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Dripping Springs Rodeo
Come to the 14th Annual Dripping Springs Rodeo on Memorial Day Weekend! This year they will be bringing all the rodeo style fun on Friday, Saturday and Sunday! Bring your family and friends for a weekend of mutton bustin', bull riding, vendor shopping, great food, and all things rodeo!May 23-25Dripping Springs Ranch Park Event Center
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Music
Allison Russell
It took Allison Russell nearly two decades and a number of notable folk outfits (Po’ Girl, Birds of Chicago, Our Native Daughters) before she stepped out solo with 2021’s Outside Child, but the accumulated experience helped produce a stunning debut that pulled together a ranging palette of folk and pop styles into an affirmative, poignant celebration of survival. The Canadian songwriter’s follow-up, The Returner, struck even more eclectic in sound and vision, garnering a Grammy and establishing her and her Rainbow Coalition Band as a powerful collaborative force stretching broadly beyond Americana. Kara Jackson opens. – Doug FreemanFri., May 23, 7pm -
Community
Events
Austin Greek Festival
If you ever wanted to sample what “Livin’ the Greek Life” is like, this annual Memorial Day weekend fest celebrating food, culture, and the Greek Orthodox faith is a good place to start. Activities include church tours to see the Byzantine iconography on display, live music, dance performances, a vendor market, and a whole mess of delicious food like spanakopitas, saganaki, and souvlaki chicken (and those are just the dishes starting with S). Admission is $5, and a portion of proceeds benefits Mobile Loaves & Fishes. – Kimberley JonesMay 23-25 -
Arts
Comedy
Austin Sketch Fest
Saluting the art of sketch this weekend is Austin’s annual fest featuring comedic talent from LA, NYC, and homegrown heroes from here in Texas. Opportunities for laughs include headlining show by self-described embarrassment artist Andie Flores and singer/songwriter Mars Wright that dares to explain “10 Ways to Effectively and Consensually F*** a Minion,” as well as Los Angeles visitors Business Casual performing their venue-appropriate Western spoof Cowboys, all-femme funny folks Boobie Trap in from New Yahk, and many more. A full weekend pass costs the humble consumer $84.33 plus fees, but each show also offers single tickets. – James ScottMay 22-25 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Dog Days”
When the profound connection between dog and human has become fetishized and monetized for clicks, where’s a soulful dog person to go? Why not this group exhibition, which pays sweet tribute to our four-legged fam? Referencing the origins of “dog days” as a time of unrest in ancient times, DORF curators Sara Vanderbeek and Eric Manche are using the show to advance a different narrative: “that in a time of global uncertainty and rising temperatures, the steady, loving presence of a dog can be a grounding force – a source of comfort, stability, and meaning.” Friday’s pet-friendly opening reception will have on-site adoptions, live dog portrait painting by Ami Plasse, and a doggy dance party with DJ Dana Scully. – Kimberley JonesOpening night, May 23; runs through Sept. 6 -
Food
Food Events
Dinner + Movie Tex-Mex Edition (1976)
Collabing with Neighborhood Molino, Eastside eatery Lynny’s screens 1976 doc Chulas Fronteras by Les Blank while serving pre-ordered platters of tamales, enchilada pie, popcorn horchata, and more. Plus: live Tejano/Norteño vinyl DJ sets from the Chulita Vinyl Club.Fri., May 23, 7pm -
Music
DJ Nobu
Representing Japan as one of international techno’s most respected selectors, DJ Nobu lands like a tornado. The Future Terror event series founder can hit heady territory, dive into a body rhythm, or keep a fast-as-lightning pace. His attention to sound design and reputation for layering hypnotic tracks screams of the influence from Jeff Mills, Rrose, and Marcel Dettmann in tense mood and build. But Nobu’s cultlike status is singular, perhaps owing to his devotion to collaborating with the dance floor rather than directing it. Nick McDonnough’s bass music-meets-techno sorcery provides the perfect runway. Young gun Apellum completes the heat wave. – Christina GarciaFri., May 23, 10pm -
Food
Food Events
Hot Luck Fest
