Barenaked Ladies and Lisa Loeb are headed to Arlington's Levitt Pavilion for the 2026 edition of Do Good Fest, a ticketed benefit concert that has quietly become one of North Texas's more effective anti-hunger fundraisers. Loeb, backed by Nine Stories, opens the show before Barenaked Ladies take the stage as headliners, and every ticket sold funnels money toward Tarrant Area Food Bank's efforts to feed hungry kids across the region.
The event is presented by National Life Group, a Vermont-founded life insurance company with a major office presence in Addison, Texas, according to CultureMap Dallas. Do Good Fest is organized by the National Life Group Foundation, led by Foundation President Beth Rusnock, and is built around the company's mission statement of Do good, Be good, Make good. Since launching in Montpelier, Vermont, in 2014, the concert series has raised more than $2.5 million nationwide for charitable causes, including over $300,000 for North Texas programs since the festival expanded to Arlington in 2021.
From Youth Mental Health to Childhood Hunger
Do Good Fest Texas didn't always support food security. Across its first three Arlington editions, from 2022 through 2024, the festival raised nearly $250,000 for Parkland Health's Pediatric Behavioral Health Program, which helps pediatricians identify and treat behavioral health issues in uninsured and underinsured Dallas County youth. Starting in 2025, organizers shifted the primary beneficiary to Tarrant Area Food Bank's Ready to Learn initiative, which places stocked food markets directly inside area schools.
That pivot has already paid off. Last October's Do Good Fest, which featured '90s rock acts Collective Soul, Tonic, and Fastball, raised $100,000 for Ready to Learn — funding equivalent to more than 500,000 meals for North Texas children facing food insecurity. Ready to Learn launched in 2021 to address hunger among the roughly 1 in 4 children facing food insecurity across the food bank's 13-county service area, and it hit a milestone in December 2024 when it opened its 100th in-school food market at Lewisville Learning Center. Tarrant Area Food Bank, based in Fort Worth as a regional member of Feeding America, provides more than 1 million meals weekly across that same 13-county footprint.
High Schoolers Get a Shot at the Spotlight
Beyond the national headliners, Do Good Fest Texas carves out a slot for local youth talent through its Beats for Good competition. Dallas-Fort Worth high school acts submit entries, the public votes, and the winning student performs live at the festival, walks away with a $1,500 personal cash prize, and earns a $5,000 donation for their school's music program.
The Arlington lineup has shifted genres nearly every year since it began. Bluegrass-hip-hop group Gangstagrass played in 2022, country artists Mark Chesnutt and Jack Ingram took the stage in 2023, and Texas country star Aaron Watson headlined in 2024. This year's pop-rock booking of Barenaked Ladies — known for hits including One Week, If I Had $1,000,000, Pinch Me, and the Big Bang Theory theme song — alongside Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb and her band Nine Stories, whose original members include Tim Bright, Jonathan Feinberg, and Joe Quigley, marks another turn for the festival's sound.
What to Know Before You Go
Do Good Fest happens at Levitt Pavilion, 100 W Abram St in Arlington, but unlike the venue's usual free community concerts, this one requires a ticket. General admission starts at a $20 minimum donation, with VIP packages running up to $200 that include air-conditioned lounge space inside the Levitt Center, an open bar, an elevated food buffet, terrace stage views, VIP parking, and branded gifts. Outside coolers are not allowed, though guests can bring lawn chairs, blankets, and sealed water bottles, and food trucks will be on site for concessions.
As with any outdoor concert, organizers note the event is subject to change due to weather or other concerns. More details and ticket information are available through the festival's official site at dogoodfest.com.
Hoodline previously covered last year's '90s throwback lineup at Do Good Fest, when Collective Soul, Tonic, and Fastball drew crowds to the same Levitt Pavilion stage for the food bank's benefit.
