Five unique North Texas events this weekend: September 9-11

This article originally appeared in the North Texas e-News.

Dallas Chocolate Festival

Satisfy your sweet tooth by learning more about the world of chocolate at the Dallas Chocolate Festival this weekend. The festival is designed for professional and hobby bakers alike with a particular eye towards those looking to start their own small businesses. There will be classes on how to make chocolate and find the best pairings with wine in addition to small business education courses at the fest. This decadent event starts at 10 A.M. each day beginning on Friday and extends throughout the weekend. General admission tickets vary based on the day and level of access but generally start at $25 to $35. Individual courses are a separate fee as well. For more information, visit https://dallaschocolate.org/.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration – Dallas

A Quinceanera Fashion Show along with live music and cooking demonstrations highlight this two-day celebration at the Dallas Arboretum starting on September 10. At 10 A.M. that day, the Arboretum will kick off a full, daylong calendar of events beginning with a celebration of Quinceanera Fashion and Culture and continuing with a Columbian cooking demonstration, a parade and live rumba music. Sunday’s event slate features performances by the Peruvian Consulate, a Puerto Rican cooking demonstration and a musical tribute to Latin icon Selena. Tickets for the celebration are included with general admission to the Arboretum which begins at $10. Visit the Dallas Arboretum website for the full schedule of celebration events.

A trio of events prior to Cowboys kickoff at The Star in Frisco

Just a day before the Dallas Cowboys kick off their regular season, visit the headquarters for America’s Team for a day of shopping. This free market on September 10, which takes place right outside the Ford Center in Tostitos Championship Plaza, promises over 40 vendors selling art, fashion, home decor and more. The market will be open from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. and coincide with two other events hosted by The Star in Frisco.

Popular video game streamer TimTheTatman is hosting a pop-up store for Complexity Gaming, the eSports franchise owned in part by Jerry Jones, which is also based out of the Frisco complex. The shop, which will be open from 11 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., will include new apparel for Complexity Gaming as well as other exclusive items. The first 200 people in attendance will also receive “the opportunity for a quick meet up with TimTheTatman” according to The Star’s website.

In addition to the pop-up store and market, there will also appropriately be some live football at the Ford Center this weekend for the second annual Catholic Bowl, a trio of games featuring Catholic high schools from across Texas as well as a school all the way from Eunice, Louisiana. The first game kicks off at 1:30 P.M. between St. Edmund High School in Eunice and John Paul II High School in Plano. Tickets for the games start at $20.

For more information about all of these events, visit The Star in Frisco website and head to its calendar page.

2022 Otsukimi Moon Viewing Festival – Frisco

The Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth is set to host what it calls “one of the region’s largest Japanese cultural celebrations” for the first time since 2019. The 23rd annual Otsukimi Moon Viewing Festival takes place at Frisco Square on September 10 and features a wide variety of cultural demonstrations from Japanese drumming and a summer festival dance to a demonstration by the Dallas Sumo Club and live Haiku readings. The free event starts at 7 P.M. and is scheduled to go until 10 P.M. Additional information, including a full list of performances and on-hand vendors, is available through the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth website.

Italian CarFest 2022 – Grapevine

This annual prelude to the city of Grapevine’s Grapefest takes place from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. on September 10 and will feature more than 90 Italian cars ranging from sporty and speedy Ferraris and Lamborghinis to classic Alfa Romeos and more. This free admission event, hosted by the city and the Italian Car Club of North Texas, will include catered Italian food and drink by Chez Fabien and Main Street Bistro as well. Visit the City of Grapevine’s website for more information.