“I recently played in Austin, Texas. It was in conjunction with a food festival, because Austin, Texas, is a food festival.” Thurston Moore said that to Pitchfork in 2017, and, yes, he was talking about Hot Luck. The brainchild of Aaron Franklin, James Moody, and Mike Thelin, this annual convergence combines two of our city’s favorite things: food and music. There will be no Thurston S’mores this year, but the feast will still include a plethora of bites from chefs across the country, soundtracked at Moody’s Mohawk by long-running Michigan punks the Spits on Friday night and ATX alt rock vehicle White Denim on Saturday. – Carys AndersonMay 22-25 -
Arts
Books
I Scream Social: A Feminist Reading Series
The pandemic – and the closure of home base Malvern Books – put I Scream Social on pause, but founding poet Annar Veröld brought the feminist reading series back last summer with help from her Host Publications co-worker Claire Bowman. Settled back at the same UT-area location (which is now Alienated Majesty), this series highlights women and nonbinary writers – this month, it’s Emily Bludworth de Barrios, Cloud Delfina Cardona, and Dara Barrois/Dixon – and supplies free ice cream. What’s better than that? – Carys AndersonFri., May 23 -
Community
Events
Kerrville Folk Festival
Since 1972, there’s only been one fest with the length (18 days!), the talent (Dale Watson! Fruition! Carsie Blanton!), and the craft-building (songwriting, guitar, and harmonica workshops all fest!) to bring everyone out into nature like Kerrville Folk Fest.May 22 - June 8 -
Arts
Visual Arts
MASS Ambient
MASS Gallery reignites their ambient music series with instrumental live sets by Hannah Spector, Veneer, and San Antonio’s Poem Zero (Justo Cisneros & Shea McGilvray).Fri., May 23, 6:45pm -
Community
Sports
MLP Austin Tournament
No sour faces here, as Major League Pickleball will be played at the highest level during Austin’s third-ever tournament. Over the four-day event, teams from across the U.S. will pair off to determine who will win a spot in the MLP Playoffs this August. Interested pickle persons have three ticket options, with a grounds pass getting you access to all amateur matches and courtside passes opening you up to the grandstand and championship courts. Dedicated enjoyers of the sport can opt for the third VIP tier, which kicks in chair seating, free food and drinks, and a special lounge. – James ScottMay 23-26Austin Pickle Ranch, 11000 Middle Fiskville Rd. Bldg. B -
Film
Special Screenings
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Houston’s own Wesley Wales Anderson – known as Wes by friends and pretty much everyone else, too – said on his third film’s DVD commentary that its story about a dysfunctional family began from his own parents’ divorce. Of course, his father wasn’t really the con man that Gene Hackman embodies in iconic film patriarch Royal Tenenbaum – though Anderson’s mom was an archaeologist just like Anjelica Huston’s Ethel – but this film’s distance from reality only benefits its tale of familial trauma. Both serious and silly, the 2001-released movie covers all the most taboo topics with typical Anderson charm, though never dismissing any action’s emotional implications. The Royal Tenenbaums was for this writer the first time I saw anything that matched both my aesthetic and narrative sensibilities entirely. Perhaps, if this is your initial visit to the Tenenbaums’ pink townhouse, you’ll discover you feel the same. – James ScottFri., May 23 -
Arts
Theatre
The Talk: A Pep Rally Purity Play
Chewed gum, crumpled roses, licked cupcakes. If those words just sent a shudder down your spine, congratulations! You have religious trauma from purity culture! Join the club. I once sat through a lecture where someone discussed going “too far” with the opposite sex as a trip in a canoe, and somehow it wasn’t a dick joke. That would have made the metaphor far too interesting. Witness a way better written talk with The Talk. Written by CB Goodman and Lilly Percifield, and presented solo by Percifield, The Talk focuses on the Homecoming Pep Rally for the Christian High School Academy. Horny teens and hypocritical leaders! What could go wrong? – Cat McCarreyMay 23-24 -
Qmmunity
Nightlife & Parties
TribRelations House Party
Kanesha Huey (aka the Black Bimbo) and JD von Dutch soft-launch their new party for Austin’s Black and brown sapphic community. Featuring drag, go-go dancers, DJs, and flash tats – plus cute prizes for their raffle and social bingo.Fri., May 23RSVP for location and time -
Qmmunity
Nightlife & Parties
Wagon Wheel Watusi
