Photos: Arts District springs into new season with Annual Block Party

The event helped emphasize a new lighter and approachable atmosphere in the Art District.

Dallas Arts District Spring Block Party

The Dallas Arts District sprang into a new season with live music, food trucks, and special programming on Friday, March 15. Photos by Alexandra Olivia.

Photo by Alexandra Olivia

Derek and daughter Brooklyn Reaves danced to old school tunes at The Nasher Museum.

DOWNTOWN DALLAS — The Arts District was "no coats, no scarves, no problem" on Friday evening as it celebrated its annual Spring Block Party with one of the year's most appropriately warm evenings on Friday, March 15. From progressive museum tours to live music and food trucks galore, the event successfully pulled Dallas into an artistic frame of mind.

Locally-based food trucks lined portions of Flora, which was blocked off to traffic, and patrons happily dined on sidewalks and curbs. While similar events had suffered from exceptionally long lines, Friday's night's party drew enough trucks to quickly and efficiently fill guests' bellies with everything from gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches from Ruthie's to flaky banh-mi at Nammi, and the weather proved just right for the return of Enticed Shaved Ice and Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches.

The block party enticed entire families, with age-appropriate games and activities for even the smallest children, and the pet-friendly event attracted a number of canine lovers. But, that's not to say the event was geared only toward families with youngsters. Many teenagers and adults walked hand-in-hand with dates, taking advantage of the night's potential for romance. Others checked out the adult-beverages at Crow Collection's Japanese beer tasting.

"People like going out and being around other faces," said Matthew Kingore, who also attended the Dallas Theater Center's pay-what-you-can performance of The Odd Couple. "Anything that gets Dallas into art and exploring is a good thing."

There was plenty of time to explore, particularly with the evening's Wizard of Oz, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" theme. Crawling through the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Garden -- all three of which now offer free admission -- patrons discovered new passions on progressive tours or simply lounged outside to the tunes of singer/songwriter Madison King, who alternated with alt-country band the King Bucks, during outside performances. Others took in film screenings while spreading out on the grass at the Nasher.

Coupled with new admission policies and efforts to spread art throughout the city, the Dallas Arts District's Spring Block Party helped emphasize a new lighter and approachable atmosphere, which almost anyone could enjoy. Those who missed out can check out the Summer Block Party in June.