Spring is finally here. The festivals begin to pick up with an Irish festival, bluegrass, chocolate, gardens, and a wine and food festival.
Mar 6-7. Savor Dallas bills itself as an international experience of wine, food, spirits, and the arts and it lives up to that billing. Friday night starts off with a wine tour of the Dallas Arts District followed by a tasting in Victory Park featuring foods from the Victory Park restaurants. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket to watch the free movie afterward. On Saturday, there are two tastings. The wine tour is $30 and the food and wine event at Victory Park costs $35. The reserve tasting on Saturday night costs $135, the grand tasting $125. An all access pass is available for $300.
Mar 6-7. Fri 6 p.m.-10 p.m., Sat 1 p.m.-8:50 p.m. Bluegrass bands converge on Argyle each year. The festival is held indoors, so no worries about the weather. Food and drink is not allowed inside. A food court will be available. Tickets cost $10-50 and can be purchased
online, by phone, or by mail.
Mar 6-8. Fri 6 p.m.-11 p.m., Sat 10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m., Sun 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. All things Celtic are represented at the North Texas Irish Festival, including music, arts and crafts, and food and drink. Dress in ethnic Celtic garb--or not. Several options are available for tickets: Fri $10, Sat or Sun $15, weekend pass $30. Children fourteen and under are free and seniors and students receive $2 off. The festival will be held at the Embarcadero, Food and Fiber, Creative Arts, and Centennial Hall at Fair Park in Dallas.
Mar 7-Apr 12. Dallas Blooms kicks off the spring season with hundreds of thousands of bulbs and spring-blooming flowers. This year's theme is "A Classic" and the festival will celebrate 25 years of Dallas Blooms. The Dallas Arboretum is located at 8525 Garland Road in Dallas. To get there from I-30, take the Grand Avenue exit and go north. The Dallas Arboretum is about two miles down and on the right.
Mar 13-14. Fri 7 p.m.-10 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Grapevine's Chocolate Festival features chocolate, wine, snacks, and live jazz on Friday evening at La Buena Vida Vineyards and more chocolate and live jazz as well as cooking demonstrations and art exhibits on Saturday at the Palace Arts Center in downtown Grapevine. Tickets cost $40 for Friday night and $15 for Saturday.
Mar 14-17. Enjoy the wearing o' the green with parades, live music, and traditional Irish food and drink at various venues around town.
Mar 20-22. Fri 3 p.m.-8 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Find unique arts and crafts, antiques, collectibles, and home décor. Admission costs $5 for adults and is free for kids twelve and under. The Heart of Texas Arts and Crafts Show is being held at the Plano Centre at 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway. Take I-75 (Central Expressway) north from Dallas to Plano and exit Spring Creek. Turn right onto Spring Creek Parkway and about a quarter mile down, the Plano Centre will be on your right.
Mar 26-Apr 2. Over eight days, the best American and foreign films will be shown at various venues around Dallas.
Mar 27-29 and Apr 3-5. Grapevine Vintage Railroad turns into Thomas the Tank Engine, the popular children's character from books and television. Rides start at 9 a.m. on Friday and continue every 50 minutes during the day.
Tickets cost $14-18.
