The fun never ends in September and October, as the arts season comes back in full force, touring bands and comedians take over Amarillo stages, and favorite traditions like the Amarillo Tri-State Fair, Hoodoo Mural Festival and more come back to thrill the crowds. Check out these highlights, and don’t forget to subscribe to the free Brickly and Flavorillo newsletters for my entertainment picks every week.
September
Amarillo Tri-State Fair & Rodeo: Back for a 101st year, the premiere celebration of the area’s history and tradition will feature the annual parade, the midway, music from ’90s country star Clay Walker and others, and tons of fried goodies from Sept. 13 to 21 at the Fairgrounds, 3301 SE 10th Ave. Newer, but no less a celebration, is the Sept. 28 return of the Hoodoo Mural Festival, an outdoor party in downtown Amarillo boasting new murals and outstanding bands. Other events to watch for include the AirPower History Tour of historic World War II aircraft on Sept. 3 and 4 at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, 10801 Airport Blvd.; the Bizarre Bazaar spooky market on Sept. 7 at Arts in the Sunset, 3701 S. Plains Blvd.; Wings of Hope butterfly release on Sept. 14 at Bonham Middle School, 5600 SW 49th Ave., and Amarillo Botanical Gardens’ Day with the Butterflies, also on Sept. 14 at the gardens, 1400 Streit Drive; Ronald McDonald House’s Secret Garden Ball on Sept. 7 at Starlight Canyon, 100 Brentwood Road; the LIPS fundraiser for Opportunity School on Sept. 21 at Arts in the Sunset; Healing Hearts Grief Retreat on Sept. 22 at Dove Creek Equine Rescue, 16201 Gordon Cummings Road in Canyon; the Una Gran Cena fundraiser for Wesley Community Center on Sept. 26 at the center, 1615 S. Roberts St.; and the Our Colors Run Together 5K and One-Mile Fun Run for Harrington Cancer and Health Foundation on Sept. 28 at Amarillo Museum of Art, 2200 S. Van Buren. Plus, the Amarillo Sod Poodles wrap their regular season with a series against the Frisco RoughRiders from Sept. 10 to 15 at Hodgetown, 715 S. Buchanan St.
Waitress: Amarillo Little Theatre serves up the regional premiere of this wildly popular contemporary musical about a, yes, waitress with big dreams and bigger problems. It’ll be staged Sept. 5 to 22 in the Allen Shankles MainStage, 2019 Civic Circle. Other arts highlights to watch for include the monthly First Friday Art Walk on Sept. 6 at Arts in the Sunset; Amarillo Symphony and the Sod Poodles’ Celebrate America concert on Sept. 7 at Hodgetown; the Symphony’s official season opener featuring Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, complete with digital art by Geoff Case, on Sept. 13 and 14 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.; West Texas A&M University Theatre’s premiere of the musical Alice By Heart from Sept. 26 to Oct. 6 in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre; Chamber Music Amarillo’s The Visual Meets the Aural on Sept. 27 at Arts in the Sunset; and WT Opera’s Doctor Miracle on Sept. 28 and 29 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall.
Rock the Yard: ’80s metal favorites Queensrÿche, Slaughter, Stephen Pearcy of RATT and Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses unite for a loud night at The Lumberyard, 850 N. 23rd St. in Canyon. Other music highlights are set to include REO Speedwagon tribute band High ’N Fidelity on Sept. 1 and Journey tribute band Encore on Sept. 21, both at Shark Beach Burgers, 1505 E. FM 1151; Dallas Burrow on Sept. 5, Jay Stratham on Sept. 14 and Ross Cooper on Sept. 20 at The Golden Light Cantina, 2906 SW Sixth Ave.; Friends of Fogelberg XIV: Dan & Rockin’ the ’70s on Sept. 6 in the Globe-News Center; Creed Fisher on Sept. 6 at Azteca Music Hall, 500 FM 1912; the Electric Gypsies on Sept. 6, Gatlin Johnson on Sept. 7, Bailey Rae on Sept. 13, Wynn Williams on Sept. 20 and Adam Hood on Sept. 27 at The Western Horseman, 2501 I-40 East; The Magic of Motown tribute concert Sept. 7 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St.; Payton Howie on Sept. 19 at Hoot’s Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; and The Live Dead & Brothers on Sept. 20 at the Globe-News Center.
