Afternoon – or maybe morning, or even evening – to you, dear Reader. Do you ever feel totally figured out? I always imagine myself an easy read, TBH, with themes and metaphors clear as day written across my big dumb face. This is somewhat true given my inability to tamp down on facial reactions – hearing someone I dislike talk gives me instant stinky face – but is this a universal truth? Or is the me others understand not the same me unilaterally?
This is an idea not unfamiliar to anyone who’s been faced with an “I never thought!” response to their coming out. What seems obvious to us – those conflicted moments, those doubts, those arguments with our middle school BF about who is more like Gerard Way (or was that just me…) – may not translate to those observing us. To me, this means we can’t rely on how other people see us as a perfect mirror. This is difficult to believe, I know. After all, I’d like whatever pristine picture my friends have of the publicly viewable me to be more true than the person who scratches his butt at home alone, unobserved in his disgusting solitude. But really, both of these mes are, well, me: I y’am who I y’am.
It’s the new year, Reader. Trust yourself. No one knows you better than you. Anyone implying otherwise? There’s ain’t room for ’em in 2026.
Puss
Thursday 8, Revenge ATX
Me-OW! This claw-some drag show features the feline talents of hosts Serena Blake and Eileen Dover, with special guests Tigris and Justice as well as exclusive specialty cocktails. 10pm.
New Year, New Sh*t
Thursday 8, Stargazer
Marzetta Speaks hosts this Black queer art showcase with local event org TribRelations. Featured players include Nicotine and the Warm Tones, Dai Made, Rya, Essynce, and … you?? Arrive at 7pm to sign up for the open mic.
Sana Sana: Pardi Like It’s 1996
Friday 9, Ani’s Day & Night
Travel back 30 years for this all-ages open mic themed to the Nineties. Think Prince, or the artist formerly known as Prince, energy. Aqua Marie Pardi hosts. 8pm.
The Titty Tournament
Thursday 8, Oilcan’s
An off-shoot of Best of Austin winner Big Tits, Bigger Dreams, this competitive open mic drag stage will have performers going wig-to-wig for an audience applause award ($100) as well as in lip sync battles ($50). Brigitte Bandit hosts. 10pm.
Eagle Cruising Night
Friday 9, the Austin Eagle
Find yourself a little frisky fun this evening at the Eagle, where Eighties and Nineties music videos play and DJ Kelly spins tunes low so you and your future ex can chat it up. 9:45pm.
Woke Cowboy
Saturday 10, ColdTowne Theater
Keep it diverse, equitable, and inclusive with this array of Austin funny folks, including Moe Christine, Alexandra Sleeping, Jamie Kilstein, Gabe Davis, Holly Hart, Chris Bryant, and Evan Rabalais. 8pm.
Sunday Series
Sunday 11, Austin Garden & Studio
Country Fried Dance partners up with Ruckus ATX for this Sunday afternoon show featuring CFD’s signature line dance lessons along with Ruckus’ silly CD spins. Free, but donations – and bar purchases – encouraged. 12pm.
QBWA Early Morning Hike
Sunday 11, Warbler Vista Trail
Join Queer Black Women Alliance and their hiking partners Asian Family Support Services of Austin, ATX Sapphic Hiking Crew, TribRelations, ATX ChocLit LGBT, and Ride Bikes Austin as they traverse this Lago Vista trail. 9am.
Monsters Brunch
Sunday 11, the Austin Eagle
Sunday scaries gets a whole new meaning at this frighteningly fun show. Dragula alum Louisianna Purchase and recent crown winner Evah Destruction host with featured player Basüra joined by special guests each show. 12pm.
Campfire Queer Storytime
Sunday 11, the Vortex
Meet queer storytellers ages 18 to 80 – and beyond – at this Rainbow Connections-led & World Famous *BOB* hosted night. 7pm.
Free T4T Hair Styling
Sunday 11, HiFi Hair
The trans stylists over at this Cesar Chavez salon are offering complimentary one-on-one hair style coaching for trans & non-binary babes who need it. Light refreshments also on offer. 2pm.
Big Gay Drag Brunch
Sunday 11, the Brewtorium
Austin Pride invites all brunch enjoyers to this fabulous show hosted by the one and only Kelly Kline. 1pm.
He Never Dies: the Films of Kalil Haddad
Sunday 11, We Luv Video
WLV’s monthly SunGays series pulls out a real rarity for their first screening of 2026: contemporary experimental filmmaker Kalil Haddad’s short films, which utilize archival and original footage to collage a criticism of queer youth exploitation. A live-video Q&A with Haddad follows the screening. 7pm.
Ritzy Roulette
Monday 12, Oilcan’s
Roll the dice with your song requests at this Ritzy Bitz-hosted show, where DJ DvrkChild shuffles the playlist and no one knows what’ll come next. 10pm.
Grackle Games: The Trials
Tuesday 13, Rain on 4th
New year, new Grackle Games competitor auditions! See if you’ve got what it takes to join Lady Grackle’s drag competition show for its seventh cycle and sign up to show your stuff. 9:30pm.
Teen LGBTQ+ Craft Space
Wednesday 14, Central Library
Have fun, make art, and find new friends at this teens-only LGBTQ crafting social. Hey: It beats playing “Dress to Impress” for the millionth time. 6pm.
Squeer Dance Workshop
Thursday 15, Double Trouble
Join local workout queen Erica Nix for an official square dance workshop that’ll run over the next four Thursdays. Tix are $40 for the full run, and remember: There’s no gender here, just the joy of dance. 7pm.
In the Calendar
I’m Not Everything I Want to Be
Saturday 10 & Monday 12, AFS Cinema
Premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in 2024, this doc’s won several awards on its journey to AFS’s screens, including the Daniel Langlois Innovation Award and, most recently, the audience award at Lyon’s LGBTQ festival Écrans Mixtes. There’s good reason for its acclaim, as it follows photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková and her work capturing Prague’s underground queer scene well before the country decriminalized homosexuality. A prescient choice for this Texas arthouse cinema given our state government’s current attitude toward any hint of Lone Star queerness: Gay life keeps on kicking despite oppression. – James Scott
Virgin Machine
Sunday 11, AFS Cinema
Wait a second: You’re telling me this machine’s a virgin? Now I’ve heard everything. Just joking, folks. January’s Queer Cinema: Lost & Found pick has little to do with mechanical parts and everything to do with sapphic sex and romance. This 1988 German picture from director Monika Treut follows a young journalist as she investigates love through a professional lens – leading her to meet drag kings, bohemians, and dildo collectors who make her reevaluate her own sexuality. As per usual, the great programmer Elizabeth Purchell leads off the screening with a video intro. – James Scott
This article appears in January 9 • 2026.