Wit
Thursday 7 – Sunday 10, City Theatre
Is death something to be feared – or welcomed? In Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning script, English professor Vivian Bearing has studied the intricacies of death through the poetry of John Donne, but it’s different when death stares you in the face. Her terminal ovarian cancer diagnosis forces Bearing to reconsider mortality. This short play tracks through her life, from childhood reminiscence to the far past when her current oncology doctor was a student. City Theatre brings Bearing’s wrestle with fate to the Austin stage, showing the weight and scarcity of time. – Cat McCarrey
Tenet
Thursday 7, Hyperreal Film Club
Because the Tenet-enjoyer did not log on to write this particular blurb (check out his four-star review instead), y’all get me – a skeptic of Nolan’s 2020 sci-fi style experiment. But even I cannot deny there’s just a magic to ol’ Chris’ camera work that makes nitpicking-realism squabbles slide away like, oh, I don’t know, time during a temporal pincer movement? Buoyed by RPatz playing a charming loyalist to John David Washington’s unambiguously named Protagonist, the film entices with beautiful special-effects-laden scenes that allow you to forgive all narrative nonsense. Now what is Tenet about? Brother: That’s not the point, and I think you know that. – James Scott
National Whataburger Day
Friday 8, All Whataburgers
Seventy-five years of fresh burgers, patty melts, and honey butter chicken biscuits have culminated in the celebration of a lifetime: 75¢ Whataburgers from 11am to 8pm at all locations. To redeem this killer deal, you’ll have to download the Whata-app or go online, be a rewards member, and pay for extra add-ons if you so choose. For a 75¢ Whataburger, however, I’d do just about anything. Don’t miss out on this highly revered national holiday, which, if you ask me, should really be its own entire month. – Julianna Plewes
Donnie Darko
Friday 8, Saturday 9 & Wednesday 13, AFS Cinema
Before 2001, no one even knew that the most beautiful phrase in the English language was “cellar door.” Can you imagine such a world? (Please ignore that phonesthetics were introduced in the mid-20th century.) Yes, much was different before Richard Kelly dropped his dark debut film, and in many ways we live in Mr. Donald Darko’s shadow – whether that’s one of a disenfranchised teen rattling with his own angst or a twisted rabbit costume come out of a wormhole. Under-advertised on release thanks to its post-9/11 depiction of a plane crash, the double Gyllenhaal-starring feature gained cult classic status among all black hoodie-wearing weirdos scuffling through a difficult adolescence. To them – and to those attending these AFS Big Screen Classics screenings – I say: cellar door. – James Scott
Labubu Pool Party
Friday 8, Cabana Club
You may not be the owner of the one and only 24-karat gold Labubu, but that doesn’t mean you can’t party like you are. If you don’t have TikTok or Instagram Reels, you probably have no idea what I am talking about, but that’s too bad – you’re missing out. Labubus are the pinnacle of modern sophistication, and it’s time Austin gets in on the action. At Cabana Club’s pool party, you, too, can appreciate the joy of the Labubu community. With flash tattoos, over $500 in giveaways, and iLLfest tickets up for grabs, the Labubu Party is a do-not-miss cultural moment worth your while. – Julianna Plewes
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Friday 8, Monday 11 – Wednesday 13, Alamo Slaughter, Lakeline, and Mueller
Alamo Drafthouse’s Kids Camp series is doing the Lord’s work here – that is, making sure Gen Alpha understands the importance of SpongeBob SquarePants. Sure, the absorbent and yellow and porous icon continues to appear on Nickelodeon, but new episodes hardly compare to this 2004 opus, which original showrunner and creator Stephen Hillenburg intended to be the series finale. In the film, SpongeBob and Patrick embark on a road trip from Bikini Bottom to Shell City to exonerate Mr. Krabs, framed for stealing King Neptune’s crown. Of course, chaos and giggles and adventures ensue. Oh, waiter … – Carys Anderson
Back to School Swap/Swap Before You Shop
