Looking for a good time in November? The fall holiday season in Big D is hard to beat.

I’m Sue Krider, the high-rise real estate authority in DFW. I know the landscape quite well having lived and worked in the area for many years. I keep my finger on the pulse of many things, including incredible entertainment, award-winning restaurants, seasonal festivals, and more.
Here are some terrific options that may be just the ticket!

The month kicks off right with a series of events on November 1, including the French progressive, pop-oriented flamenco group Gipsy Kings (“Bamboléo”) at the historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas;  funky jam band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is at the Granada Theater on Lower Greenville Avenue; post-punk and art rockers Geese are at Club Dada in Deep Ellum; and a cool jazz program called “Swinging’ It Accordingly” is at the Sammons Center for the Arts, a converted pump house dedicated to smaller shows.

The Studio at the Factory hosts Ghanaian-Australian singer Genesis Owusu, a fascinating live act who has repeatedly been recognized with top awards for his inventive music, while Arizona (“Oceans Away”) is at the House of Blues in Victory Park.

On November 2 the pure and pristine voices of the famed Vienna Boys Choir perform at the Meyerson Symphony Center, while singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy brings her a poetic command of language (she’s performed with established artists like Neko Case and Kimya Dawson) to The Deep Ellum Art Co.

Old-school R&B band, St. Paul and the Broken Bones are scheduled at the Majestic Theatre, and Martin Sexton, a skilled singer-songwriter that Rolling Stone Magazine calls simply “the real thing” is at the intimate Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff.

The month’s biggest shows also start on November 2 and 3 when Hall of Famers Queen (“Under Pressure,” “Another One Bites the Dust”), fronted by “American Idol” alum Adam Lambert appears at American Airlines Center in Victory Park.

The annual mouthwatering culinary festival known as Chefs for Farmers showcases the talents of Texas’s best chefs and food artisans while celebrating sustainability, eco-consciousness, and cuisine. It is in Old City Park November 2-5

As far as Beatles tribute bands go, The Fab Four is among the best with authentic costumes, equipment, and a pretty good handle on all the classic songs. Check out the Houston-based mop tops on November 3 at the Majestic.

Jessica Kirson produced “Hysterical,” an entertaining documentary that explores the landscape of women in stand-up featuring Margaret Cho, Nikki Glazer, Chelsea Handler, Fortune Feimster, and more. She brings her own comedy to The Texas Theatre on November 3.

The fifth annual Texas Vignette Art Fair is a two-day juried event that exclusively features works by Texas women artists in an effort to promote exceptional yet underrepresented regional talent. It’s scheduled to be at Dallas Market Hall on November 3-4

The Montreal arts collective Les 7 Doigts presents the Texas premiere of a fascinating new work (Passagers) that combines dance and circus in an awe-inspiring blend of color, motion, and creativity. The TITAS production is on November 3-4 at Moody Performance Hall in the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

The superstar violinist Maxim Vengerov returns to dazzle Dallas with the technical fireworks of the inspirational Brahms’s Violin Concerto that has inspired generations on November 3-5 with the Dallas Symphony at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

The Dallas Opera returns November 3, 5, 8, and 11 with a dramatic new production of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly at the Winspear Opera House.

If you need a good laugh (don’t we all?), then check out the comedian vote the “Last Comic Standing” on NBC’s reality show during its fourth season. Josh Blue has cerebral palsy, and much of his humor is centered on it. He’ll be at Hyena’s at Mockingbird Station on November 4.

The same evening, charting with her smash debut, “Tennessee Orange,” Megan Moroney is gaining traction in country circles, especially around home in the Deep South. She’s booked at The Studio at the Factory.

Also, Erin French is the owner of The Lost Kitchen, a world-famous, 40-seat Maine restaurant. She reads from her latest cookbook (“Big Heart Little Stove”), a go-to inspiration for thoughtful and refreshingly simple meals. French speaks as part of the Dallas Museum of Art’s award-winning Arts & Letters Live lecture series at the DMA.

Here are a few more “can’t miss” events on November 4:

  • A line-up of comedians and celebrities take a deep dive into the weirdest, wildest, stupidest, and most delightfully mundane corners of everyone’s favorite free encyclopedia. Explore the Depths of Wikipediaat the Granada Theater.
  • The Washington Post calls Ms. Pat’s act “unforgiving and darkly hilarious,” a sizzling authentic comedian who brings a raw perspective to her work, this time at the Majestic Theatre.

On November 5 multi-talented collective known as Post-Modern Jukebox interprets Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Lorde, Radiohead, Maroon 5, and more in a signature 1920s style at The Factory in Deep Ellum.

Also on November 5, as one of the world’s most influential showbiz pros, comic Eddie Izzard is back at the Majestic Theatre with hilarious material that’s whimsical, surreal, educational, and full of genuine heart and good humor on The Remix Tour.

