The Dallas Entertainment Awards came to fruition through the power of community, spearheaded by Dezi 5 and a team of dedicated members of the local scene. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The first Dallas Entertainment Awards ceremony hosted Wednesday night at the Latino Cultural Center was aglow with the love of community, the celebration of arts and culture, and the undeniable fact that everyone understood the assignment when it came to the “encouraged” dress code. The theme: the glamorous stylings of the Dallas Starck Club, which thrived in the ’80s.
It was a special night honoring members of the local community who help build the tapestry of our diverse metroplex. There were more than 80 categories of awards, from music to fashion to service industry to visual media, all presented between sets from local music acts.
Performers included Dezi 5, Azwarf Hazworf & The Love Sessions Orchestra, DJ Natural High, Mark Ridlen, Stan Fran Cisco, Quentin Moore, FIT, Furlow and more.
The event was spearheaded by local musician Dezman Lehman (Dezi 5). A whole team behind him helped make it happen.
On stage, Lehman talked about missing the parts of the music scene that encouraged diverse lineups, mixing genres for shows, and embracing the melting pot of our community. After learning about the Deep Ellum Foundation and the Deep Ellum Community Association, he had an epiphany.
“I realized that if there’s something you want to do to change, you need to be the one to change it,” Lehman said. “As long as it’s for the good of the community, there’s nothing wrong with it. I said I wanted to bring my people back together again, I wanna see them dressed up. I wanna see hip hop artists mixing genres with metal artists – I want to see that again!”
The love in the room was palpable, and the vibe of camaraderie continued to the official afterparty at Charlie’s Star Lounge.
Find full list of Dallas Entertainment Awards 2024 winners at the bottom of this article.
The lobby filled up during the pre-show at the Dallas Entertainment Awards, full of hugs between friends and fashion to die for. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Award presenters included (left to right) Gaika James, Kevin Butler, KJ Gray, Breonny Lee, Kwinton Gray and more. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Dezi 5 kicked off the inaugural Dallas Entertainment Awards with a delightful joy that set the tone for the evening. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Remy Reilly performing at the inaugural Dallas Entertainment Awards. Photo: Jessica Waffles
[Top] Pre-show lobby hangs with members of The Dirty Shirts (left to right) Austin Lee Kroll, Joshua Sloan, Nick Santa Maria and [bottom] Amy Stacy, Andrew Sherman. (Photo: Jessica Waffles
Delilah Duboise performing at the Dallas Entertainment Awards ceremony. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Winners were announced by speakers on stage, alongside a projection on the screen naming the winners. Photo: Jessica Waffles
FIT brought their signature style to the stage at the inaugural Dallas Entertainment Awards. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Just a few of the winners of over 80 categories presented at the inaugural Dallas Entertainment Awards. [top left] Cure For Paranoia, [top right] King Clam, [bottom left] Rosegarden Funeral Party, [bottom right] Reggie Tbone Terrell. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Lamar A Dot Thomas performing at the Dallas Entertainment Awards ceremony. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The crowd filled up the room at the Latino Cultural Center, packing it to the gills with the local entertainment community. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Presenters turned-awardees Buck Wylde, Barbie Davenport Dupree and May May Graves gave more than a few beautiful moments. Photo: Jessica Waffles
KXT’s own Nilufer Arsala won the Dallas Entertainment Award for Best Radio Show: “The Local Show” on KXT. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Reuben Lael & Mandie performing at the inaugural Dallas Entertainment Awards. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Tomahawk Jones makes a quick speech near the end of the night for Cure For Paranoia’s winning Song of the Year: “From Texas.” Photo: Jessica Waffles
Ishi performed his song “Ride or Die” at the Dallas Entertainment Awards ceremony. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The official afterparty of the Dallas Entertainment Awards landed at Charlie’s Star Lounge just outside of Deep Ellum. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Hunter Moehring of FIT and Gavin Mulloy at the inaugural Dallas Entertainment Awards afterparty. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Sam Ramirez held it down on the decks with vinyl records, keeping the festivities alive for the official afterparty at Charlie’s Star Lounge. Photo: Jessica Waffles
You may know Spencer Baxter from running the door at Charlie’s Star Lounge, but he’s also the host of a punk radio show on (Dallas Entertainment Award-winning) KNON 89.3FM every Sunday at midnight. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Official press release of winners provided by the Dallas Entertainment Awards [page 1 of 3]
Official press release of winners provided by the Dallas Entertainment Awards [page 2 of 3]
Official press release of winners provided by the Dallas Entertainment Awards [page 3 of 3]
