February Is Short and Very Sweet: Fun in the Fort

It seems rather poignant to be sitting at my desk, watching the “wintry mix” fall, writing about the wonderful events and activities happening in Fort Worth this month, but here we are! February may be short, but it’s packed with things to do, so be sure to bookmark this page!

Celebrate Black History Month with Bass Hall
Now through March 3
Virtual

Join the Children’s Education Program and Performing Arts Fort Worth in celebration of Black History Month by revisiting the inspiring stories of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Texas pilot Bessie Coleman, and Fort Worth’s own Ms. Opal Lee: Grandmother of Juneteenth. Also available for streaming is the documentary Legends and Legacies, uncovering some of Fort Worth’s unsung heroes and significant African American leaders. The Children’s Education Program of Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Performance Hall invites you and your students to register for these FREE digital streaming experiences.

Lonesome Blues
February 2-11
Circle Theatre

Lonesome Blues is the celebration of the legendary local bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson. Born blind, but ultimately able to express his deepest emotions through music, Jefferson was discovered on a street corner in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas, Texas in 1925. He made more than 80 records over the next four years—becoming one the most prolific and influential performers of his generation and propelling the growth of rhythm and blues, soul, doo-wop, rap, and hip-hop. Recently produced at the Undermain Theatre in Dallas, Circle is honored to bring this epic story with live music to Fort Worth.

Dance Theatre of Harlem: Dancing in the Street
February 7
TCU Campus Commons

Open to the public and suitable for all ages, Dancing in the Street is a fun and accessible community engagement event.  No dance experience is necessary. Participants will be led by DTH company artists in an easy-to-follow warm-up, then learn a section of one of the company’s most popular ballets, Return, choreographed by artistic director designate Robert Garland and set to the music of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown.  You will be in the center of the action as everyone is featured when you strut your stuff coming down the Soul Train line.  This event is part of the DTH Residency with the TCU School for Classical & Contemporary Dance (SCCDance).

Galentine’s Party
February 9
Fort Worth Zoo

Grab your girls and have a wild night out at the Fort Worth Zoo’s annual Galentine’s Party! Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, and dessert buffet, and mix and mingle with the Zoo’s outreach animals and leave with your very own adoption package, supporting the care and feeding of the Zoo’s animals.

Spaceman
February 10-March 5
Amphibian Stage

Spaceman is a full-sensory, surround-sound expedition into outer space. Spaceman follows Molly Jennis’s solo mission to Mars after her husband’s failed, tragic attempt at the same journey. Aaron Grunfeld’s review of the original production at Loading Dock Theatre remarked that Spaceman “…is a masterpiece of science fiction..it imparts that classic sense of wonder, marveling at humanity’s potential and the courage that drives our endeavors. If it should come to your city, see it.” This production will be the first since the world premiere at New York City’s Loading Dock Theatre in 2019.

Taste the Love: Valentine’s Dinner and Fundraiser
February 11
Taste Community Restaurant

Celebrate Valentines with us while also helping to end hunger in our community at our 6th annual ‘Taste the Love’ Valentines Dinner and Fundraiser. Reservations available between 6:00pm and 6:30pm.  Tickets are $300 per couple.  Tickets must be purchased in advance. This event is BYOB. All sales benefit Taste Project and the operation of Taste Community Restaurant.  Taste Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit established to feed, educate, and serve our community so they may “…taste and see the Lord is good.”  Psalm 34:8. Learn more about our mission and vision at www.tasteproject.org.

I’ll Be Your Mirror: Art and the Digital Screen
February 12-April 30
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents the landmark I’ll Be Your Mirror: Art and the Digital Screen, a thematic group exhibition that examines the screen’s vast impact on art from 1969 to the present. This exhibition surveys more than sixty works by fifty artists over the past five decades. The artists included examine screen culture through a broad range of media such as paintings, sculpture, video games, digital art, augmented reality, and video.

A Night of Black Excellence: Songs of a Native Son
February 12
I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM & VPA

In February, Fort Worth Opera will continue its annual celebration of Black History Month with A Night of Black Excellence: Songs of a Native Son. This year’s live performances at Fort Worth’s historic I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA will feature performances from singers John Holiday, Donnie Ray Albert, and Naguanda Nobles. Joined by the ANOBE Ensemble, Dr. Clark Joseph, Monya Davis Logan, Lesio Littlejohn and Cassidy Robinson, along with poet Leslie N. Polk, the Cosmopolitan Dance Troupe, members of our Hattie Mae Lesley Resident and Studio Artists and more! This year’s A Night of Black Excellence will honor Commissioner Roy C. Brooks for his years of service to Tarrant Country and Fort Worth. As we look to highlight, celebrate, and lift up the Black Men who lead and are pillars of our community, Songs of a Native Son will include musical performances that fill our souls and hearts.

