Are You Ready for This?

This Fall, the Arlington Cultural District is going to blow you away.

There’s no mystery: this fall, Downtown Arlington is THE place for an incredible variety of live entertainment: music, theater, art, educational opportunities, festivals, and plenty of hoops. But if there was a mystery to unravel, the headliners for the Levitt Pavilion’s 10^th Anniversary Benefit Concert can help us unravel it.

[caption id="attachment_23989" align="img-wrapleft" width="341"] Barenaked Ladies[/caption]

With their sense of humor and talent for wordplay, Barenaked Ladies will offer up their harmony-rich hybrid of folk and pop/rock at the Levitt Pavilion Arlington on October 13. With more than 14 million albums sold worldwide and multiple award nominations, Barenaked Ladies is best known for “One Week,” “The Old Apartment,” “It’s All Been Done,” “If I Had $1,000,000,”and of course, the theme song to TV’s Big Bang Theory.

Proceeds from ticket sales to the Barenaked Ladies concert will help Levitt Pavilion continue to provide more than 50 free concerts every year, right in the heart of Downtown Arlington.

But wait! There’s much, much, much more. Yeah, you’ll want to bookmark this.

Music

In addition to their Benefit Concert, the Levitt Pavilion’s fall 2018 schedule ranges from pop, alternative and jazz to blues, country and funk.

[caption id="attachment_23990" align="img-wrapleft" width="341"] Wynonna & The Big Noise[/caption]

Although this historic venue may have cut its musical teeth on country, today’s Arlington Music Hall (AMH) delights crowds with performances of every imaginable genre. This fall, there's nowhere else you can see — among others — Stevie Ray Vaughan vs Jimi Hendrix tribute bands, Wynonna & The Big Noise, Don McClean, Lucia Micarelli, The Oak Ridge Boys, Peruvian flausit Alexandro Querevalú, and the AMH Spectacular Christmas.

AMH is also home to the celebrated Symphony Arlington, whose stirring 2018-19 season entitled Symphonic Kaleidoscope includes Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz, Gliere's Red Poppy Suite, Auber's Le domino noir, Ellington's Mood Indigo, and Rhapsody in Blue performed by pianist Simone Sala, returning by popular demand. Meanwhile, chamber music ensemble Timeless Concerts is hosting “Romantics of Easter Europe” on September 15 at the Arlington Museum of Art and “Germany vs. Italy” on November 10.

[caption id="attachment_23992" align="img-wrapleft" width="341"] Icons on Fire[/caption]

UT Arlington’s College Park Center hosts concerts as well as other touring companies and events. We’re especially looking forward to Icons on Fire: Tribute to Michael Jackson, Prince, and Tina Turner on November 9.

The UT Arlington Department of Music boasts its own ambitious performance season of classical, jazz, opera, choral and contemporary music performed by its world-class faculty, guest musicians and talented students. Sometimes you can also catch UTA music professors gigging with the American Jazz Composers Orchestra at the Grease Monkey Burger Shop and Social Club or Dan Cavanaugh and Friends at Urban Alchemy Coffee + Wine Bar.

Gilligan’s, Growl, Truth Vinyl, J.R. Bentley’s, Division Brewing, The Tipsy Oak, and other Downtown pubs and restaurants host an eclectic array of bands and entertainment throughout the year, too.

Musical Theatre

Between Theatre Arlington‘s professional and youth ensembles and UTA’s outstanding Maverick Theatre Company, you’ll be humming your favorite tunes from such hits as Theatre Arlington’s 9 to 5: The Musical, The Magical City of Oz, Junie B. Jones: The Musical Jr. and They’re Playing Our Song and UTA’s Company and The Music Man.

Theatre

Other performances by Theatre Arlington and UTA’s Maverick Theatre Company are also sure to delight, including Theatre Arlington’s A Few Good Men, Miracle on 34^th Street, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, The Adventures of Nate the Great, and Brighton Beach Memoirs and UTA’s The Clean House, The Shock of Recognition, Ladies in Waiting, Some Sunny Day, Eurydice, and Princess Mia plus performances by the popular Flight 12 Improv group. Visit their websites for complete 2018-19 performance schedules.

