Home Events
-
Sponsored Listing
The Juilliard String Quartet with pianist Anna Petrova
With unparalleled artistry and enduring vigor, the Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) continues to inspire audiences around the world. Founded in 1946 and hailed by The Boston Globe as “the most important American quartet in history,” the ensemble draws on a deep and vital engagement to the classics, while embracing the mission of championing new works, a vibrant combination of the familiar and the daring.Sat. May 17, 7:30pmRiverbend Centre -
Sponsored Listing
Affordable Art Fair Austin
After a hugely successful first edition, Affordable Art Fair Austin returns May 15-18, 2025 at the Palmer Events Center, showcasing thousands of original contemporary artworks ranging between $100 to $10,000. Welcoming 55 local, national and international exhibitors, the second edition will be unmissable.May 15-18, 2025Palmer Events Center
Recommended
-
Music
Jack Greenwood, Motenko (EP release), Geto Gala, SKATELAND
A talented gathering of just-to-the-left alt-R&B/pop artists comes together for Motenko’s latest EP release, with the breezy, soft soul in “Free Yourself” and “Screen Time” sure to be on the playlist. Jack Greenwood (Other Colors EP) offers catchy, playful tunes that end up in Capital One ad campaigns. Jake Lloyd and Deezie Brown’s Geto Gala project appears to be respawning, with their last offering coming in late 2022 with the excellent single “Champagne Wishes.” Dorian Williams II-led SKATELAND project offers pleasantly undiluted indie electropop that leans heavily into a specific suburban nostalgia. – Kahron SpearmanFri., Oct. 25, 8pm. $15 cover (21+). -
Arts
Visual Arts
Art Dinner Afterparty
While not everyone can be among the 300 art world luminaries attending the actual Art Dinner, this year marks the first time the Contemporary’s opening up a little of the magic to the greater public. For a cool 200 for non-members – or a discounted $160 for members – attendees may partake in an expansive cocktail and refreshment menu featuring local vendors like Luna Espresso and Dolce Bacio Gelato, served at a pop-up from Downtown parking palace Garage. There’ll also be performances from by J’cuuzi and DJ SuperNova of Pangea Sound, body painting, and palm and tarot readings available, all of which you’ll enjoy on the beautiful Laguna Gloria grounds. Pro tip from a guy who suffered for his foolishness last time: Just use a rideshare. Parking in that area just isn’t for the faint of heart. – James ScottFri., Oct. 25 -
Qmmunity
Community
Austin Eagle Leather Title Weekend
Who will wear the crown – or, more accurately, chaps – of Mr./Ms./Mx. Austin Eagle? Join for the thrilling competition, or attend one of the many ancillary events taking place over this exciting weekend. There’s a gear swap, cigar social, a market, the Eagle’s Halloween Party, and much more awaiting y’all.Oct. 25-27 -
Arts
Visual Arts
B Scene: Surrealism Soiree
You know what’s really surreal? That the surrealist art movement is 100 years old. Bet don’t be fooled, this old style is still the life of the party. Celebrate the centennial with Blanton’s epic birthday bash. Dress in daring, Dali-inspired costumes and enjoy a night of twisted takes. Tickets to the soiree grant more than access to drinks, plant-based sushi, and gallery viewing. They open the doors to music by the Octopus Project and DJ Near Mint, stream of consciousness writing and art workshops, dream interpretation, aura photography, and so much more. Ready for an eclectic experience? Melt your brain like a clock, find the layers of meaning within yourself, and get surreal with it. – Cat McCarreyFri., Oct. 25 -
Qmmunity
Nightlife & Parties
Chique's 9th Bloody Bash
Austin's very own Sad/Bad Dad DJ Chique Fil-Atio celebrates nine years terrorizing the stage, with a dance night that goes all night. Go-go dancers abound!Fri., Oct. 25 -
Community
Civic Events
Early Voting
You know you're voting, so why not vote early? It's convenient, the people at the polling stations are doing God's work, and you get sticker! Oh, and there's something about keeping democracy alive or whatever. – James RenovitchOct. 21 - Nov. 5Various polling locations -
Community
Events
Hogeye Festival
Meet with all your pals for a festival that "celebrates community, family, famous Elgin Sausage, and all things swine!"Oct. 24-26 -
Film
Special Screenings
I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