Mexico in Our Blood
February 12
Cowtown Coliseum

Mexico en la Sangre is a show capturing the art of charreria (Mexican rodeo), Caballos bailadores (dressage or dancing horses), Folklorico, and live music! The rodeo show captivates people’s attention through Charreria balanced with dancing horses, live music, and folkloric dancing! Charros present the different suertes in charreria. Escaramuzas bring the real feel of Adelita’s in their synchronized presentations. Both competitors love what they do and share the traditions with all of Fort Worth. The Caballos bailadores (dancing horses) demonstrate the different passages of a well-educated horse in the Alta Escuela. A crowd favorite is the jumping horse doing a Cabriola! The folkloric dancers bring different traditional cultural dances to each show. Mexico En LA Sangre is known for providing all live music from banda to mariachi! Mexico En La Sangre has become a family and we hope fans can capture how well everyone brings their different traditions to play!

The Harlem Globetrotters 2023 World Tour
February 12
Dickies Arena

The Harlem Globetrotters 2023 World Tour presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs is coming to Dickies Arena on February 12th with game like never before! Your favorite Globetrotter stars are bringing out their amazing basketball skill, outrageous athleticism, and a non-stop LOL good time. Join the Globetrotters as they go head-to-head against the Washington Generals who will stop at nothing to try and defeat the world’s winningest team!

A Special Dinner for a Special Someone
February 14
Central Market Cooking School

Enjoy a special dinner with this menu from the African American kitchen of Alexander Smalls, world class opera singer, chef, restaurateur, and author of a James Beard Award-winning cookbook. This meal is simply elegant – and perfect for your Valentine’s Day celebrations. As you sit back and relax, our instructors will show you how to make each dish. For ages 21 & up. Tickets are priced per person; you will be prompted to purchase 2 tickets – one for you and one for your Valentine.

Cheating Songs with Raised Right Men
February 14
The Post at River East

Tired of all those lovey-dovey couples being cute? Ready for some serious country done ‘em wrong? Head to the Post at River East for a special Valentine’s Day performance by Raised Right Men, playing all covers of classic country songs about cheating.

College Night
February 16
Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Calling all DFW college students! Enjoy an exclusive evening with free food and tunes for college and graduate students. Enjoy complimentary savory snacks, sweet treats, and something to drink while you chill out and listen to electro beats with DJ Wild in the Streets. Pick up a Fierce Female Personality Quiz in the Atrium and find out which female artist you are most like in the Carter’s collection. Once completed, decorate your own button to proudly proclaim your Carter artist sister. Make a unique and collaborative work of art with Carter Community Artist Rebecca Shewmaker inspired by Charles Truett Williams: The Art of the Scene.

The Play That Goes Wrong
February 16-March 12i
Stage West

Welcome to the opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), the whole evening is a disastrous smash. Chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania, this classic murder mystery is sure to bring down the house!

4^th Annual Gumbo Cookoff Benefitting Hope Center 4 Autism
February 18
Twilite Lounge Fort Worth

Twenty contestants will be making their best gumbo to compete for one of 3 prizes – the grand prize will be a $500 cash! Public tasting starts at 6pm but come early to get a good spot. Every year we work hand in hand with our dear friends at Hope Center 4 Autism, using this event to raise awareness for all they do, and donate a portion of our sales from this event directly to them. We are happy to be partnering up with our friends at Hop Fusion Ale Works, who will be our beer sponsor for the evening! The Mississippi Bastard Project will hit the stage the moment winners are announced!

A Seat at the Table, Black History Designer Symposium
February 24
Brown-Lupton University Union

TCU Department of Design presents our Inaugural Black History Designer Symposium, A Seat at the Table! The event will consist of IIDA CEO Cheryl Durst as our keynote speaker, and a Panel of 5 Black Designers within the DFW area speaking on representation, inclusion & diversity. We will also host Black high school students that have an interest in design who will also participate in our Design Workshop. Faculty, students, community, everyone, Please RSVP TODAY!

World of Orchids
February 24-April 9
Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Experience the stunning and exquisite beauty of all shapes, sizes, and colors of thousands of orchids arranged in breathtaking displays coming for the first time to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s beautiful Rainforest Conservatory February 24 – April 9, 2023. Learn about their habitats and how to grow them in your own home.

A Gala Evening with Yo-Yo Ma
February 25
Bass Performance Hall

For one night only, witness the ultimate artistic mastery of Yo-Yo Ma, one of classical music’s best-recognized figures and ambassadors. From performances in the White House to children’s television shows and, lately, small community centers for everyday Americans, Ma is the consummate artist, renowned as much for his generosity of spirit and humility as for his musical ability. This will be an unforgettable performance of composer Edward Elgar’s final great offering, the Cello Concerto, a work of unparalleled pathos, its simplicity allowing performers to cut through to listeners’ emotional cores in the most profound manner. To open this special evening, Robert Spano conducts another English masterpiece, Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 2, “A London Symphony,” setting the stage for the splendor to come.