Art Exhibitions

In addition to the exceptional, on-going exhibits at Studio204, Upstairs Gallery, Gallery West, UTA Libraries’ Special Collections and the Gallery at UTA, be sure to check out the current exhibitions at the Arlington Museum of Art. Opening this week are nature by Adam Fung, Big Empty Head by Marilyn Jolly, and Made in Italy, a collection by UTA students who’ve just returned from a residency in Florence, Italy.

Art Festivals

In support of the newly launched Downtown Arlington Urban Art Movement, the new Brewing Arts Festival kicks off on Sept. 13 with a VIP Dedication of the Downtown Arlington Mural Project. The festival continues on Sept. 14-15 with a block festival that includes artists booths, interactive art, a kids' maker/creator area, live music, DJs, and performing artists.

Frame4Frame Festival is dedicated to raising cultural awareness and appreciation for the diverse population in Arlington through film, art, music, guest speakers and workshops. Planned in partnership with the Arlington Museum of Art, J. Gilligan’s and Studio Movie Grill-Lincoln Square, this year’s festival is Sept. 20-23.

Musical and visual artists will share their crafts at the South Street Art Festival on October 12-14, the longest-running fine arts festival in Downtown.

Dance

Located in the heart of Downtown, Miss Persis Dance Studio and Dance Theatre of Arlington have been providing a variety of dance classes and performances for decades. The UTA Maverick Dance Company presents VIA DANCE, a collection of thought-provoking, progressive dance works in December and May.

Lectures and Learning

Thanks to our new Pop-Up! Partner program and many of our Downtown partners, there are tons of opportunities to participate in workshops, wellness activities, artisan demonstrations and other unique experiences. The list is seemingly endless, but here’s a taste: free blacksmithing demonstrations at Knapp Heritage Park; Monday Night Painting at Sparks Studios; wine glass painting at Urban Alchemy; jewelry making at Legal Draft; sign painting workshops at Board & Brush; countless of free programs for kids and adults at the new Downtown Library; and more.

A world-class research university, The University of Texas at Arlington is a magnet for creative thinkers, inventors and change-makers. Throughout the academic year, faculty and guest lecturers – including the 2018-19 Maverick Speaker Series – provide thought-provoking presentations on today’s hottest topics. Visit the UTA calendar of events for the most up-to-date listing of public talks and demonstrations.

Sports

[caption id="attachment_23997" align="img-wrapleft" width="341"] UTA's Kevin Hervey, who was drafted to the NBA this summer by the Oklahoma City Thunder[/caption]

How convenient that Downtown Arlington is one short park-and-shuttle ride from the homes of the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Live!, Arlington’s newest music and dining district. Downtown is also a short park-and-walk to UTA’s College Park Center where it’s nothing but net for our hometown UTA Mavericks and Dallas Wings. Maverick volleyball is already in full swing, while Maverick basketball tips off in mid-November.

Event Information at Your Fingertips

Don’t miss out on anything that our cultural partners have to offer! Subscribe to our e-newsletter for the latest in events, performances and entertainment in Downtown, visit our online calendar of events., and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and tag us with @dtArlington.

Parking and Getting Around Downtown

Track #myAbram and visit myAbram.com for the latest information about traffic routing, temporary parking and construction milestones along Abram St. Download Waze for free and see real-time traffic, find optimal routes and avoid road closures, or leave your car at home and hail Via Arlington Ride Share for only $3. UTA students can hop on a bike at any one of seven convenient Zagster locations.

About Downtown Arlington

Designated by the State of Texas as the Arlington Cultural District, Downtown Arlington blends a unique mix of activities, sights, tastes and sounds that attract visitors and locals alike. Within its less than a two-mile radius, Downtown is home to a top tier public research university, prolific fine and performing artists and arts institutions, live entertainment, exciting NCAA and professional athletics, one-of-a-kind dining and retail, and a supportive business climate.