Speak No Evil: James McAvoy looks deliciously evil in this buzzy new thriller, opening Sept. 13. Other new films to check out include thriller The Front Room on Sept. 6; action-comedy The Killer’s Game on Sept. 13; crime flick Wolfs, thriller Never Let Go and animated prequel Transformers One on Sept. 20; and comedy-drama Empire Waist, sci-fi drama Megalopolis, horror flick Azrael and animated adventure The Wild Robot on Sept. 27. Special engagements include 50th-anniversary screenings of Blazing Saddles on Sept. 15 and 18; 25th-anniversary screenings of The Matrix on Sept. 19 and 22; and the Studio Ghibli Fest screenings of Howl’s Moving Castle from Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
October
Creepy Crawl: Amarillo’s biggest Halloween celebration returns with tricks, treats, costumes, music and specials all around Historic Route 66. Plus, look out for haunted houses, pumpkin mazes, trunk & treats, and more all around the city throughout the month. Other events you can’t miss include the 28th annual Amarillo Chamber Good Times Celebration Barbecue Cook-Off on Oct. 3 on the Tri-State Fairgrounds; Acts Community’s Dances of the Decades fundraiser on Oct. 5 at Arts in the Sunset; Amarillo Oktoberfest on Oct. 5 at Starlight Ranch Event Center; the Great Epilepsy Cookout on Oct. 5 at Hodgetown; Hope Lives Here’s Hope for Our Heroes gala on Oct. 5 at Embassy Suites Amarillo, 550 S. Buchanan St.; the Palo Duro Canyon ChuckWagon Roundup on Oct. 5 at the state park; Pondaseta Brewing Co.’s Volksfest on Oct. 5; Storybridge Live on Oct. 5, also at Hodgetown; the Water Lantern Festival on Oct. 5 at Thompson Park, 2401 Dumas Drive; Amarillo Public Library’s Books to Broadway fundraiser on Oct. 8 in the Civic Center Heritage Ballroom; the Amarillo Calf Fry Fest, a fundraiser for The Bridge, on Oct. 12 at Starlight Ranch; the Boys Ranch Rodeo and Fall Fest on Oct. 12; Martha’s Home’s A Night on the Town fundraiser with comedian Mike Goodwin on Oct. 12 in the Civic Center Heritage Ballroom; WT Homecoming on Oct. 12; Panhandle Pride 2024 from 1 to 10 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Civic Center; rising Texas comedian Ralph Barbosa on Oct. 19 in the Civic Center Auditorium; the Steaks & Two-Steppin’ fundraiser for Special Olympics on Oct. 19 at Starlight Ranch Event Center; and the Randall County Steakout fundraising dinner Oct. 26 in the Civic Center Grand Plaza. Plus, the Amarillo Wranglers hockey team opens its home season with games Oct. 11, 12, 25 and 26 in the Civic Center Coliseum.
Saturday Night: The historic first broadcast of Saturday Night Live is recounted in a new film that’s more of a thriller than a comedy, opening Oct. 11. Other film premieres to check out include animated film Scarygirl and adventure Monster Summer on Oct. 4; anime film My Hero Academia: You’re Next and Pharrell Williams’ Lego biography Piece by Piece on Oct. 11; thriller Flight Risk and horror sequel Smile 2 on Oct. 18; and comic book sequel Venom: The Last Dance on Oct. 25. Special engagements include 20th-anniversary screenings of Mean Girls on Oct. 3 and 6; The Met: Live in HD screenings of Les Contes d’Hoffmann on Oct. 5 and 9, and Grounded on Oct. 19, 23 and 26; and a Studio Ghibli Fest screening of Kiki’s Delivery Service from Oct. 26 to 30. Plus, don’t miss the Amarillo International Film Festival from Oct. 10 to 12 at Arts in the Sunset.
Amarillo Symphony: The orchestra officially commemorates its 100th anniversary Oct. 11 and 12 in the Globe-News Center with a special concert featuring the Grammy-winning ensemble Time for Three, a newly commissioned work celebrating Cadillac Ranch on its 50th birthday, and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Other arts highlights will include Amarillo Opera’s spin on the classic Carmen on Oct. 5 in the Globe-News Center; Chamber Music Amarillo’s Winds and Friends on Oct. 19 at AmTech Career Academy, 3601 Plains Blvd.; Lone Star Ballet’s take on Frankenstein on Oct. 19 in the Globe-News Center; Amarillo Little Theatre’s seasonally appropriate Arsenic and Old Lace from Oct. 24 to Nov. 3 at the Allen Shankles MainStage; WT Theatre’s The Gamester from Oct. 24 to Nov. 3 in the Branding Iron Theatre; Amarillo Symphony’s special Symphony Spooktacular on Oct. 25 in the Globe-News Center; and Amarillo Youth Choirs on Oct. 27 at Northen Recital Hall.
Neal McCoy: The ’90s country star kicks off a month of concerts at Starlight Ranch Event Center on Oct. 4. The venue also will feature Texas country stars Shane Smith & The Saints on Oct. 11, hip-hop star Paul Wall on Oct. 25, and Red Dirt favorite Wade Bowen on Oct. 26, all at Starlight Ranch Event Center; country singer Scotty Alexander on Oct. 4 and Dallas Burrow on Oct. 26 at The Western Horseman; The Shane Hamilton Band on Oct. 12 at Hoot’s Pub; Boy Named Banjo on Oct. 19 at The Golden Light Cantina; and Overtime’s Road to Gold tour Sept. 21 at Whiskey River, 4001 SW 51st Ave.