Friday 8 – Sunday 10, Reverb // Recycled Couture
It’s staggering to think about the environmental impact of fast fashion, and sobering to review the facts, such as that the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes is burned or landfilled each second. Fortunately, Austin is always trying to stay at the cutting edge of sustainability efforts, meaning opportunities like this to divert gently used clothing to new homes. This is a double whammy, too: It’s Reverb // Recycled Couture’s first anniversary and it’s tax-free weekend, so they’re offering free (!) kids’ clothes all weekend to give back-to-schoolers a leg up. Contact the store if you’ve got donations or volunteer time to spare. – Kat McNevins
45th Anniversary Group Show
Through August 31, Wally Workman Gallery
Wally’s been around since 1980, spreading the artistic love via their ever-rotating gallery of artists hailing from local, national, and international origins. Since they’ve now gone through 45 calendars worth of canvas, sculptures, and those little plastic wine cups one gets at opening receptions, the gallery is celebrating with a group show featuring 45 artists who’ve previously graced the 120-year-old historic venue. Work from Gordon Fowler, John Adelman, Priscilla Robinson, and many more hang in tribute to WWG’s decades of artistic connection. Drop in Saturday for the opening reception, where hopefully there’ll be a few plastic wine cups for everyone to cheers. – James Scott
Rock Fest and Grand Opening 25th Anniversary Celebration
Friday 8 – Sunday 10, Nature’s Treasures
Rocks, well, rock. Nature’s Treasures knows it’s true. The legendary billboard proudly proclaiming their “We Rock” slogan has greeted Austin commuters day in and day out and now, at last, the time has come for Nature’s Treasures to share their rockin’ new digs. Their boulder vision has crystallized in an easily accessible North Austin location, and the grand opening just happens to coincide with Rock Fest and Nature’s Treasures 25th year on this big ol’ rock orbiting the sun. Join them to celebrate with a fossil and crystal dig, a local jewelry showcase, food trucks, giveaways, and oh so much more. – Caroline Drew
Throne of Blood
Friday 8 & Sunday 10, AFS Cinema
The Scottish Play becomes the Japanese masterpiece: Akira Kurosawa adapts Shakespeare’s Macbeth with Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada as the Washizus, a power-hungry couple who murder their way to being Lord and Lady of Spider’s Web Castle. Shakespeare had been banned in Japan during World War II, as was much foreign culture, but Kurosawa saw the idiocy of trying to restrict art by creating one of the greatest adaptations of the bard’s work. – Richard Whittaker
Clear the Shelters
Saturday 9, Austin Animal Center
For two special months, my good friend fostered a cat in secret in her dorm room, whom we aptly named Mr. Kitty. While a loving family eventually adopted Mr. Kitty, there are still thousands of pets, just like him, looking for a home in Austin, and right now, there’s no better time to adopt. Austin Animal Center has teamed up with NBC Universal’s nationwide Clear the Shelters campaign to get as many pets out of Austin shelters and into loving homes as possible, waiving adoption fees for all pets on the 9th and 10th. Join AAC this weekend to meet all sorts of Fidos & felines in need of a home and, if you’re lucky, find a Mr. Kitty of your very own. – Julianna Plewes
Parade of India
Saturday 9, Texas Capitol South Steps
In 2019, Mayor Mukta Tilak of Pune (India) and former District 10 City Council Member Alison Alter signed into effect a sisterhood between Austin and the second-largest city in the state of Maharashtra. Several years – and one pandemic – later, Austin-Pune Sister City International partners with fancy-footwork folks Monsoon Dance for the 11th annual celebration of India’s Independence Day on the Capitol’s south steps. Promised enjoyments include Bollywood dance performances, Dhol drumming, and a parade across the Capitol grounds. – James Scott
“All These Folks”
Saturday 9, SAGE Studio
