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City Encourages Safe Celebrations
Austin Public Health would like to remind everyone to spread kindness, not COVID, this season. Keep the health of your family, friends, and neighbors in mind when planning your holiday celebrations, and consider virtual and low-risk activities. Get party ideas and COVID-19 info on the city's site, and if you do plan to go out, be aware that events are subject to cancellation.Dec. 21-Jan. 1Citywide -
Community
Civic Events
City of Austin "How to Help" Portal
Looking for the right way to help your community during the pandemic? Or do you have a volunteer opportunity that you want to list? Visit the city's "How to Help" portal to make a match. The portal includes ways to help from home, donation drives, and active community engagement opportunities.OngoingOnline -
Community
Events
Coming of Age Online Holiday Fundraiser
Double your holiday gifting by supporting a local nonprofit as you shop. Visit this unique online estate sale for electronics, collectibles, kitchenware, and lots more, and all proceeds benefit Travis County's Coming of Age program, which supports individuals age 50 and up. Shipping and local delivery are available.OngoingVirtual -
Music
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Arts
Visual Arts
Davis Gallery: Together Apart
This is an extensive group exhibit focused on the experience of sharing holidays apart from loved ones, with artists addressing the importance of family, life and death, our connection to nature, and spirituality. Each of the artists has created new work (or chosen work from the past) that uniquely recognizes these concepts. And this is the Davis Gallery, so those artists include Chun Hui Pak, David Everett, Faustinus Deraet, David Leonard, Dana Younger, Fallon Bartos, and others, and we're giving it our highest recommendation.Through Jan. 16 -
Community
Events
December in the District
Help support local businesses by making 2nd Street District your one-stop-shop. Enjoy seasonal sips, holiday creations, and the 10th annual Holiday Window Walk. Plus, check out their new passport activation in partnership with the Downtown Austin Alliance, wherein you collect stamps and earn prizes as you explore.Dec. 1-30. Free.Second Street downtown -
Community
Events
Donate Blood, Get Free Whataburger
All month long, when you donate with We Are Blood, get a free honey butter chicken biscuit from Whataburger. Donors between Dec. 24 and 31 also get a free sweatshirt. Appointments are mandatory; schedule online or call 512/206-1266.Through Dec. 31We Are Blood donor centers & mobile drives -
Community
Events
Donate Platelets, Get a Free Baseball Tee
During its monthlong Platelet Step-Up campaign, We Are Blood is offering a branded baseball tee to donors who successfully donate platelets twice during December. Appointments are mandatory; schedule online or call 512/206-1266.Dec. 1-31We Are Blood donor centers & mobile drives -
Community
Civic Events
Draft Transportation Criteria Manual Review
The draft defines the rules, requirements, and technical guidelines for building mobility infrastructures. Feedback can be made on transit systems, bike and urban trails, and pedestrian zones, among other items in the manual.Deadline: Dec. 31Online -
Film
Special Screenings
Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas (2017)
Austin Jewish Film Festival presents a musical doc, set in a Chinese restaurant, about Jewish songwriters who soundtracked Christianity's most musical holiday.Dec. 24-Jan. 1Online via www.austinjff.org -
Community
Out of Town
Eagle Nest Webcam
The eagle cam is back after being dark for nearly two years, and the pair of eagles are building their nest in preparation of the eggs sometime in December or January. Watch their progress from home.Through early spring. Free.Online via JBS Wetland Center, Seagoville -
Arts
Visual Arts
Flatbed Press: 2020 Hindsight
Here's a fine way to sum a year in the printerly life: Flatbed presents a new exhibition of works from each of the 14 artists who worked at the press this year – along with the “Every Head Is a World, Every World Is a Head” portfolio of prints by Michael Ray Charles that was published shortly before Flatbed relocated in 2019. Featuring art by Melissa Miller, Adrian Armstrong, Suzi Davidoff, Lance Letscher, David Everett, Darden Smith, and more.Through Jan. 9. Wed.-Fri., 10am-5pm, and by appointment -
Arts
Visual Arts
Forklift Danceworks: Portraits at Downs Field
It's the culminating piece of Forklift's year-long residency at Downs Field in East Austin: Portraits of the Downs Field community by photographer Cindy Elizabeth, installed at the field for everyone to see. The project explores the importance of Downs Field to the continual flourishing of baseball in Texas, through the past, present, and future.Through Jan. 4 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Georgetown Art Center: Book Passage
Yeah, sometimes we just can't help but pimp – er, we mean promote – this arty bastion that's so up north it makes us think twice as we glance at our long-suffering Isuzu. But, listen, this is a show of reclaimed books that have been altered in extraordinary ways by Janice Anderson and John Sager – via collage, via paint, via outright sculpting of the materials. Anderson is new to us, but we saw a few of Sager's bibliophilic alterations over a decade ago and we're still talking about their beauty even now. Recommended, and definitely worth the trip. (Bonus: Check out the excellent Lark & Owl bookstore while you're there, too.)Through Jan. 3 -
Community
Events
Gibson Wonderland
Sip a festive holiday cocktail and snap a photo at the Gibson Sleigh, then tag #gibsonwonderland and @gibsonstreetbar for a chance at a prize.Through Dec. 31 -
