A Redhead, Pink Pony, and Kaleidoscope in This Weekend’s Events

Barks for Beers 2025

Through May 31, Multiple Locations

Arf, arf: This is my impression of your dog when you tell them about this furry fundraising effort from Divine Canines. Tell their placid doggy faces about how 30 CTX craft breweries are participating, like Celis Brewery and Independence Brewing. Pet their ears and inform your pooch how buying a $30 Pawsport as well as a 2025 pint glass entitles you to a pour at each brewery. At this point, the canine mind might think: Okay, but what do I get out of all this? “Don’t worry,” you say. “Every brewery has promised to be dog-friendly, so we can go together.” Your dog’s response, probably: Woof!   – James Scott

Kaleidoscope

Thursday 1 - Saturday 3, KMFA

Each turn of a kaleidoscope reveals a new world – new amalgamations of shape and color. It’s an appropriate description for Ventana Ballet and Austin Camerata’s annual spring showcase, a performance that changes in music and choreography without losing luster. The jewels of performance just shift into a new configuration: still bright, still entrancing. This electric world of dance and chamber music is made even more magnificent with free signature cocktails. Now in its third iteration, Kaleidoscope promises shifting artistic fancy, so close you can practically touch the performers (but you know, definitely don’t do that).   – Cat McCarrey

Yola Lu: Dumb Asian

Thursday 1, ColdTowne Theater

Yola Jean Lu is an old hand at what works on the Austin comedy stage. She co-founded the Best of Austin-winning Y’all We Asian improv; performs weekly with improv troupe Garage; and recently had the Austin debut of her one-woman Edinburgh Fringe Fest show Help! My Vagina Is Trying to Kill Me. Easy road would be to coast on all those glorious successes, but Lu wouldn’t have scored such accolades as 2022 BOA Best Actress by takin’ it easy. Instead, her upcoming hour features all new material, which after being workshopped by all y’all audience members will be recorded for Lu’s first-ever comedy album. Bring your feedback – and laughter – to the ColdTowne stage this Thursday.   – James Scott

Jorge Antonio Renaud: The Restlessness of Bound Wrists

Thursday 1, Red Salmon Arts

Jorge Antonio Renaud is a rather mythic figure among local criminal justice activists. The current editor of the Caldwell/Hays Examiner, Renaud spent 27 years in Texas prisons, winning numerous writing awards while incarcerated. Upon his release, he earned a master’s degree in social work from UT-Austin and worked for Grassroots Leadership, LatinoJustice, and the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, authoring studies and legislation addressing our state’s prison addiction. He now introduces a poetry collection titled The Restlessness of Bound Wrists. The book launch – hosted at Red Salmon Arts Casa de Resistencia in Montopolis – will include music, tamales, face paintings, and a poetry reading from Adelie Donovan, the 2025 Hays County Youth Poet Laureate.   – Brant Bingamon

AFS Doc Days

Thursday 1 - Sunday 4, AFS Cinema

Austin Film Society’s annual spotlight on new nonfiction films presents a real conundrum: Which of the 10 selected works are you going to prioritize? Because they all sound pretty terrific. How about opening night selection Middletown, about high schoolers investigating an environmental scandal, from the Boys State filmmakers? (Bonus: They’re doing a post-film Q&A with KUT’s Jerry Quijano.) Or Friday’s Mistress Dispeller, Elizabeth Lo’s documentary tracking a wild-sounding quadrangle: a husband, his mistress, his wife, and the woman she hires to go undercover and break up the affair? Or Sunday’s Architecton, an A24 art film about concrete? Excellent choices, all. Maybe go for the win and hit all 10.   – Kimberley Jones

La Fenice Presents Adventure Party TPK

Through May 17, The Butterfly Bar

Roll a 20, double-tap the X button, then step away from the tabletop or controller. Entire a tangible world of action with immersive theatre company extraordinaire La Fenice, presenting a fantasy adventure the likes of which exist only in the annals of imagination. Billed as Ren Faire meets D&D, these actors will embody what Artistic Director Kate Meehan calls “live action Adult Swim cartoons.” I’m picturing irreverent orcs and sarcastic squires – maybe a saucy wench or two if we’re lucky. And that could change with every performance! If it’s anything like La Fenice’s other works, each night will have an individual experience, led by the viewer themselves. A choose-your-own-adventure book come to life: What could be better than that?   – Cat McCarrey

