Klyde Warren Park Expansion: Enhancing Dallas' Urban Oasis
ZZ Top, the iconic Texas band, is adding two concerts in their home state as part of The Big One! Tour. They will perform at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on October 4, with special guests Cheap Trick. The tour, which started in Europe, will kick off its U.S. leg on August 4, including stops in Austin. ZZ Top, formed in 1969, has sold over 60 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. The current lineup includes original members Billy F Gibbons and Frank Beard, along with new bassist/keyboardist Elwood Francis. Tickets for the new dates will go on sale on July 1.
Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas is set to undergo a significant expansion, adding nearly two acres over two sections of Woodall Rogers Freeway. The expansion will include a new lawn space called The Jacobs Lawn, an event pavilion, a seasonal ice rink, and more. The park will extend west toward Field Street, covering the final recessed portion of the freeway. Construction is expected to start before the end of 2026 and take about 24 months to complete. The expansion aims to provide additional green space for festivals, markets, performances, and civic celebrations, as well as an outdoor ice-skating rink during the winter months.
The Jacobs Lawn will be a 37,000-square-foot multi-use green space, while The Overlook will offer visitors a unique view of city traffic passing underneath. The expansion will also feature a two-level enclosed glass-and-steel pavilion with event and reception space, along with an open-air rooftop area. Jody Grant, chairman of Klyde Warren Park, emphasized that the expansion is an investment in Dallas and future generations. The construction contract has been awarded to Archer Western, the same firm that built the park's original deck structure.