When is the best time to visit Dallas?

With four seasons, a long multi-cultural history, and a sprawling metroplex, there's a lot to see and do in Dallas year round. But the best time to visit Dallas will depend on how much you want to spend, what festivals you're hoping to experience, and the degree of tolerance you have for the high heat and humidity that settle on the city during the summer months.

Each season brings something new to D-Town and if your travel plans are flexible, it's worth considering multiple visits throughout the year to experience it all. Four days in Dallas is enough to cover the city’s highlights, though you could easily fill a week or more. 

So, when is the best time to visit? Here's the skinny on the highs (temperatures), the lows (seasons), and the events you can look forward to throughout the year.

June to August is the best time for indoor activities

Weather in Dallas in summer: Safe to say it gets hot in the city. Average highs hover around the mid-90s, but it's not uncommon to experience triple digits. Though the humidity is high, Dallas is built for the heat and there is no shortage of fun things to do in the air-conditioned indoors.

The summer “high” or busy season in Dallas runs from June through August; the heat finally begins to wane come September. It may be hot in the summertime, but that's still when people have PTO to burn and the kids are out of school. Expect higher hotel prices during the summer, and extra competition for the beer garden seats in front of the fans and sprayers. In fact, the average hotel rates in Dallas during the peak tourist season are double that of the rates in the low season.

Things start to heat up with Taste of Dallas, a beloved celebration of the city's restaurant scene. Reunion Tower (that's the big disco lollypop on the skyline) hosts parties in the park at the base of the building, complete with live music, lawn games, and plenty of cold beer.

Juneteenth on the 19th commemorates the day the last enslaved people in Texas learned they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier. The MLK Community Center, The University of Texas at Dallas Multicultural Center, and African American museum are just a few of the institutions who put on celebratory events.

Since 1972, Dallas has had its own Shakespeare company. Every summer from mid-June to mid-July, they present live productions at the Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre in East Dallas. Fair Park puts on a big celebration for the Fourth of July, with water shows, fireworks, food trucks and more.

August ushers in the hottest temperatures of the year to Dallas. While this is a great time to hit the pool at your hotel or home rental, there’s still plenty going on throughout the city. DFW Restaurant Week is a great excuse to dine out and sample some of the city’s best cuisine. 

One thing to know about Texas is that despite the temperatures, outdoor activities are still popular. Just make sure to pack plenty of water and take long breaks. When you need to cool off, take advantage of Dallas' love affair with air conditioning by ducking into shops, restaurants, bars, museums, and live music venues.

March to May and September to October are great times for outdoor activities

Weather in Dallas during shoulder season: The temperatures are mild, hovering in the mid-70s and mid-80s. There's a higher chance of rain but it tends to pass quickly. Pack a light jacket if you're exploring outdoors.

There are actually two shoulder seasons in the city – March to May and September to November – and they're the best times to visit if you're in search of mild weather. With cooler temperatures, spring and fall are perfect for enjoying the city's parks, food trucks, walking trails, and patios. Jog your way to the Katy Trail Ice House without ending up soaked in sweat or take in the skyline from Trinity Groves without the heat shimmering on the horizon.

However, keep in mind that while the shoulder seasons bring cooler temperatures, they can also bring more rain. March through May and September through November are considered the rainy season in Dallas. Luckily, showers tend to be short and rainy periods often last less than two days at a time. Storm season in Dallas falls in the spring each year and can bring strong winds, though these tend to pass quickly as well.

Since 1983, March has been all about honoring the Irish American community in North Texas, which itself dates back to the 1700s. The Irish Festival is centered around St Patrick's Day on the 17th and involves Celtic music, traditional dancing, and even some horse shows – this is Texas after all. Dallas Arts Month kicks off in April with a full slate of gallery showings, art talks, and even true crime theater experiences. Next up is Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair. What started as a small neighborhood block party has turned into a major event with 100 original bands and singer-songwriters rocking out from 5 stages, a juried arts show, street performances, and food trucks galore.

As the weather starts to warm up in May, Texans savor the last of the spring weather in Richardson at Cottonwood Arts Festival. What started as a little hippie happening in 1969 has since evolved into a serious juried art show that features over 200 works of art as well as hands-on activities for kids and families. It should be no surprise that Dallas hosts one of the biggest, longest state fairs in the country and it kicks off in September. The fair is full of Lone Star culture, from ranching to livestock events. The museums of Fair Park throw their doors open to educate fairgoers on Hispanic and Black culture in Texas.

The Dallas Cowboys aren't the only team in this football-loving town that get a standing ovation. Every October since 1900 the Cotton Bowl inside Fair Park fills up with fans of the Sooners of the University of Oklahoma in Norman and the Longhorns of the University of Texas at Austin. They go toe-to-toe for a gold ten-gallon hat (naturally) and the rivalry runs deep. If sports isn't your thing, the Stevie Ray Vaughan concert celebrates one of Dallas' best-beloved sons, the legendary blues musician who grew up in the Oak Cliff neighborhood. He's honored every year with a memorial concert and other festivities.

November to February is the best time to visit to avoid crowds

Weather in Dallas during winter: It may be Texas but the winter can still be chilly in Dallas during winter. While snow isn’t that common, the city has been known to experience an ice storm from time to time – pack some cozy layers to enjoy the outdoors comfortably.

If you’re really looking to enjoy the city with less crowds, the winter “low” season is the perfect time to visit. Running from November to February, with the exception of the holidays, these months often feature smaller crowds at Dallas’ most popular attractions. With hotel prices at their lowest and the crowds thinned out in popular spots like Dealey Plaza, you'll really have some elbow room no matter where you go. 

November is the start of the low season in Dallas, which means some of the smallest tourist numbers of the year. Take advantage of this month to score a great deal on hotels or to visit popular tourist attractions that can get crowded in the summer months. Some holiday festivities start this month, including the city-wide celebration, Big D Holiday, which begins in early November each year.

December is a great month to take to the streets for epic runs and holiday fun, making the low season lively as the year winds down. Whether you want to take in some holiday festivities or put your fitness to the test in the BMW Dallas Marathon, you’ll find it all in the Big D this month. Many of the city's parks and other outdoor attractions stay open year-round and have special activities to enjoy around the holidays. For example, The Dallas Arboretum is open all year and has a holiday festival.

The city eases into the New Year with dry weather and a parade honoring Martin Luther King, Jr that culminates in festivities at the African American Museum on the grounds of Fair Park. Also on deck is the KidFilm Festival, the oldest and (and the biggest, this is Texas after all) all-ages film festival in the country. Dallas is balanced geographically between the Gulf states and the southwest, so it's maybe not surprising that the city takes a cue from its eastern neighbors and has its own Mardi Gras celebration every February featuring live country music at the Historic State Fairgrounds.