Folk art: art by “the folk.” That is to say, art that reflects a culture or place, often by self-taught artists and displaying some sort of rough-hewn charm – a raw edge proving their folksy bona fides. Join the collaboration between two local folk art havens as they present the best and brightest of their stables. SAGE Studio and folkartwork have created a brain trust, a mind meld if you will, to showcase the unexpected glories of untrained, outsider art. From painted records to pipe cleaners (trust me, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen what SAGE artist Montrel Beverly can create with that medium), each piece gives delightful surprises. – Cat McCarrey
Some Call It Magic
Saturday 9, Tiny Minotaur Tavern
No need to wave a wand for a spell to work here since this Black and trans drag celebration has a magic all its own. Sir Beau Elliot and Damiana Divine play host to this coterie of performers conjured within the immersive Tiny Minotaur environment, featuring Janae Fawn, Sir Dree, and Coach. DJ Intimacy Simulator spins the tunes, and a selection of vendor booths offer a chance to take a little magic home with ya. As per usual, the uncommitted pay $10 while those who pay their tavern fees – aka, have a Tiny Minotaur membership – get five bucks off the cover. – James Scott
Black Art AirWays
Saturday 9, Distribution Hall
This Black Business Month, local arts alliance OFCOLOR takes its annual Black Art WKND to the skies. Curated by the nonprofit’s founder and board chair Rudi Dizer, secretary Steven Hatchett, and creative director Chris Tobar Rodriguez, the reimagined event transforms Distribution Hall into an improved version of Austin-Bergstrom – one with a duty-free market full of Black entrepreneurs, in-flight entertainment headlined by Texan crooner David Michael Wyatt, and a gallery cabin adorned by local visual artists. The activation soft-launches two days earlier with an all-day co-working space/networking happy hour at the Downtown Austin Alliance’s 506 Congress headquarters. – Carys Anderson
The Jigglewatts Burlesque Revue: The Great Show
Saturday 9, Elysium
After his historic run on the first-ever drag king competition variety show, local performer Alexander the Great gets a hero’s welcome from his Austin burlesque besties, the Jigglewatts. He’ll be getting his flowers alongside fellow King of Drag contestant and Texan Buck Wylde at this drag- and burlesque-stuffed showcase. Sparkling with them are Jigglewatts steadies Ruby Joule, Jolie Goodnight, Ruby Lamb, and Something Blue as well as special guests Bobby Pudrido, Lilith Azazel, and Monica Monáe Davenport. – James Scott
BRISKETFEST 2025
Saturday 9, The Far Out Lounge
What do Austinites love more than live music and smoked meat? Literally nothing. Enter BRISKETFEST, helmed by – of course – local pop-punk cover band Jimmy Eat Brisket. Those Aughts-loving musicians perform down South alongside Ne’er-Do-Well, Chancla Fight Club, Dan Radin, Tela Bella, Tanner Bransom, and Wrestle With Jimmy (indeed a Weezer cover band). To up the pop culture-loving fun, vendors All That Raaz, the Emo Alien, the Luxe Art Agency, and Retroplug pop up with retro stickers, artwork, and collectibles. Brisket arrives via SLAB BBQ, Ed’s Smokehouse, and Good BBQ Company. – Carys Anderson
Scanners
Saturday 9, We Luv Video
A mind-blower in the most literal sense, David Cronenberg’s early Eighties sci-fi horror was given a rocky birth thanks to the famed Canadian Capital Cost Allowance tax shield. Rushed into screaming life without a script in order to capture subsidies, there’s a roughness here working to emphasize the wrong-footed first steps protag Cameron Vale takes in understanding his latent telepathy. Here’s an early edition of the tried and true Cronenberg formula, where a person enters a subculture and ends up nearly drowning in it – often because the water there’s more welcoming than the steely corporate reality above the surface. But if thinking about themes ain’t your speed, let me give you the real sales pitch: That head-exploding scene’s pretty f*ckin’ cool, dude. – James Scott
Blanton All Day: Summer Dance Series, Two-Step Edition
Saturday 9, Blanton Museum
