Events
1Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen brings his storytelling and musical talents back to Fort Worth with a performance at Bass Hall on Saturday. He's calling it his Merry Christmas from the Fam-O-Lee Tour. If you can't wait, he plays Friday night at the House of Blues in Dallas.
House of Blues: 8 p.m. Friday, 2200 N. Lamar St., Dallas. $33.75-$97.50. 214-978-2583; hob.com
Bass Hall: 8 p.m. Saturday, 525 Commerce St., Fort Worth. $33-$82.50. 817-212-4280; basshall.com
2We don't need any Canadians to tell us how to get our Cirque on. Enjoy North Texas' own Lone Star Circus this weekend, and through Tuesday, when it presents Cirque Banquiste!, featuring an assortment of clowns, acrobats, hand balancers, aerialists -- and dogs. Be sure to get there early -- about 45 minutes early -- for the pre-show in the lobby.
7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Monday, 2 p.m. Tuesday at Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman Ave., Dallas. $20-$25 children, $38-$46 adults. 214-206-1449; lonestarcircus.com
New Year's Eve
3Neither Anderson Cooper nor Ryan Seacrest will be there, but that won't stop the annual Big D NYE celebration from drawing crowds from all over the Metroplex to Victory Park. It's a free, open-air party with entertainment from Breaking Southwest, DJ Ro Parrish, Forever the Sickest Kids, Leogun, Time Machine and Arlington's The Sing-Off winners, Pentatonix.
7 p.m.-1 a.m. Monday at American Airlines Center and Victory Park, 2500 Victory Lane, Dallas. Free; the DART Rail stops at Victory Park. www.bigdnye.com
4Sometimes you want to celebrate the new year in a familiar place, and if you're a Stockyards regular, there's no better place than Billy Bob's Texas on New Year's Eve. This year, the Casey Donahew Band will ring in 2013.
10:30 p.m. Monday at Billy Bob's, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, in the Fort Worth Stockyards. $20-$30. 817-624-7117; www.billybobstexas.com
5Are raves coming back? Did they ever go away? Lights All Night, a three-day New Year's weekend party featuring some of the biggest names in dance music, has moved to Fair Park this year, and features DJs and bands on four stages. Headliners include Diplo, Tiesto, Avicii, Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, Axwell and Ghostland Observatory.
Saturday-Monday. General admission is $99 each day, with three-day passes for $199; VIP packages are $450-$999, with additional hotel packages available. www.lightsallnight.com
6The story of a boy and his need to dance comes to Hurst with a production of Footloose the Musical at the Artisan Center Theater in Hurst. The regular run begins Thursday and continues through Feb. 9. But there are two New Year's Eve performances, with the 5 p.m. show featuring appetizers, dinner and party favors. The 8:30 p.m. set has appetizers, dessert, party favors and an '80s-themed dance afterward. This is a nonalcoholic event.
5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Monday at Artisan Center Theater, Hurst. $35 for 5 p.m. ticket, $25 for 8:30 p.m. ticket, $9-$18 for regular run tickets. 817-284-1200; artisanct.com
Local arts
7 Black Spurs, which celebrates the history of black cowboys, completes its run at Jubilee Theatre on Sunday. This is your last chance to see the show before it rides off into the sunset.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main St., Fort Worth. $10-$25. 817-338-4411; jubileetheatre.org
Family
8The last day for laughter and learning at Stars Theater's Holiday Komedy Kamp for Kids will be Friday. Kids ages 8-12 will receive either a full day, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., or half day, 9 a.m.-noon, of instruction in comedy and performance technique.
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday at ONSTAGE, Bedford Boys Ranch Park, 2819 Forest Ridge Drive, Bedford. Full day $200 plus $10 registration fee; half day, $125 plus $10 registration. 817-925-1430; www.starstheater.org
9The holidays are the perfect time to take your kids to experience the Dinosaurs Live! exhibit at the Heard Museum in McKinney. Families will encounter life-size animatronic dinosaurs, including a 46-foot-long T. rex, along the nature trails. The trail is jogging stroller-friendly.
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 3. Closed Mondays. Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Nature Place, McKinney. Admission is $11; $8 for ages 60 and older and ages 3-12; free for ages 2 and younger. 972-562-5566; www.heardmuseum.org
10Catch the final days of Legoland Discovery Center's Holly Jolly Holidays, through Monday. Santa joins this seasonal celebration in Miniland, where kids can compete to win fun prizes in the Lego Champion Game Tournament from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For a donation to Merlin's Magic Wand, build a Lego ornament or participate in holiday-themed builds, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Open 10 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Legoland Discovery Center, 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Grapevine. Admission: $19 ages 13 and older, $15 ages 3-12, free for kids 2 and younger. 469-444-3050; www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/dallasfw.
-- Compiled by Mark Lowry, Kathy Hailey and Cary Darling
