Nine of the 12 December dates on The Kessler's ticketing calendar are holiday or Christmas shows. The run starts Dec. 4 and ends with Hayes Carll's two nights and Kat Edmonson's Christmas show the weekend before Christmas. A few of these acts have played holiday shows at 1230 W. Davis St. before. The block around the theater has changed more than the lineup has. Pour House Dallas, next door at 1300 W. Davis, closed in February. Kilmac's opened a few blocks east in March. A show night in Kessler Park this December won't run the way it did last year.
The December calendar, date by date
Here is what the Kessler has listed for December. Every listing shows a 7 p.m. time.
| Date | Show | Holiday billing |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | The Milk Carton Kids, Lost Cause Lover Fool Holiday Tour, with Rosi Golan | Yes |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | JD McPherson, SOCKS: A Rock N' Roll Christmas Tour, with Melissa Carper, presented by KXT 91.7 | Yes |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Jack Ingram, Acoustic Holiday Tour, with Waylon Payne | Yes |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | The Secret Sisters with Caleb Elliott | No |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Joshua Ray Walker, plus a screening of "Thank You For Listening" | No |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Matt the Cat's Magical Musical Christmas, with Matt Hillyer and Sequestered Songwriters | Yes |
| Mon., Dec. 14 | A John Waters Christmas | Yes |
| Wed., Dec. 16 | A Holiday Ramble: Carolyn Wonderland, Shelley King and Rosie Flores | Yes |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Hayes Carll, Grateful for Christmas Tour, Night 1, with Calder Allen | Yes |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Hayes Carll, Grateful for Christmas Tour, Night 2 | Yes |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Kat Edmonson, Have Your Merry Christmas With Me | Yes |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat with Jason Elmore & Hoodoo Witch | No |
From Dec. 4 through Dec. 20, holiday shows take nine of the 11 dates. Jim Suhler's Dec. 26 show is the only booking between Christmas and the new year. The next listing after that is KT Tunstall on Jan. 8.
Hayes Carll's two nights are the run's anchor
Three names on the December calendar have played holiday shows at The Kessler before, and Hayes Carll has the longest record. In 2023, the theater listed his Grateful for Christmas Tour for Dec. 8 and Dec. 9. He came back in 2025 with a Saturday show on Dec. 13. The venue's 2025 listing described the run this way:
"This December, Hayes Carll will take the stage with his band, The Gulf Coast Orchestra, for his annual run of Christmas shows. What's become a favorite tradition for Hayes is a chance to share songs, swap stories, and spread a little holiday cheer with fans."
This year he plays two nights again, on Friday, Dec. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 19. Those are the last two Friday and Saturday shows before Christmas, the same late-season weekend slot the 2023 run had.
Jack Ingram is the second returning name. The Kessler had a "Jack Ingram: Acoustic Holiday Tour" page in 2025, and the same tour name is on the calendar for Thursday, Dec. 10, with Waylon Payne opening.
Carolyn Wonderland is the third. In 2025 she was billed with Shelley King and Marcia Ball under the title "Home for the Holidays." This year the show is called A Holiday Ramble. Wonderland and King are back, Rosie Flores joins them, and the date is Wednesday, Dec. 16.
That leaves a mostly fresh first half of the month. It opens with The Milk Carton Kids and JD McPherson on the first weekend, then Matt Hillyer's Sunday Christmas show and A John Waters Christmas on back-to-back nights, Dec. 13 and 14. Kat Edmonson's Dec. 20 show is the last holiday-billed date on the calendar.
Next door at 1300 W. Davis, the bar is gone
The biggest change for this December's show nights is next door. Pour House Dallas at 1300 W. Davis St. closed Feb. 28, 2026, after 14 years in business, according to The Dallas Morning News roundup of 2026 bar and restaurant closings. Anyone who used to stop at the bar beside the theater on the way in will be making a different first stop this year.
Cannon's Corner Irish Pub, at 1314 W. Davis, is still on the theater's block and keeps the latest hours on the stretch. According to its site, it's open until 2 a.m. every day. A late-night menu starts at 11 p.m. with Irish nachos, wings, fish and chips, and scotch eggs, so it works even after Hayes Carll's second encore. The Kessler's own FAQ recommends Cannon's Corner and Nova for a sit-down meal before a show.
Norma's Cafe at 1123 W. Davis fits an early dinner. It serves Texas home cooking such as chicken-fried steak, catfish, meatloaf and pie, and its Oak Cliff page lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For a 7 p.m. show, Norma's works best around 5:30. It isn't an option after the show.
East toward Bishop Arts, the late options have moved
The cluster of late-night spots on W. Davis between the 800 block and Bishop Arts has added a bar and lost a related one this year.
- Kilmac's, 814 W. Davis St. This cocktail-and-pizza bar was officially open by March 25, 2026. The Oak Cliff Advocate reported hours of Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., with a cocktail happy hour Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.
- The Old Monk Oak Cliff, 810 W. Davis St. The bar is next to Kilmac's. The Dallas Morning News described its pub menu of fish and chips, mussels, cheese boards and veggie burgers.
- Round Two, 821 W. Davis St. Its sister bar, Another Round, the games and indoor mini golf spot at 660 Fort Worth Ave., closed in late August after more than six years. The Oak Cliff Advocate reported that Round Two would remain open.
Anyone who used to end a December show night with mini golf on Fort Worth Avenue will need a new plan this year. Round Two is closer to the theater anyway.
El Jardín Café opened at 714 W. Davis in early October, serving coffee, matcha and pastries. It's closed Tuesdays. The rest of the week it opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m., except Sunday, when the hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It closes long before showtime, so it's a morning stop, the day after a show.
Parking, the bar inside and the burritos
The Kessler's FAQ covers the practical details. It's an older page, so check the details against your ticket before you go.
- Free evening parking. The FAQ lists free parking from 6 p.m. to midnight at ABC Party, 1414 W. Davis St., and Chango Botanica, 1405 W. Davis St., plus street parking. The lot just east of the theater is paid only.
- Timing. The FAQ describes a usual night with the lobby bar opening first, showroom doors next and the show after that. Times vary by show, and every December listing currently shows 7 p.m.
- Food and drink inside. The theater has a full bar with Texas beer, wine and spirits, plus a gallery bar upstairs. It also sells Oak Cliff Burrito Company burritos in limited quantities.
- Seating. Seating varies by show. Options include general admission, standing room, seated general admission, reserved gallery seats, tables and suites.
With two free lots in the 1400 block, it's easy to park west of the theater, see the show, and walk to Cannon's Corner afterward without moving the car.
Two November dates and one long Saturday
The holiday run starts in December, but two November dates make good warmups. Choir! Choir! Choir! brings Landslide, its Fleetwood Mac singalong, on Sunday, Nov. 22. North Mississippi Allstars play Friday, Nov. 20.
Saturday, Dec. 12 can fill a whole day. The Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association's Holiday Home Tour runs from noon to 6 p.m. at Turner House, 401 N. Rosemont Ave. The association describes the tour as a fundraiser. That night, Joshua Ray Walker plays The Kessler at 7 p.m. along with a screening of "Thank You For Listening." Between the two, there's time for an early dinner at Norma's on W. Davis.
Hayes Carll's Dec. 18 and 19 shows will likely be the busiest nights of the run on this block. Both nights fall on the weekend, there's no longer a bar next door, and Cannon's Corner is the main late option within a few steps of the theater.
If the walk home from a show has you wondering about your own place on these streets, Hewitt+Saucedo has worked in this part of Kessler Park for decades. Ask us for a free home valuation, or for a conversation about the homes near The Kessler.
