000.
Are AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field next to each other?
Yes. They share Arlington's stadium district, between the two big cities. No rail line serves them, so driving or rideshare is the norm.
Is Dickies Arena smaller than the AAC?
Yes. Dickies Arena in Fort Worth holds about 14,000, compared with about 21,000 for concerts at the AAC, so its upper level feels closer to the stage.
Which Cowboys home game is hardest to get?
Thanksgiving Day. The holiday home game ranks among the toughest tickets of the season, so buy early.
How long does the State Fair of Texas run?
Twenty-four days at Fair Park. It opens on the final Friday of September and closes on the third Sunday of October, and the Oklahoma–Texas game falls in the middle.