Love & Pop

Friday 2 - Saturday 3 & Monday 5, AFS Cinema

Though this film is Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno’s first-ever live-action motion picture, his North American fans never got a taste of his early DV styles. (DV here meaning digital video, since those consumer-grade cameras filmed most of the movie.) Rejoice then, lovers of Anno’s coming-of-age tales and late Nineties Nippon, as distributor GKids released a 2K restoration back in late February, stopping first in NYC. Based on Ryū Murakami’s novel Topaz II, the 1998 feature heads south for an appearance at AFS’s new-cult-classic series Lates.   – James Scott

Pink Pony Rodeo

Friday 2, Cheer Up Charlies

DJ Boi Orbison’s queer party Neon Rainbows revives this combo platter of pop sugar and country grits for another boogie-woogie through Chups. From a crossover DJ duel between Boi and visiting DFW DJ Casstevens, attending cowpokes can knock boots to the beats of Chappell Roan, Beyoncé, the Chicks, Dolly Parton, and more. Lavender Thug wrangles all aspiring singers inside for Cuntry Karaoke, and surprise drag pop-ups keep all bandanna-wrapped necks on a swivel. Dress code requires salmon, flamingo, bubblegum: you know, all-pink outfits!   – James Scott

PJ Raval + UT Austin’s Queer Film Production Screening

Friday 2, Hyperreal Film Club

Queer culture is under attack, and many institutions seem to be folding rather than lending their support. Not so UT’s Radio-Television-Film program, as the film school continues to spotlight marginalized voices. Like the long-running East Austin Stories class, Call Her Ganda filmmaker PJ Raval’s Queer Media Production course empowers students to tell lesser-told stories, here by “embrac[ing] queerness as an artistic sensibility, mode of artmaking, and a form of creative boundary pushing.” Catch the work of Raval’s students at this special one-night showing of their original short films. Oh, and make sure to bring a dish for the potluck.   – Richard Whittaker

Annie

Friday 2 - Sunday 4, Bass Concert Hall

Over 50 years ago, lyricist Martin Charnin bought the book The Life and Hard Times of Little Orphan Annie as a gift for a friend. He became so enamored with it that he got to work on a musical about the Depression-era orphan adopted by the wealthy Daddy Warbucks. This friend never got the gift, but the world got a classic feel-good musical featuring songs like “Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” now brought to the stage by Broadway in Austin, directed by Jenn Thompson.   – Kat McNevins

Amy Silverberg

Friday 2 - Sunday 4, Cap City Comedy Club

Literary comic and writing teacher Amy Silverberg swoops in from L.A., bringing observations from the weird front lines of college teaching on Zoom and revealing the true reason men wear baseball caps (deep loneliness). She also brings a special guest opener, former Austinite (and Chronicle contributor) Danny Palumbo, whose blend of food and comedy is beloved by any chef with a sense of humor.   – Kat McNevins

Austin Record Convention

Friday 2 - Sunday 4, Palmer Events Center

“It’s insane. It’s blown away our biggest show record by like 40%. So many vendors I’ve filled most of Hall 2, as well as Hall 1 as usual.” That’s Nathan Hanners, Austin Record Convention scion. Imagine all the record stores of your life in one giant expanse, and that approaches this four-decade wellspring of records, tapes, CDs, shirts, posters, books – everything. And for the first time in decades, live music accompanies Saturday/Sunday via ATX nonprofit Spaceflight Records: Sword bassist Bryan Richie’s solo project Galactic Protector, MC extraordinaire Anastasia Hera, indie pop phenom S.L. Houser, Antone’s Records owners Eve Monsees and Mike Buck, and more. Exclusive early shopping Friday.   – Raoul Hernandez

Free Comic Book Day

Saturday 3, Austin Books & Comics, Bat City Games & Comics, Rogues Gallery Comics & Games, Dragon’s Lair, King’s Cache, and Tribe Comics & Games

Get that four-color fever with this annual celebration of sequential art. Head to your friendly neighborhood comic book store to pick up a stack of special free (yup, completely free, like that name says) titles from familiar franchises like Transformers, Minecraft, and Spider-Man. But don’t stop there! You may just find your new favorite comic, or maybe something that you know a friend or relative might appreciate. Plus, check with each store for special tie-ins, discounts, guests, and more. More info is available on freecomicbookday.com.   – Richard Whittaker