Brigitte Bandit hosts her fourth annual Cher-lebration for the artist’s 79th b-day, this time tributing the iconic air-rights drama Burlesque. Enjoy Cher-aoke, a Cher look-alike contest, a Cher drag show, and a special appearance by Cher look-alike second-place winner Mama Bandit.Fri., May 23, 10pm
All Events
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Music
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Arts
Visual Arts
Aisha Imdad: “The Allegorical Gardens”
Gardens loom large in legend. Think the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Shalimar Gardens, the Garden of Eden: each bursting with symbolic beauty, dripping with promises of life and growth. Artist Aisha Imdad explores the lush intricacies of this verdant imagery. Her watercolor works delve into literary and mythological gardens, inspired by Indian, Mughal, and Persian frescos. Each invites closer introspection, a desire to immerse in the vibrant world of her works. Each intricate blossom speck, or gilded turn of a bird wing, vibrates with idealized life. Imdad’s art portrays the possibilities of paradise. – Cat McCarreyThrough July 3 -
Music
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Music
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Qmmunity
Arts & Culture
Alyssa Edwards: Crowned Tour
What the fuck is going on in here on this day? Well, it’s Alyssa Edwards telling the tale of how she went from small-town Texas to Drag Race royalty. Expect performances of all kinds peppered with her razor-sharp wit.Fri., May 23 -
Music
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Music
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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
Theatre
Austin Shakespeare presents Julius Caesar
Friends, Texans, Austinites, lend your ears and eyes to Shakespeare’s classic coup, as tortured and brutal as tactical Brutus can offer. Or shall I say bodacious Brutus, since Austin Shakespeare’s production of Julius Caesar offers a tantalizing twist – Caesar’s inner circle is mostly women, adding what might be seen as righteous rage to raw revolution. This Caesar’s served with a cunning corporate aesthetic. No need to clutch your pearls though. There’s still the mired malaise of what best serves the collective good. Grab your friends and family, and “get-tu” Zilker for this free show. – Cat McCarreyThrough May 25 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“HOT: The Exhibit”
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 AndersonFridays-Sundays. Through May 25 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Personal Records”
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 ScottMay 3 - June 1 -
Community
Events
“Roots Unveiled: Exploring the Chinese Experience”
Among the many anti-civil rights bills creeping their way through the Texas Legislature is Senate Bill 17, which would bar Chinese and many other Asian citizens from buying land here. Denounced by detractors as racist and reminiscent of 19th-century laws targeting Asian immigrants, its 2023 origins, along with growing anti-Asian sentiment after the pandemic, inspired Houston artist Jane Xu to found the multi-city Asian American Art & Culture Initiative and initiate this multidisciplinary exhibit. Curated by renowned international independent curator Sylvia XuHua Zhan, it brings in-depth research and archives along with work from a wide range of artists to offer a look at the rich history of Chinese Americans in Texas. Opening reception is Sunday, May 18, noon. – Kat McNevinsThrough August 31; opening reception, May 18 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“The Everyman”
I’ve been having a lot of “girl who’s going to be okay” moments as I reconnect with my earnest, optimistic side, so I’m excited for “The Everyman,” a group show curated by visual artist and musician Lisa Alley that celebrates the beauty in the small things – from commonplace occurrences to the working-class heroes that give this exhibit its name. Alley – who plays in local acts the Well, Mugger, and TV’s Daniel – shows her paintings alongside a slew of familiar names, including Parquet Courts’ A. Savage, Never’s Emily No Good, and photographer Pooneh Ghana. Everyone has the ability to create something exceptional, this Bolm Arts project assures us. – Carys AndersonThrough June 7 -
Food
Food Events
Barks for Beers 2025
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 ScottMay 1 - 31Multiple locations