Weekend Festivals

Ah, public transportation. No worrying about traffic. No searching for parking. Just relax and chat with friends and family until you get there. Shuttles from DART and the TRE go to two big festivals this weekend -- the Plano Balloon Festival (DART's Red Line to the Parker Road station) and Jazz by the Boulevard (TRE -- Fri and Sat only -- to the ITC station).

More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the Plano Balloon Festival. The balloons go up each night at 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7 a.m. A balloon glow lights up Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. The RE/MAX parachute team lands at 5 p.m. each night. Live music plays most of the day. There's a kids' area that includes art activities, a rock climbing wall, inflatable rides, and entertainment all weekend.

The slightly smaller, but still very large festival Jazz by the Boulevard expects more than 50,000 people this year. Food, wine, art, and, of course, jazz, come together in the Fort Worth Cultural District. Kids' activities include a Musical Instrument Petting Zoo, a Fort Worth library book walk, and arts and crafts.