Gay Place: Maxey to the Max

Toast and roast Texas' first openly gay legislator (not to mention much of the muscle behind the local push for marriage equality and outing Rick Perry, among other things) and see who gets the first award in his name, this Sunday.

ON OUR GAYDAR

Happy Hour with Ms. Wright on the black & whites – a great way to kick off a weekend. Thursdays & Fridays, 6-8pm. The Skylark Lounge, 2039 Airport. Free. www.fb.com/theskylarklounge.

Love! Valour! Compassion! Eight gay men, three summer holidays, one helluva playwright. July 31-Aug. 24. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 5:30pm. City Theatre, 3823-D Airport, 512/524-2870. $15-25, ask about group and student discounts. www.citytheatreaustin.org.

Patrice Pike BIRTHDAY BASH Take a hike, and wish the Pike many, many happy returns. Thursdays, 8-10pm. Saxon Pub, 1320 S. Lamar. www.fb.com/patricepikeband.

Drag at the Drive-In: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Austin Drag Fest presents another drag-queens-hit-the-road-and-get-into-all-sorts-of-shenanigans spectacular. Fri., July 31, 8pm. Blue Starlite Drive-In at Austin Studios, 1901 E. 51st, 512/850-6127. www.austindragfest.org.

Disco Drag Fever Uh-huh! Heyyyy. Beep-beep! Friday night and the strip is hot. When the sun goes down will you be out to trot with your gal-pals Franzia Blackout, Louisianna Purchase, Zane Zena, et al., and naughty naughty DJ Daddie Dearest? You are such a bad girl! Fri., July 31, 10pm. Elysium, 705 Red River. $5. www.elysiumonline.net.

Fierce Fab Fridays Come on in and take a dip with Nadine Hughes. Fridays, 10:30pm. Highland Lounge, 404 Colorado. Free. www.highlandlounge.com.

EQ TX HEATWAVE We fantasize about ponying up the $30 per, with the entire historical lineage of the Gay Place krewe in tow, pulling up to some posh digs in West Lake and hitting the cement pond like that scene in Caddyshack, where the country club lets the poor schlubs in for an hour. The VIP slots are sold out, but the advanced sales are still going on until July 30 for this hot afternoon chillin' for equality. Baby Ruth optional. Sat., Aug. 1, 1-5pm. Private residence in West Lake Hills; call Equality Texas for details, 512/474-5475. www.eqtxheatwave.com.

Glen Maxey Roast & Chris Riley Award Ceremony Come revel as folks (including Leticia Van de Putte, Susan DuQuesnay Bankston, and Debra Danburg) toast and roast the heck out of Glen and award the inaugural Maxey Award to Chris Riley. Sun., Aug. 2, 1-3pm. Highland Lounge, 404 Colorado. $25-350. www.stonewallaustin.org.

Planet Fabulous Karaoke Karaoke's grande dame is back and humpin' for Hump Days and Sundays at the 'Bear. Wednesdays & Sundays, 9:30pm. The Iron Bear, 121 W. Eighth. Free. www.theironbear.com.

Free Buffet It's about time someone served up some yummy free grub all week long to soak up all those drink specials. Mon.-Fri., 5-7pm. Bout Time II, 6607 N. I-35. Free.

Queerdalini Yoga for those who'd prefer to focus on chi rather than he or she. Mondays, 7:30pm. Soma Vida, 2324 E. Cesar Chavez. $5+ donations encouraged. www.fb.com/groups/qyogaaustin.

TuezGayz Dependably fruitastic: Austin's legendary weekly weekday gay night on Red River. Tuesdays, 9pm. Barbarella, 615 Red River. www.fb.com/barbarella.austin.9.

Big Boobie Bingo Bring your big ... BINGO daubers and raise some dough for Austin Pride with CupCake and Maeve Haven. First Tuesdays, 7-9pm. Maria's Taco Xpress, 2529 S. Lamar. Free. www.fb.com/austinpride.

Queer Ride Check the QR Facebook group for up-to-date details on meeting spots and stops of this weekly ride. Wednesdays, 7pm; wheels, 7:30pm. Meet at the Texas State Capitol. Free.

HO-RIZON

Big Gay Send-Away & Dance Party Come bid a fond farewell to Donnesh and Joanna, both bound for the New England Center for Circus Arts. Fri., Aug. 7, 8pm. The North Door, 502 Brushy. $15, $10 advance. www.skycandyaustin.com.

Austin Pride It's on, baby bunnies. Sat.-Sun., Aug. 22-30, all week long. Sat., Aug. 29, Festival at Fiesta Gardens, 2100 Jesse E. Segovia St., and parade all across Downtown Austin. www.austinpride.org.

Sangha Link Despite major advancements in acceptance, not all people and not all areas evolve at the same time. Sangha Link is a safe online social network (linked in with local high schools) to connect and support LGBTQIA+ youth, allies, and resources. www.sanghalink.org.

Splash Days You know the crisp turn of autumn is just around the cove; Splash is the reason for the season: four nighttime parties over Labor Day weekend and one big bash at the beach. They bring in DJs from all over: DJs Robbie Rob (Salt Lake City), Roland Belmares (Los Angeles), J Warren (Dallas), and Wayne G (London), all to benefit Equality Texas, AIDS Services of Austin, and Project Transitions. Sign up to volunteer to earn free tickets. Check the website for specific party details. Fri.-Sat., Sept. 4-5. Hippie Hollow, 7000 Comanche Trl. www.splashdays.com.