Aurora

Aurora Dallas has become one of Dallas’ most successful and largest events for a good reason. The 68-​acre art exhibit is almost too overwhelming to fully take in. Artists from all over the world are invited to display their exhibits and installations. And the vast aesthetics of the artists means there is something for everyone to enjoy. Although this is most certainly a worthwhile experience, be advised that thousands of people come to enjoy it. Parking is even more a hassle than usual, there are babies in strollers with their mothers who think and act as if they own the pavement you are walking on. And if you’re not familiar with the layout of downtown, it’s easy to get a little turned around. Regardless, this event is not worth missing.

Every 2 years? This was an awesome event. Even though it was super crowded but how can you blame everyone the weather was perfect and the art was worth it. Cant wait for next year.

Quick look rating: ⁴⁄₅ Food & Quality, ³⁄₅ Service, ⁴⁄₅ Experience
To note: Lots of folks, parking tough, getting to and from tougher, each other year it get’s over rated with less to offer.
Plus notes: Fun food trucks — it’s good to know your food trucks ahead of time. The lines can be long.
1. Go early
2. Pull down the app to your iPhone ahead of time.
3. Plan out what and when you want to see /​or do.
4. Always know your escape route — your way to get home. (Now a days it also means, I hate to say it, but also, if something bad happens.)
5. Always have a back up plan.
6. Note: on parking you can always park further north and take the free trolley down, but others are thinking the same thing, good to know!
7. Take extra pocket change for the food trucks or a tasty beverage.
8. Fun art to check out! Do make sure it is not tied to just a certain time!
9. Make sure you tell the rest of your group where to meet up if anyone gets lost!
10. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes!
11. Just relax and have fun and have an open mind!
Final note: The first year was the best! I hope that they not keep going in the same direction.
Aurora, if you step up your game for the next round and keep your word, I’ll be back!

I have never seen so many people in downtown Dallas! This was a wonderful event and great experience for anyone to see. Great music, exhibits and food! It was fantastic to see so many people out enjoying this event!

I’ll preface this review by saying this is an event centered around CONTEMPORARY ART that merges art and technology into interactive pieces that engage viewers using light and sound. This wasn’t an event just for «cool lights» as some might have believed (and frankly, if you’re looking for a cool light show, you should have just gone to a rave instead).
I attended Aurora Dallas expecting the same remarkable quality that made the inaugural event in 2013 so fantastic (many of the 5 star reviews here were from 2013). Instead, this year’s event was the Dallas Arts District inviting remarkably innovative local and international artists to display their work, only to advertise it as a «cool light show party» and then have the general public take selfies with their work and then scoff and say «how is this art?». Aurora spent more time and money on their advertising campaign and afterparty DJ to attract as many people as possible instead of finding ways to comprehensively engage the public with contemporary art and it showed. Compared to two years ago, there were way more people, less art, and much more corporate sponsorship and «VIP» perks. The event failed to represent the work well and was not prepared for the huge amounts of people that showed up — especially considering that most of the pieces were interactive but the lines were just too long to be able to really engage with it at all.
When a significant number of people show up to an event centered around contemporary art and say «this isn’t art» or «I don’t get it», the event has failed to represent the Dallas arts community and instead turned our neighborhood into a big party. As a Booker T. Washington Arts Magnet alum, my neighborhood and my fellow artists were disregarded and disrespected by the Dallas Arts District in favor of attracting a crowd that didn’t even appreciate it. I was terribly disappointed with this years’ event and can only hope that Aurora eases its growing pains for the next event and works harder to meaningfully engage the public with the art they display.

Thank Crom this was a free event. I’m sure we have talented people in Dallas, but some of the displays were as if a hobo constructed them out of the trash left from an abandoned topless bar.
By 10p, the beer was all bought up at the tent in front of Winspear so I couldn’t drunkenly enjoy the exhibits. I don’t partake in drugs either, but I’m pretty sure this would have been more fun if I were tripping on acid.
Or…I just expected some massive light display that was so bright that I had to wear shades.
Or…maybe I just don’t know anything about art.
However, I was super excited to see this many people come out to an event supporting the arts. For what it’s worth, it was a great place to socialize and get stuck in traffic (take the DART, just do it).

Pros: never saw Dallas so vibrant and busy, several creative pieces, Wylie theater’s exterior light show rocked!
Cons: poor crowd management, long lines everywhere (especially the food stalls), no directions (app was useless), a few dumb exhibits (like fog machines in the church)
Hope they unleash the full potential in the coming years!

Was excited to go, but underwhelmed while there. There was confusion about what was happening where, and the downloaded app was not at all helpful. Lots of videos which lost their punch outdoors, and projected lights on buildings were not as impactful as I had hoped. Great idea but needs refinement, and lots of volunteers to steer the crowds next time.

I did not go to the one they had 3 years ago but I thought it was amazing. I was really impressed, it felt like I was in a different city. Tons of people, this is the most alive I’ve ever seen Dallas. Good job big D.

Sorry. Did not get it. There were some lights here and there but nothing awe dropping.
We started from Klyde Warren and wondered down toward the Nasher. Not much happening. There were two women moving to some Madonna music looking into a mirror. So low to the ground that we did not see them until we were right next to them.
Wandered thru the Nasher.
Came out and found a person with an orange shirt who was a volunteer and she told us of a few areas with something happening.
There was a church with three lights and a few fog machines. Not sure what that was about.
The piano n algae performance ended prior to the time noted.
The laser show was small and there was no music to with it or provide any indication of the meaning of it.
The area was really missing directions and flow.
Very disappointed.

Okay aurora got lame. The first year they did it was the best. Kept losing cool stuff every year. This year they had pretty much more art and less light. The first year had a lot of lights and bigger things. Also, what pissed me off was they advertise till 2AM but kicked everybody out by 12 at klyde warren park area. What?

I’ve always been envious of Europe and how it seems like they always have outdoor art/​light exhibits. Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I heard the whole Arts District would be turned into a canvas for many artists to do things that not even they do often. Don’t get me wrong. Traditional art is fine. It’s great, in fact. But it’s still.well.traditional. So when a plethora of artists come together to collaborate to transform a portion of the city into something entirely different it’s gotta be exciting even for the not so artsy types.
Turning Wyly Theater into what it seemed like moving parts was probably one of the coolest things at the event. I’m sure we could have spent the entire evening there watching the reconstruct itself. But it was just one of what seemed like a thousand exhibits there. There was also an interactive piece at Klyde Warren Park where people stepped into an inflated chamber with a paint gun and created their own art from the inside.
Live performances were popping up here and there at random times and there were pieces of art everywhere you turned. The 20 or so food trucks made this event that much better. I can’t recall the last time there were that many food trucks congregated in one place. It made deciding what to get pretty challenging. All in all, this was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to see what next year’s installment has in store for us. Perhaps, with the awesome displays of light, sound and art like what Dallas witnessed last night we can finally take the next big step in becoming a well known arts city.