Barry Lyndon

Saturday 3 - Wednesday 7, All Austin Alamo Drafthouses

In December 2021, X (né Twitter) user dotflan posted a 26-second video that would forever change how internet denizens interpreted period piece Barry Lyndon. By combining the thumping lyricism of 21 Savage’s “a lot” with Ryan O’Neal as perfect imbecile Lyndon failing up social classes before failing right back down to abject poverty, the once-thought-tedious historical epic finally reads to everyone as hilarious as it truly is. Pull on up to any Austin-area Drafthouse and join the growing Kubrick-funny reclamation movement.   – James Scott

Turkish Food & Craft Festival

Saturday 3, Raindrop Austin

Fellow Turkish-American nonprofits Raindrop Foundation Austin and Dialogue Institute partner on this celebration of Turkish and Mediterranean culture. Eat your fill of culinary choices like doner gyro kebab, baklava, and stuffed gözleme – but make sure there’s room enough for you to enjoy that special Turkish coffee. After that zippy sip, you’ll be more than ready to partake in the various cultural exhibits and live music also offered. Kiddos get their own area to play in, too.   – James Scott

CelebrASIA

Saturday 3, Asian American Resource Center

It’s time for you to refresh your familiarity with the many cultures that began on the world’s largest continent – or perhaps you just want to celebrate a heritage that you’re personally familiar with. Either way the Asian American Resource Center hosts an afternoon filled with performances on the indoor stage, classrooms with hands-on experiences, and enough booths and food to keep your minds and stomachs satiated. Check their Eventbrite for parking info and more.   – James Renovitch

“Personal Records”

Through June 1, Goodluckhavefun Gallery

One part of a greater track-and-field trio of shows, GLHF presents art from Brian Dulaney, Drake Konow, Gerardo Cisneros, Justin Leal, Tim McCool, Kevin Muñoz, Marissa Dunagan, Phillip Niemeyer, and Preetal Shah. All these pieces speak to their experiences while analog traveling – you know, using their legs rather than a car or skateboard. This show organizes under the banner of Artist Run Club, coordinated by Northern-Southern and focused on the quick-paced art intelligentsia of Texas.   – James Scott

Austin Beerworks 14th Anniversary Party

Saturday 3, ABW CAN-tina

Ever gone to an event’s open bar and immediately forgotten a cool suave drink to order? Austin Beerworks Pearl Snap was there for you: a memorable name with a taste that never disappoints. Return the favor by hitting up the brewery on its 14th birthday, where bands like Full Phonetic, the Regulars, and Kev Bev & the Woodland Creatures play while ABW releases new beer, offers tattoos by Sad Foo, and serves foodie fun by Zee Weiner System and the CAN-tina.   – James Scott

The Art04 Studio Tour 2025

Saturday 3 - Sunday 4, the 78704 neighborhood

Get outta your home and into the 78704 area code, where over 60 artists open their studios for your prying eyes. Organized to promote hyperlocal art interest, the Art04 tour trip-traps across the Zilker, Bouldin Creek, South River City, Travis Heights, Barton Hills, South Lamar, Galindo, Dawson, and St. Edward’s neighborhoods to 19 tour stops. Featured are all the usual mediums like ceramics, photography, and gourd art, plus workshops on collage, abstract painting, and sculptural basket weaving.   – James Scott

Pecan Street Festival

Saturday 3 - Sunday 4, Hill Country Galleria

We know Austinites don’t typically love change, but due to the Sixth Street shifting situation the biannual Pecan Street Festival has been forced to move to Bee Cave. That doesn’t mean they won’t have the usual bevy of vendors and live music. This year’s live stage is headlined by a tribute to 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson and other acts throughout the fest’s two days. Don’t let a different venue scare you off: It might be a tad outside of town, but at least the parking situation will be better.   – James Renovitch