Along with Duran Duran, Psychedelic Furs, The Thompson Twins, and A Flock of Seagulls, the English band The Fixx was amongst the 1980s biggest bands. And they’re still at it! See them live on November 5 at the Granada Theater.

NPR says Bela Fleck and cohorts are “the best at what they do. World-class masters of the banjo, the bass fiddle, and the tabla [who] conquered mere technical prowess long ago.” They join the Dallas Symphony on November 6 at the Meyerson Symphony Center. The same night the Castalian String Quartet performs at SMU’s Caruth Auditorium as part of Dallas Chamber Music Society’s exciting new season.

On November 7 at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, learn about the stirring lives of three World War II upstanders who fought for equal rights for their fellow service members as well as military veterans. On the same night in the plush Meyerson Symphony Center, The Dallas Winds are joined by Grammy-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird performing a sensational new concerto, plus the world premiere of Bury and Rise by Ukrainian composer Catherine Likhuta.

The Montreal dream pop group Men I Trust makes warm, delicate songs like “Humming Man,” “Show Me How,” and “Lauren.” They’ll perform on November 8 at The Factory in Deep Ellum, Next door at The Studio at the Factory you can catch Milk Carton Kids, better known as singer-guitarists Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, who began working together in 2011, then released the band’s first two albums free of charge.

On November 9 at Music Hall at Fair Park, one of the world’s top rock bands, The Flaming Lips, performs “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” the album that remains the commercial high-water mark in their 40-year history.

A world-weary hero searching for the perfect woman in Strauss’s timeless Don Juan on November 9, 11, and 12 with the Dallas Symphony at the Meyerson Symphony Center with a score that’s intense and includes passages of sensuous love infused into the music.

Holiday at the Arboretum is a highly anticipated seasonal event that features a variety of events including a Magical Christmas Village, plus the 12 Days of Christmas and DeGolyer House exhibitions. Plan your visit from November 9 through December 31 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

With successful Netflix specials like “Baby Cobra,” “Hard Knock Wife,” and “Don Wong” to her credit, comic Ali Wong was named Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2020 and 2023. On November 10 she’ll bring her act to the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Also, that night, two more comedians are set to perform in town. Joe Gatto, known for being part of hilarious TV series “Impractical Jokers” and “The Misery Index,” will be onstage at the Majestic Theatre.

Despite being born with a disability, Ryan Niemiller, the self-proclaimed “Cripple Threat of Comedy,” inventively shares views of the world from the perspective of the handicapped in his shows. He’ll be at Hyena’s at Mockingbird Station on November 10, and again on November 11.

Get happy … with veteran performer Broadway Michael Feinstein on November 11 at Richardson’s Eisemann Center when he explores Judy Garland’s unique legacy: a vaudeville debut, classic motion pictures, and groundbreaking concerts and TV shows.

Rockers Better Than Ezra’s long run is based on big hit singles like “Southern Girl” and “Juicy,” the quirky theme song for ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” They’ll be at the House of Blues on November 11.

Chamber Music International’s foray into Russian Romanticism is a program that features Rachmaninoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19, and Taneyev’s Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 30. See it on November 11 at St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church.

The annual community-wide event features a tour of treasured homes in the region of Dallas near picturesque White Rock Lake. The 2023 edition of the Lakewood Home Tour is scheduled for November 11 and 12 in Dallas.

More than 60,000 people visit The Trains at NorthPark every year. It features 4,000 square feet of creative railroad environments, with a variety of memorable Christmas touches. It runs November 11 through January 5.

On November 12 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church three talented ensembles, Chamber Chorus, Coloratura, and TerraVox, present works in English and Spanish in reverence of the stories of immigrants from our southern border. Join the Turtle Creek Chorale for Border Songs.

After turning down a golf scholarship, Ohio native and current Nashville resident Griffin House brings a cache of well-written songs to an intimate show on November 13 at cozy Opening Bell Coffee in The Cedars.

Noted investigative journalist Max Marshall discusses his book “Among the Bros.,” the true story of murder and a multi-million-dollar drug ring, leading to an unprecedented look inside elite American fraternity life. He’ll be speaking at Interabang Books on November 14.

Also on November 14, Baratunde Thurston, author of “How to be Black,” a New York Times bestseller and provocative blogger (“Jack and Jill Politics”) will appear as part of the Tate Lecture Series at SMU’s McFarlin Memorial Auditorium.

Beginning November 15 through 18 the Chi Omega Christmas market returns to Fair Park. Get a jump on holiday shopping at the annual event chock full of men’s and women’s fashions, housewares, Christmas swag, and more.

In my next blog, we’ll finish the month of November with more great ideas.