The zombie looms large in the collective creep consciousness – so many interpretations, so many thematic representations, so much hunger for brains. Director Jacques Tourneur’s film is both titled after and based on an article written by Inez Wallace after her experiences with sugar plantation workers in Haiti. But of the 1943 movie’s script, more influence was taken from gothic romance Jane Eyre, with producer Val Lewton asking for “West Indian version of Jane Eyre.” Witness the strange, haunting visions that at the time of its release provoked disgust and now, revisited and explored, strike up a thought provoking dialogue about exploitation cinema. – James ScottOct. 25 & 27 -
Music
Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord (10:00, 8:00)
After a few years concentrating on bluegrass with Wayside Bluegrass and the Central Texas Bluegrass Association, Jon Lundbom picks his electric guitar back up to celebrate both his birth and the 20th anniversary of his band Big Five Chord. The Chicago-born, Austin-based eclectician is a master at stretching the boundaries of jazz, both avant-garde and not – check out the Chord’s most recent album, 2019’s Harder On the Outside to corroborate – and his distinctive take on improvisational harmonic structure has been sorely missed. The band includes saxophone greats Jon Irabagon and Bryan “Balto!” Murray, bassist Moppa Elliott, and drummer Dan Monaghan. – Michael TolandFri., Oct. 25 -
Music
KUTX & Mueller Rock the Park w/ Superfónicos, Karate Dance Party
Between weekends of ACL Fest, Superfónicos laid down an outdoor set on South Congress every bit as revelatory as a Tito’s tent takedown in Zilker Park. Colombian funk septet, the local rhythm train packed Guero’s outside stage to the tune of Renaceré, July’s full-length bow fusing South America to South Austin. “We realized we really needed to go from simmer to rolling boil,” emailed bandleader Nicolas Sanchez Castro this summer. Easily a top 10 homegrown LP of 2024, Renaceré ripples liberating Afro-beats and dreamy cumbias at Mueller Lake Park’s winning outdoor amphitheater for KUTX’s essential free, all ages concert series, 6:30-8pm. – Raoul HernandezFri., Oct. 25, 6:30pm. Free & open to public. -
Music
La Santa Cecilia, The Tiarras, DJ Beats of Burden
Not to be confused with Costa Rica’s the Saint Cecilia, who recently played the first weekend of ACL Fest, this Los Angeles combo climbed a far bigger stage. Traditionally instrumented quartet shaking out cumbias, bossa novas, and boleros, indie missionaries La Santa Cecilia garnered a Grammy a decade ago now behind the timeless Spanish of singer Marisol Hernandez. On last year’s top shelf Cuatro Copas Bohemia en la Finca Altozano, the band holes up at a cantina for an intimate drink with, among others, this month’s Long Center ranchera pop Aida Cuevas, who guests on the intoxicating title track. Two nights, muchos tragos. – Raoul HernandezFri., Oct. 25, 8:30pm -
Music
Leo Rondeau, Willi Carlisle (8:00)
Willi Carlisle preaches big tent Americana, his shows a call to an open-hearted communion that absorbs the weary struggles of life and exudes a wonder at its complicated richness. The closest incarnation of Woody Gurthrie working today, the Arkansas troubadour delivers talking folk blue and sincere ballads that can strike simultaneously hilarious and harrowing. His third album, this year’s Darrell Scott-produced Critterland, reels in hard-time tales and outsider narratives as he seeks to forge a connection with the world with a deliberate hopefulness. Leo Rondeau returns to Austin to close the night and make sure the dancefloor gets a workout. – Doug FreemanFri., Oct. 25 -
Community
Events
Power Tool Pumpkin Carving Workshop
Hearing the words “power tools” in conjunction with Thinkery, the children’s museum, may rightfully raise an eyebrow, but fear not: This one’s for grownups! “Thinkery21” means adults 21 and up can unwind with drinks and explore their creativity by carving pumpkins with rotary carvers, drills, and saws, all under the supervision of experienced staffers. Awards will be handed out for spooky superlatives, and grab a pic with your creation in front of a bewitching backdrop to capture how you let the gourd times roll. – Kat McNevinsFri., Oct. 25 -
Qmmunity
Arts & Culture
Silent Notes
In partnership with Austin Film Festival, queer cinema celebrators aGLIFF screen the world premiere of hearing loss drama Silent Notes.Fri., Oct. 25 -
