Concerts in the Garden // Star Wars Edition

#TWMtips Bring:

+ Bug Spray & Sunscreen
+ Snacks
+ Blanket or Chairs
+ Arrive by 6:30 pm
+ Bring cash for drinks and toys for the kids

Last week we attended Concerts In The Garden for the Star Wars edition of the annual month-long series of music and fun. You probably did, too. It almost seemed as if the entire city turned out to hear the music, watch the laser light show, and get a chance to pose for a selfie with Darth Vader.

If you’re one of the few who didn’t make it let me see if I can give you a quick rundown. The weather was tepid, the park was crowded, the parking was challenging and it was incredibly fun for kids and adults alike.

Yeah it was hot, but so what? It’s summer in Texas, what do you expect? And it just so happened there was a nice little North breeze that seemed to pick up at just the right times to cool things down. Yes it was a packed house, but the crowd was extremely friendly. There was an atmosphere of shared adventure that reminded me a little bit of Grateful Dead concerts I may or may not have attended in my carefree youth. Yes, you had to park a mile away and walk or take a shuttle, but again it was part of the adventure. The price you pay for a mountain top view is the hike up the mountain.

The Fort Worth Symphony performed music from Hollywood blockbusters with a laser-light show  at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday, June 26, 2015. The orchestra performed music from Start Wars, Star Trek and Back to the Future.(Lawrence E. Jenkins/Special Contributor)

(Lawrence E. Jenkins/Special Contributor)

The show goes something like this; music from lots of different fantasy and sci-fi movies including Superman, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars with lots of lasers doing amazing things in time to the music. The big finish is the heart-pounding Star Wars theme interspersed with a really impressive fireworks show. This night we had the added benefit of one of Nature’s light shows with lightening back-lighting big beautiful clouds off to the South followed by a soft, cooling rain shower as we all filed out of the park and back to our cars.

We went with some friends of ours who are always up for a fun adventure. For the adults it was about just hanging out, relaxing, drinking a bit of wine and beer. For the kids it was about, magic and awe and newness and discovery and, of course, light sabers. The coolest thing about evening for us as parents was the fact that we could let the kids be kids and no one cared because their kids were running around being kids with our kids and everyone was having a ball. As the night deepened most of the kids started settling in and really paying attention the music and the lights and when the fireworks started up they were all appropriately wowed.

When the show ended we decided to wait out the mass exodus a bit before we headed out. When we finally made it back to the car my husband asked everybody their favorite part of the show. The kids all answered the fireworks. My husband and I both answered watching the kids watch the fireworks. That never gets old. The price to see those precious faces mesmerized by music, lasers and fireworks was hot weather, a crowded park and distant parking. It was worth every penny.

(Lawrence E. Jenkins/Special Contributor)

If you want to go to a Concerts In The Garden show you’d better hurry, there are only a few more shows left this summer. Tickets are available and can be purchased through the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra website.