Community
Out of Town
History in Lights
The pathway of lights illuminates Mission Espiritu Santo in a way that is suggestive of the early days of the Spanish frontier outpost.Through Dec. 31, 6-10pm. $4.Goliad State Park -
Community
Civic Events
Holiday City Operations
City administrative offices and other municipal facilities will be closed in observance of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If your normal residential trash, recycling, compost, and yard trimmings collection day falls on or after Christmas Day, or if it falls after the holiday in the same week, your collection will “slide” by one day. So Fri., Dec. 25, collection slides to Sat., Dec. 26, and Sat., Dec. 26, collection slides to Sun., Dec. 27, and so on.Thu.-Fri., Dec. 24-25Citywide -
Community
Events
Holiday Lights in Georgetown’s Historic Town Square
Enjoy the lights and local flavor throughout the holiday season.Through Jan. 2. Free.Historic Town Square, East Seventh Street, Georgetown -
Community
Events
Holiday Parties With Urban Axes
Celebrate the holiday season at Urban Axes with add-ons like drink packages, catering from local partners, party decorations to make your celebration special, or an axe trophy for the tournament winner. You can even book the entire facility for your own private party.Ongoing -
Community
Civic Events
Holiday Traveling Risk
Traveling is a high-risk activity due to COVID-19. Austin Public Health encourages the community to safely celebrate virtually during the holiday season.Ongoing -
Film
Special Screenings
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Arts
Visual Arts
Ivester Contemporary: Absolute Relativism
This is a solo exhibition by Austin-based artist Dave McClinton, representing a continuation of his Black Life series, an ongoing project that aims to illustrate the inner life-cycle of Black people in America. "McClinton’s single edition digital collages focus on the bodies and portraits of Black people embellished with textures of foundational elements, symbols related to trade and status, as well as text from historical documents derived directly from America’s long and lingering history of slavery and white supremacism." Also, this work? Bold, illuminating, confrontational, and aesthetically superlative. Bonus: Ivester's Project Space presents "Olas de Perturbación," new works by Michael Anthony Garcia.Through Jan. 9 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Joe/Kamala Yard Art on Bellvue
There, across 14 front yards on Bellvue Avenue: A sign of hope! Signs of hope, actually – the pro-Biden/Harris (or, as the artist puts it, Joe/Kamala) artworks of Austin's David Hefner. It's an excellent opportunity for a lift-up-your-spirits drive-by or walking tour: good stuff, visually, even beyond its message. Also a good excuse – go ahead, do it – to check out that Hefner's website, peruse some of the other works he's done.Mayyyybe through Inauguration Day?Bellvue Avenue, between 42nd & 45th, two blocks west of Lamar -
Community
Events
Judaism UnBoxed
Brought to you by Chabad of Austin, Judaism UnBoxed is hands-on Jewish discovery and growth, Jewish culinary lessons, and quality family time all in one. Receive holiday baking kit boxes for the Jewish holidays and/or challah baking boxes every month.Ongoing -
Community
Events
Keep Austin Rooted
Gifting a tree through Treefolks is a fun way to surprise a friend or family member with a present that could last a lifetime, while beautifying and benefiting the community. Donors can opt for preset donation tiers of $30 (10 trees), $75 (25 trees), $150 (50 trees), or an amount of their choice.OngoingOnline -
Food
Food Events
Kitty Cohen's: Get Lit
The annual Hanukkah Bar pop-up returns to Kitty's with Hanukkah-inspired cocktails like Manischewitz Spritzers, Slivotinis, and Latke Punch, but the regular drink menu will still be available. Did we say latke ... punch? Yes, it's a play on the traditional potato pancake dish, made with potato vodka, apple cider, lemon, ginger liquor, cinnamon, and bitters – available as a single drink or you can get a whole punch bowl for your group. Bonus: A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to JCC of Austin.Through Dec. 30 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Laguna Gloria
This local treasure of a venue, run by those Contemporary Austin folks who also bring us the Jones Center shows Downtown, is all about the outdoors – which is perfect for these trickily navigated times of ours, n'est-ce pas? Recommended: Stop by and breathe in the air, enjoy the lawns and gardens and the many examples of world-class sculpture arrayed across the property, and (as Frankie used to say) r-e-l-a-x.Thu.-Fri., 9am-noon; Sat.-Sun., 9am-3pm -
Community
Events
Letterpress PLAY Holiday Gifts
The local letterpress studio has a unique selection of paper toys, gifts, cheeky holiday cards, and more, with free shipping for online orders.Ongoing -
Arts
Visual Arts
Lora Reynolds Gallery: Upwelling
Meghann Riepenhoff makes her images with an antiquated photographic printing process – no camera, no lens – and thinks of her work as a collaboration with the ocean, the landscape, and precipitation, her dynamic cyanotypes taking on varying shades of blue to give the impression of water in motion, and much of her work is large enough to feel immersive, almost overwhelming.Through Jan. 16 -
Community
Events
Lost Pines Christmas
There are plenty of holiday happenings in Bastrop, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Austin: Take in the sights at the River of Lights, head downtown to shop the Holiday Sidewalk Stroll, take in Elf! The Musical at Bastrop Opera House, or visit Krampus at Scream Hollow's Twisted Christmas.Through Jan. 1Bastrop