With its impressive permanent collection and rotating exhibitions curated with care, the Blanton has always been a classy feather in Austin’s laid-back cap. But did you know they also do parties? Every second weekend of the month, this all-day event brings Austinites of all ages to the museum. This Saturday from 10:30am to 8pm, expect a storytime for young kids; a craft event where you can make your own bolo tie; a curator-guided look at the painting Lavender High by Alice Baber; a history lesson on Austin’s printmaking scene from Katherine Brimberry, co-founder, director, and senior master printer of the Flatbed Center for Contemporary Printmaking; and finally, two-stepping lessons from Double or Nothing Two-Step and live music from Aaron McDonnell. All in all, a perfect summer’s day with the best Austin has to offer. – Lina Fisher
Paddle for Puppies
Sunday 10, Rowing Dock
The canine parvovirus is highly contagious and deadly if left untreated, which is why early detection and treatment are so essential. And that ain’t cheap, especially for a nonprofit like Austin Pets Alive!, which is where this annual fundraiser comes in. Presented by Austin Subaru, the Paddle for Puppies event benefits APA’s Parvo Puppy Program. Now here’s where you come in: Astride the water vessel of your choice – kayak, canoe, stand-up paddleboard – you and countless other doggo do-gooders will paddle down Lady Bird Lake together. For your troubles you’ll receive a commemorative T-shirt and the can’t-beat feeling that for one Sunday morning at least you’ve put a little more good into the world than bad. – Kimberley Jones
Humans in the Loop
Sunday 10, AFS Cinema
Presented by South Asian cinema supporters Indie Meme, Aranya Sahay’s technological drama comes at precisely the right time to dive into the artificial intelligence discourse. The film follows newly divorced mother Nehma as she takes on a very 21st-century job: data labeling, aka tagging images for algorithms to process. Her work snakes its way into her off-the-clock life and finds Nehma questioning if technology like AI is really free from human bias or – as we all suspect – is it defined by them. – James Scott
Scoop of Love
Sunday 10, Amy’s Ice Creams – South Austinville location
Rainbow sprinkles are just the start: This family-friendly Pride event is all about celebrating queer joy and stuffing your face with sweet delicious ice cream. From 11am-5pm, the South Austinville location (2901 S. Lamar) will play host to a vendor market, face painting, and crafts making, with 20% of the day’s profits from Amy’s and neighbor Phil’s Icehouse going to Unite the Fight, which funds local LGBTQIA+ nonprofits. Why stop at one scoop when you’ve got such a good excuse to go back for more? – Kimberley Jones
“Tramas (Plot | Weft)”
Sunday 10, Mexic-Arte Museum
Venezuelan artist Mery Godigna Collet returns to Mexic-Arte after her 2015 featured exhibition, “Extra Virgin Petrus Oil,” which married crude oil to vinyl. In this pop-up show, her work examines the melding of the personal and technological through video art as well as a limited-edition book featuring seven stories and serigraphs (silkscreen printings). “We are in a time of transition as we slip into post-human ways of communicating,” Collet writes in her artist statement. “Cyberculture is blurring the boundaries between humans and machines.” Stop by this Sunday to explore those blurry boundaries beyond the computer screen. – James Scott
Juliet Italian Kitchen 10th Anniversary
Sunday 10, Juliet on Barton Springs
When beloved romantic date spot Romeo’s stepped out of its Barton Springs Road location, Juliet stepped in with its name a nod to the building’s former occupants. In the ensuing decade, Juliet has become a favorite in its own right due to its family-friendly vibes, revamped (but still classic) design, and of course, a menu featuring delicious, hearty Italian American fare from chicken parm to lasagna to a marvelous mushroom manicotti. Celebrate 10 years with cool, refreshing treats from Gelu Italian Ice (1-3pm), an epic vinyl set from DJ KingByornce (2-5pm), free tiramisu (yay!), and $10 bottles of prosecco – a deal that extends to Juliet’s Georgetown and Arboretum locations as well. Buon anniversario! – Kat McNevins
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.
This article appears in August 8 • 2025.