Pegasus Favorite Five: Best Art in October events in the Dallas Arts District

by Brentney Hamilton

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Because you can't make all 170+ events ... or can you?

DALLAS — Welcome, October! Gone for another year are the days of sweat-stuck blouses and raccoon-eye sunglasses tans. The best way to celebrate this glorious return to 70-degree weather is by heading out-of-doors to enjoy the Dallas Arts District’s third annual Art in October. With a lineup of more than 170 events – at least 70 of which are free – the month-long festival offers a diverse look at the district’s venues to commemorate the opening anniversaries of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Nasher Sculpture Center; to kick off new seasons for The Dallas Opera and the Dallas Museum of Art; to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month; and to mark this year’s opening of Klyde Warren Park. Dedicated and ambitious arts hounds will surely want to make them all, but that would require giving up sleep until Halloween.

Here are a few highlights that everyone should hit.

Fiesta is not just an awesome supermarket, it’s also a way of life on October 7. The Cathedral of Guadalupe and the AT&TPAC bring you the 6th annual Fiesta Latinoamericana!, a free cultural event projecting more than 35,000 in attendance. The schedule includes a Latino cuisine pavilion, four stages with live entertainment, children’s workshops, a marketplace, drum circle, tortilleria (where you can hand-make the yummy Latin American staples), y mas! 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. October 7.

One of the biggest disadvantages to postponing procreation is the inability to put amusing clothes on small humans, but the One Arts Plaza Fall Block Party lets you get your fill of this universal imperative with its dog costume competition on October 14. The world scoffed when do-rag clad '80s rocker Bret Michaels dropped his line of designer dog clothing this year, but furry-babies help fill the infant-sized hole in your heart by looking glam on Halloween. There’s people fun, too, with live music, cooking and cocktail demos, and food samples from all five of the district’s chefs. Noon to 4 p.m. October 14.

Forget everything you’ve ever learned from slasher movies: October is no time to fear the dark. On October 19, the District After Dark is a free night of art in the public sphere. Glimpse 2012 brings you a look at the Aurora Project’s plans for 2013 with installations from eight artists who combine light, sound, performance, and projection from sundown until midnight. And, visual artist Walter Falls will collaborate with the North Texas Symphony Orchestra on a special feature performance. Dallas Theater Center also offers a pay-what-you-can performance of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, and the Crow Collection and Nasher offer free admission. 6 p.m. to midnight October 19.

If you’ve always wanted to learn more about opera but weren’t quite ready to dive in head first, the Dallas Opera’s Opening Night offers a free Plazacast on the lawn at Sammons Park on October 26. The season opens with Verdi’s Aida. Pack a picnic – pumpkin bread and a thermos of apple cider, anyone? – and check out the spectacle of haute couture on the pre-performance red carpet, which will also be projected onscreen starting at 5:30 p.m. Starring Texan Latonoia Moore in the eponymous role, Aida starts at 7:30 p.m., and new fans can download a study guide online to learn more about the classic drama’s history. 5:30-11 p.m. October 26.

If you build it, they will come … but it doesn't hurt to throw a party just in case. At least that's the theory behind the Klyde Warren Park Grand Opening on October 27 and 28. Dallas’ beloved herd of food trucks will be in top form, and the district will celebrate with free admission to all museums. The Polyphonic Spree and Trombone Shorty will jam out during Party in the Park. (6,000 free general admission tickets will be available starting October 9, so get yours ASAP.) The grand opening runs all day, and full schedules are forthcoming. For more details about the history of Dallas “new front lawn,” check out Klyde Warren Park: Bridging the Gap, a free exhibition running through November 9 at The Dallas Center for Architecture. Events are all day October 27 and 28.

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