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An ATX Sketch Fest pass may be the best bargain for a guaranteed good time over Memorial Day weekend. Celebrating its 15th year, ATX Sketch Fest provides audiences with five days of scripted comedy acts from Austin, Portland, L.A., NYC, D.C., and Toronto. Headliners include Chris Grace of Superstore, PEN15, and Broad City, and Joan & Raft, who’ve written for Netflix, HBO Max, and Comedy Central. In addition to performing, Grace, Joan & Raft, and Woody Fu will lead workshops on musical improv, writing, and character development. Local favorites performing include Clara Blackstone, Juicebox, Big Fart, and The Floor Is Lava. Single-show tickets are available, but for this much talent, why not spring for the $69 (heh heh) pass? Check – or sketch – it out at atxsketchfest.com. – Valerie Lopez

Here in the land of tacos and margaritas, we don’t get enough chances to appreciate Greek food and culture. Rectify that at this fest with the theme “Livin’ the Greek Life,” offering live music from the Aegean Pulse, all the way from Greece, along with spirited dance groups of all ages. Frequent tours are available to showcase the gorgeous church and inform visitors about the faith, and a marketplace evokes a real Greek agora. Come hungry for spanakopita, baklava, gyros, dolmades, and more – but don’t forget your card, because the fest has adopted a cashless model this year. – Kat McNevins

Vessel: a container that holds things. Vessel: a person infused with a quality. What quality? Any. Feel free to interpret it yourself when basking in Diane Chiyon Hong’s exhibit “Vessels – Handle with Care.” Her architectural sketches, part function, part form, part object, part person, part humor but all thought-provoking, currently grace the halls of the Asian American Resource Center. It’s Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month, so why not pay the AARC a visit. I mean, if not now, when? – Cat McCarrey

Chaos in Tejas, Housecore Horror, and Austin Terror Fest live on in local metal lore, so Big Texas Metal Fest now stomps and snorts into the ring. Like last month’s Austin Death Fest at Mohawk, this three-day debut stirs the void of a heavy music capital historically trailing San Antonio in metallic worship yet second to none in extremity sophistication. Hatebreed headlines a metalcore tempest by marking 30 years of thrash/punk/death pits. Friday also marquees Power Trip nucleus Fugitive and excoriating ATX heroes Portrayal of Guilt. On Saturday, Californians Atreyu notch almost as many years and cap like-minded hammers including Austin’s At All Cost and Paleface all the way from Zurich. – Raoul Hernandez

Memorial Day weekend’s hottest ticket, Hot Luck 2024 promises yet another heady blend of live music and top-shelf eats. Highlights for those coming hungry include exclusive bites from the Taco Mafia at Thursday’s Giddy Up, comfort food from fest founder Aaron Franklin and others at Friday’s Supper Club, cheffy backyard eats at Al Fuego, and a camp-themed brunch at Sunday’s Camp Sunnyside. Those looking to nourish their eardrums can enjoy the spicy sounds of Calexico, Mind Spiders, Big Business, and more. As ever, Hot Luck Fest benefits the Southern Smoke Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping connect service industry workers to health care and relief funds in times of crisis. – Melanie Haupt

Perhaps never has an album title so succinctly described a band’s essence as Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s 1990 grunge primer Ragged Glory. Young and his on-again-off-again backing band, helmed by bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina, have been kicking up an unbridled breed of rock since 1968. This outing now enlists Willie Nelson’s 33-year-old son Micah on guitar, guaranteeing it to be extra ragged and hopefully as glorious as the band’s coruscating ACL Fest set in 2012. NY&CH arrives fresh off an awesome Record Store Day purge of retitled live classics named after their essential statement: Fuckin’ Up.: – Kevin Curtin

Oh, let me tell you how small this Sunday is: tiny! This small Sunday could get drunk off a drop of beer. It could be full from a crumb of cheese. This Sunday is so small it uses a leaf for a fan – like a little leaf, not a palm frond. This Sunday is so small that – wait. Sorry. I’m getting an incoming message that this market’s title is not, in fact, about a widdle bitty Sunday but actually all about supporting small local businesses. Businesses like ATX Organics CBD, Basil Moon, Cousin Kenny, and many more, who’ll offer their wares alongside the libations and microbrews of hosting location Central Machine Works. This’ll be the last market Eastside Pop Up holds here until the summer heat passes, so get your fill now before it all blows away – you know, because it’s so small. – James Scott