Last Voyage of the Voyagers

Saturday 3, Fallout Theater

Austin’s comedy scene is synonymous with improv, but it’s not all about the “yes, and.” Sketch comedy troupe the Voyagers goes on stage with a lot more than a wing, a prayer, and hopes that the audience has some good prompts. Promising live sketch comedy from the bottom of the barrel of their hearts, these laughs from the end times come from writer/director John Gholson, who is set to become the toast of this year’s Tribeca Festival as star of the new Austin-made horror, Man Finds Tape. But before he terrorizes the Big Apple, catch him and the rest of the Voyagers as they find humor in these dumpster fire days each Saturday night through May.   – Richard Whittaker

The Front Market

Saturday 3 - Sunday 4, Distribution Hall

Spring got your wallet feeling underused? Yeah, mine neither. But better your dollars go into the hands of the over 175 small-biz vendors lining Future Front TX’s seasonal market. Spread over two days, the smart Front Market shopper will be subject to new vendors each day, chef booths slinging boffo bites, and DJ sets by DJ Helios, Beaujolais, Wyldflower, and HoneyPocket. Need to get a little DIY to offset the spending? Workshops like a Broad Studios Club House clay wheel demo and mending and upcycling with Corinne Loperfido feature on both days.   – James Scott

Kentucky Derby Watch Party & Dachshund Dash

Saturday 3, Jackalope South Shore

Being so short – the greatest two minutes in sports – the Kentucky Derby has to have a lot of spectacle around it to make it worth your while to gather all these people and horses. Thus we have the hats, the fashion, the fancy drinks, and in this case, the complementary Dachshund Dash, aka the cutest 30 seconds in sports. Eileen Dover hosts this fifth annual full day of spectacle, which also includes a derby hat contest, $1 Coneys, and fabulous frozen mint juleps.   – Kat McNevins

Fiesta Reclamada

Sunday 4, the Cathedral

An effort from A3 Art Alliance Austin – aka the latest iteration of Austin Fine Arts Alliance – this party celebrates Austin’s 75-year Fiesta tradition. Partake in live music by Tish Hinojosa, Patricia Vonne, Lesley Reynaga, Javier Jara, and Daniel Llanes; a local vendors market; kids’ activities; and Roj Rodriguez photography exhibit. Kicks off with a welcome from Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes and concludes with Austin Poet Laureate Zell Miller III.   – James Scott

Scream

Sunday 4 & Wednesday 7, Violet Crown Cinema

Revisionism is rife in film appreciation. Sometimes it’s deserved (no, Birth of a Nation didn’t invent cinema). Sometimes it’s just contrarianism (of course Avatar has fans). But sometimes it’s just insane – like the idea that any of the post-Scream teen-friendly slashers were anywhere near as good as Wes Craven’s horror landmark. No one else could combine both brilliant scares and academic commentary so seamlessly, and his dismantling of all those well-worn terror tropes is what made them fresh again. From casting America’s sweetheart Drew Barrymore as the first to be dispatched to its convention-busting denouement, it’s clear why it’s so many people’s favorite scary movie.   – Richard Whittaker

Jane Austen Day

Sunday 4, BookPeople

It’s never not a good time to be a Jane Austen fan, but this particular moment is particularly opportune to celebrate one of literature’s finest practitioners, in this, the 250th anniversary year of her birth. Join fellow Janeites at BookPeople’s free, all-day fête, with activities including Regency ballroom dance lessons, high tea, an in-store scavenger hunt, a book launch party for Janine Barchas’ new graphic novel, The Novel Life of Jane Austen, and a special storytime for kiddos. Because you’re never too young to start arguing over just how insufferable Emma is and which film adaptation is the best. I’m partial to 1999’s feminist makeover of Mansfield Park. Come at me!   – Kimberley Jones

“HOT: The Exhibit"

Through May 25, Ground Floor Theatre

Over a million American women go through the change every year. Why do we still talk about it in such hushed tones? Andee Kinzy and Melissa Knight hope to eliminate the stigma around menopause with “HOT,” a multimedia exhibit that hosts an art show, a play, and several workshops and panels throughout the month of May. The gallery opens May 4, and Jennifer Connell Davis’ I Wanna Be a F*cking Princess premieres four days later. In between and beyond, catch medical experts dispel menopause misinformation and try your hand at consciousness raising at community storytelling events. Find the whole schedule at improvedarts.org/hot-the-exhibit.   – Carys Anderson

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Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what's happening now or in the coming week.