Community
Events
Slow Fashion Festival
Yes: This fall’s best look is ethical chic. Slow Fashion Festival returns with local designers, vendors, speakers, and models – all to highlight sustainably made clothes that push the envelope.Oct. 25-27 -
Community
Events
Spooky Arts Festival
Two things Austin loves: Spooky season and arts festivals. Presented by the Martian Arts Collective, this free, three-day romp promises interactive art installations and vendors selling handmade jewelry, artwork, and apparel, all soundtracked by live performances across rock, reggae, house, hip-hop, and bass, with after-dark silent discos to boot. New East Seventh bar Cabana Club boasts a lengthy menu of creative cocktails and an expansive patio (with a pool!) – perfect for our inevitably warm Halloween. – Carys AndersonOct. 25-27Cabana Club, 5012 E. Seventh St. -
Music
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back w/ live score from Austin Symphony Orchestra (1980)
Okay, here are the three reasons you GOTTA attend this screening: 1) All bias aside, we must acknowledge that The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie. Few other entries in this now-bloated franchise match the second entry’s visual style or unstoppable action – like, come see me when the Disney Death Star makes anything half as cool-looking as Cloud City. 2) So this screening, right, has costumed characters galore for you to take a pic with – which you can do while holding a Jedi Mind Trick cocktail, purchased from a Long Center “cantina.” Oh and duh: 3) The freaking Austin Symphony Orchestra – you know, the one conducted by local legend Peter Bay – is doing the John Williams score LIVE. Like right in front of your face, directly in your ears, the booming glory of “The Imperial March” fills the room. You’d have to be smokin’ death-sticks to miss this one, pal. – James ScottFri., Oct. 25, 7:30pm -
Arts
Theatre
The Haunting of Hill House
Ghosts don’t live in shadows. They live in the spaces between, the places where we are not sure whether we have seen something or if our eyes have simply played tricks on us. Shirley Jackson’s peerless 1959 Gothic novel The Haunting of Hill House has inspired films and TV shows with its soul-piercing ambiguity, and now Bottle Alley goes back to the source material for a theatrical version of the doom that befalls a quartet of psychic researchers, of skeptics and true believers, as they become part of the house’s history of death and strange occurrences. – Richard WhittakerThrough Oct. 27Flower Hill Foundation, 1316 W. Sixth -
Arts
Visual Arts
"Native America: In Translation"
One thing I’ve loved about newer theatre or museums is the space given for land acknowledgement – statements about the ancestral roots of the space being used. Space that was not always ours, but taken. The Blanton’s latest exhibit tackles that question, but pushes the boundaries. It’s not just about what Native America was, but what it can be. Curator and lauded artist Wendy Red Star has assembled nine other Native artists to create a rich exploration of what life in America is today. Shown through a variety of mediums, something is guaranteed to resonate with the audience. Whether it’s the photos, paintings, videos, or multimedia works is up to you. – Cat McCarreyAug. 4-Jan.5 -
Arts
Theatre
Luna
Who doesn’t like having friends? They’re great! So great, in fact, that Ramón Esquivel’s play for younger audiences is all about how to make friends. Luna follows Soledad, a daughter of migrant farm workers whose nomadic life makes stable friendships a difficult prospect. Though books, the stars, and her namesake – aka, the moon – keep her company, the play centers on Soledad’s meeting two peers who, much like her, are searching for connection. Bring the kids to this wonderful stage production directed by Mateo Hernandez, but be warned if you’ve got fidgeting young folks: This here play’s an hour without intermission. – James ScottThrough Nov. 16 -
Music
-
Music
Amplified Heat, Lord Buffalo, Billy King & the Bad Bad Bad (album release), Wicked River Band
Fri., Oct. 25, 9pm. $20 cover. -
Music
-
Community
Events
Austin Film Festival