“First,” Octavia Butler once wrote, “forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” Develop those writing habits with this gathering of writerly folk where you’ll discuss the writin’ life before sitting down for 30 minutes of quiet scribbling, typing, or however you get those words out. Who knows? The next Octavia Butler may be among y’all. – James Scott

When it comes to the Trojan War, it’s always “Helen, Helen, Helen,” and never “Cressida, Cressida, Cressida.” Sadly, not even Shakespeare can really change that, as this play remains one of his hidden, partially baffling, gems. Set during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida veers between sweet love story, bawdy farce, and embittered revenge fantasy. The title lovers make and break promises against the bloody backdrop of the Trojan War. Our own Walking Shadow Shakespeare gamely tackles the text. Enjoy their efforts for the low, low price of free. It’s a bargain for this rare chance to witness a challenging classic. – Cat McCarrey

On 2022’s Radiate Like This, their first album in six years, Los Angeles indie rockers Warpaint pick up like no time has passed. Though the LP’s less upbeat than poppy predecessor Heads Up, in between airy keys and Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman, and Jenny Lee Lindberg’s cooing harmonies, the quartet’s art rock still grooves. Stella Mozgawa’s disco beats drive opener “Champion,” “Hips” snarls with heavy tremolo, and “Stevie” conjures one of many sing-along choruses. Pretty and introspective – but by no means easy listening – for two decades now, the artists’ party trick prevails. Sego opens with fuzzier, though still delicate, slacker rock. – Carys Anderson

Here in the Live Music Capital of the World, there should be no shortage of opportunities for kids to develop their tuneful talents and pursue rockstar dreams. Austin Jazz Workshop’s jam series is one of these opportunities, with twice-monthly jams led by Gil Del Bosque just for middle- and high school students to get a feel for a real gig setting. Thanks to a financial boost from the city’s Cultural Arts Division, jams are scheduled through August: first Sundays at Batch, last Sundays at Central Market South, both at noon. – Kat McNevins

Theatre by any other name would be as sweet, but … there’s just something about the name “Shakespeare” that screams all the world’s a stage and we’re just living in it. And nothing screams Shakespeare more than Romeo and Juliet. Submerge yourself in a true Shakespearean experience with his famous star-crossed lovers. Tickets are free, but make sure to snap up a reservation before you head out. Feel the romance, the tension, the sorrow, in person. Besides, the Curtain Theatre’s outdoor setting is the perfect place to bask in the bard. Shakespeare and starlight?: A winning combo. – Cat McCarrey

Thanks to Seventies funk band War, the word “lowrider” often calls to mind the unforgettable sax riff of the band’s 1975 No. 1 single. But lowrider can mean a snazzy customized car with hydraulics or a person who works on such a vehicle, and the culture around these cars has strengthened Mexican American communities in the Southwest since the Forties. Learn more about them at this exhibit featuring an interactive touchscreen mural, cars and bikes on display, and stories about the people who make lowriding a community. A member reception takes place May 18. – Kat McNevins

I’ll admit it: I don’t believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein, or Superman. All I wanna do is bicycle! Bike Month ATX promises two-wheeler fun for the whole month of May. Break out the 10-speed, the recumbent, the cruiser, and join your fellow cyclists in the last nice weather days in Austin. There’s bike polo on May 5, or an all-level ride around Walnut Creek on the 19th. Help with meal delivery on the 22nd or pedal under a full moon on the 24th. Find pretty much every kind of bike fun under the sun (and moon!) at bikemonthatx.com, because those bicycle races? They’re coming your way. – James Scott

Just think of all the occasions packed into late spring/early summer: graduation ceremonies, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and weddings galore (which naturally also means anniversaries out the wazoo). Don’t be caught empty-handed at gift-giving occasions; head over to Blue Genie and pick up a basketful of the Austintatious artisan goodies the market is known for around the winter holidays, now open weekends for a monthlong return. It’s also open Memorial Day, for any last-minute Memorial Day gifts! – Kat McNevins

That's right: Cap City Comedy Club, the longtime cornerstone of Austin's comedy scene for nearly four decades is at a new venue in the Domain. And here's Valerie Lopez with a closer look at what's in store for the scene via the venue. Click for details!