Home Events

Classical music is not a stuffy relic of the past, and ballet is more than inflexible tutus and dead composers. That’s the ethos behind “Kaleidoscope,” a collaboration between Austin Camerata and Ventana Ballet. Four local choreographers and seven living composers assemble their own musical Avengers team, fighting against boring stereotypes with an exhilarating mélange of movement and sound. There will be five performances over Memorial weekend, each one opening their doors early to offer a kaleidoscope of colorful cocktails at the KMFA bar. Get swept away with this spectacular showcase. – Cat McCarrey

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

If you’ve been wondering what became of the players of women’s soccer club FC Austin Elite following its collapse, here’s a chance to see for yourself. Several displaced members rose from its ashes to form a new club in 2022, fittingly called Austin Rise, and are playing home matches at House Park this summer. Cheer on the fully women-owned squad at the first home game of their second season as they host fellow Women’s Premier Soccer League team Houston Aces for a Lone Star Conference face-off. – 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

“What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” asks the poet Mary Oliver. So do the artists Amanda McInerney and Lana Waldrep Appl, taking inspiration from Oliver’s question to create works highlighting the small but important beauties in our lives. McInerney’s work presents bold, botanical elements through mediums from print to stitched mixed-media art, confident graphics speaking against the unknowns in the world. Appl is a perfect highlight with that, her object-based work (showing plants, toys, ceramics) begging us to consider what is useful and actually important in the small moments. – 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

Radical! Gender-diverse drag troupe Boyz of Austin promises only the most excellent drag as they time-travel back to the Eighties. Imagine: the hair! the glam! the neon! All combined with the Boyz’ usual over-the-top fun drag antics, this show’s worthy of a 10-angel air guitar chorus. Special guests Munster Mash, Thorne Hart, and Gator Gorr supplement the main cast. Boyz enjoyers will also find their $9 cover fee also includes admission to Elysium’s Eighties DJ Night on Sunday. – James Scott

“What am I supposed to do?” You may ask when considering your plans for Cher’s 78th birthday. “Sit around and wait for you to invite me to a Cher-themed drag show? Well, I can’t do that.” BUT WAIT! No waiting needed, baby, because if you believe in life after love – and the power of pop – then you’re invited to Brigitte Bandit’s annual Cher-iffic drag show. There’ll be a DJ set by Turito, drag by Brigitte, Arianna Venti, Riot Girl, Joselyn Breezy, Bubu, Jenna Talia, Miss Steelya Girl, and Flex Brojas, and a lookalike contest. Fun fact: Brigitte’s own Mama Bandit, who’ll also be performing, has won several Cher lookalike competitions including one written up in the Chronicle. Stick around post-show for Honey Baby and Lavender Thug’s inside Cher-aoke. – James Scott

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

Second-largest city after its country’s capital Stockholm, west coast seaport Gothenburg exported melodic death metal three-and-a-half decades ago. Adapting razor melodies off NWOBHM acts, the Swedish triumvirate of At the Gates, In Flames, and Dark Tranquility changed the course of metallurgic brutality. Operatic blast furnace Anders Fridén and axe headsman Björn Gelotte still stoke In Flames, which once torched old-school ATX metal vanguard the Back Room, on whose footprint Emo’s now stands. The former venue’s load-bearing pole in front of the stage remains in the latter hall near the smoking exit. Gatecreeper’s Arizonan death metal will require exactly such reinforcement for current cataclysm Dark Superstition. Denton’s Creeping Death opens. – Raoul Hernandez

Do yourself a kindness and grab the chance to watch this Rocket Cinema screening under the stars at Cloud Tree Studios. Austinite Ben Steinbauer’s 2009 documentary tracks down Jack Rebney, who became an early internet sensation when outtakes were leaked of his profanity-laced on-camera meltdown shooting an industrial film. (“My mind is just a piece of shit this morning,” he memorably groused.) When Steinbauer meets Rebney in the flesh, the doc zags in startling, deeply poignant ways. Also screening: the first episode of Steinbauer’s new Hulu docuseries, High Hopes, about a cannabis shop in L.A. – Kimberley Jones