They call it the last stop on the road to the Oscars, and AFF earns that nickname yet again with one of its most loaded lineups yet. Amy Adams is getting awards season buzz for her performance in Nightbitch, as has Pamela Anderson for her career-best work embodying old Las Vegas in The Last Showgirl, while the epic The Brutalist is being called an unmissable experience. But this is the Austin Film Festival, so don’t miss a packed roster of locally made films getting their premieres, including Texas Cult House, The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia, and a contender for this year’s most heartwarming documentary, Deaf Santa Claus. – Richard WhittakerOct. 24-31 -
Community
Events
Austin International Folk Dancers
Join AIFD for an evening of dances from around the world with no experience or partner required.Fridays, 7-9:45pm. $5 (under 18, free). -
Arts
Visual Arts
“A Path of Impermanence: life along a highway expansion”
Photographer Liz Moskowitz spent the last year – as we all have – driving through the guts and gore of TXDOT’s I-35 expansion. All along the frontage road are businesses bearing “we’re still open!” signs, while others are empty husks bearing their new location’s address – or have been leveled completely. (R.I.P. old Chron building and its many rat occupants.) In her new show opening this Saturday at Future Front House, Moskovitz collects half a year’s worth of photographs chronicling the expansion’s impact on the Austin community between Manor Road and 51st. This represents the beginning of a longer project wherein Moskovitz plans to develop the story of I-35 through the people who it impacts, both through her own research and audience contributions – all of which will be donated in its final form to Austin History Center. : – James ScottOpens Oct. 19, runs through Oct. 29 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Elevate”
Visual texture does more than garner interest – it ignites the brain, allowing for overwhelming emotional reactions. Artist Anya Molyviatis is a master at creating exactly that with her exploratory weavings. According to the exhibit statement, the work is designed to transform “material and color into expressions of weightlessness.” Indeed, the woven panels typically work in one hue, or a slightly related color story, the variations in thread tone precisely placed to make the panels feel like a portal. Where do they go? That’s up to the viewer. Float along a blue wave into depths of sky or ocean. Enter into an orange and pink sunscape. Sink into the woven world of Molyviatis. – Cat McCarreyThrough Nov. 23 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Enclaves”
Imagine a world where humans didn’t exist. No, not like Pixar classic Wall-E, but instead a society in which human life is completely absent. Now you’ve got the idea behind ICOSA’s new exhibition by Matt Rebholz and Jenn Wilson Shepherd, which conjures a flourishing and vibrant world of flora and non-human fauna. Rebholz uses film stills as a jumping-off point for his works, while Shepherd uses a post-humanist lens to create animal-first imagery. Imagine the possibilities. – Amaya AustinThrough Oct. 26 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Floral Realism”
Artists have attempted to capture the natural elegance of flowers for centuries, but the flora in this exhibition have seen some shit. Natural droopiness, common species, and photorealistic imperfections define this series. Through watercolor, oils, and colored pencils, Carol Dawson, James Andrew Smith, and Molly Smith (respectively) showcase the effortless construction and everyday beauty that doesn’t want to be ignored or adored, only appreciated. – James RenovitchThrough Oct. 27 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Heirlooms” by Sara Hirneisen
Reader, I must be honest: I am writing about this event 99% because the photo the gallery sent me is fascinating. In keeping with artist Sara Hirneisen’s sculpture use of casting, the object in question bears 10 plaster-cast fingers piked onto metal prongs and carries the title Finger Rake. I’m obsessed with Finger Rake, which makes sense given Hirneisen’s show is all about holding items in reverence. Playing with gendered objects, Hirneisen reimagines the contents of a hope chest as not so much jewelry and baubles but practical tools. Many of these objects include molds cast from herself and her own children. This process, she writes, stands in opposition to thoughts of marriage and motherhood: Rather, she is “making tools that set them [her children] up for independence and self-sufficiency.” – James ScottThrough Nov. 17
All Events