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Impossibly fraught politically, 2024 recently closed out its first quarter. COVID’s charitable trickle-down finally trickled out. Seventeen years in, Amplify Austin of the “I Live Here I Give Here” tagline helped grow homegrown giving to the tune of $80 million-plus last month. Grunge popster Ben Kweller also gave – at the Austin Music Awards closing out February. Unveiling the first Zev Award in honor of his late son, Dripping Springs’ famed ginger dug a deeper tie to Austin. He headlines singsong electricity alongside Nigerian soul rocker-turned-Austin mainstay Kalu James and long, tall Texan roots crooners THEBROSFRESH. I rock here, I dock here. – Raoul Hernandez

Discover new designers at the 16th annual Austin Fashion Week at the Domain Simon Center. More of a weekend, the show kicks off Thursday with Emerge, a runway show featuring up-and-coming artists. Austin Area Urban League presents the Black Designer Showcase Friday, highlighting Black designers from across the globe. Austin Fashion Week also promotes young artists: The Discover and Incubate runways celebrate student designers from Round Rock ISD, University of Texas, and Austin Community College. Finish out the weekend at Ode to the OGs, which focuses on longtime Austin Fashion Week designers. Don’t feel like buying a ticket? Drop by pop-up shops to peruse runway looks and vendors. – Madeline Duncan

In a gear-up for Independent Bookstore Day on April 27, Bolm Arts offers up a new exhibit, “Ode to the Book.” Musicians Jade Parx, Jac Carson, Amir Neubach, Liz Emme, and Nico Little will play as visitors peruse a diverse collection of illustrations, letterpress prints, book shrine sculptures, art books, and art made from books. “Elevating them beyond their functional purpose, artists Stephen Dubov, Sandra C. Fernandez, Emily Mitchell, Kyle Schlesinger, Jennie Tudor Gray and Beckette Rivera have created their own unique tribute to books,” writes the gallery. For more bookworm content, check out a talk by author Eric Heisner, a Western-loving screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker who will speak on the Austin Book Trail April 27. – Lina Fisher

Three years after the release of debut album Repeater, experimental droners Water Damage welcome In E to their discography. The supergroup – of Thor Harris of Thor & Friends, George Dishner of Spray Paint, and Mike Kanin of Black Eyes, among many others – melds industrial noise rock with textured distortion. See the three lyricless arrangements of prior Repeater, which offered one 22-minute epic of electric reverberation, sharp accents at every turn, and a rhythmic, static-soaked climatic closer. Electronic rockers Blank Hellscape, experimental multi-instrumentalist and Water Damage member More Eaze, and alternative quartet Fire Boys join the night. – Miranda Garza

Everyone knows one of life’s greatest pleasures is to simply Walk Around and Look at Stuff, especially on those rare Texas days where the weather actually permits hanging out outside. Enter Georgetown’s Spring Art Stroll, where participating venues in our northern neighbors’ cultural district host artists and musicians for an evening of creative appreciation. Featuring traditional artist booths, public murals and sculptures, and exhibits at the African American Shotgun House Museum, Williamson Museum, and more, the walk runs from 4 to 8pm. Art Stroll badge holders can enjoy complimentary food and drinks, or discounted cocktails and cold brew. – Carys Anderson

Austin film buffs are fortunate to be situated in a town that hosts more than its fair share of film festivals, Indie Meme being one of them. The ninth annual iteration of this diverse fest brings over 30 of the best South Asian films from over a dozen countries to the U.S. Among the selections are international premieres, award-winning features, and even a local shorts showcase featuring Austin-based filmmakers Neha Aziz and Sarthwik Bollu. Badges run from $70 to $200, and individual tix can be snagged for only $15 a pop. A virtual badge grants access to all the films May 3-5. – Kat McNevins

Who’s ready for a bedtime story? Because there’s nothing like Stephen Sondheim’s grand unification theory of the Brothers Grimm’s collection of German fairy tales. All your childhood folklore favorites become tangled up in the search for the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold. Underneath the toe-tappers and cunning one-liners, there’s a fable about the perils of getting what you wished for and not paying attention to what you have, a moral reiterated by a witch who’s not good, not nice; just right. – Richard Whittaker

Now that eclipse fever has died down, we can focus on solid ground again. For this special family program from the Texas history museum, the fine folks of Texas A&M Forest Service swing by to teach little ones all about trees. Kiddos will take in a woodsy storytime, learn how to identify trees, and branch out to some hands-on activities celebrating the trunked treasures that keep the world going ’round. Programming is ideal for kids ages 2 to 5, and is free with membership or museum admission from 10:30 to 11:30am. – Kat McNevins

City Council returns to the dais Thursday at their usual 10am start time to take up a relatively brief agenda. But Council Members are bringing important items for a vote: including one from Council member Alison Alter that directs the city manager to “prioritize funding” for a program aimed at transforming the way the Austin Police Department responds to sexual assaults. Alter also has an item on the agenda that could reduce fees associated with city pools and other aquatic facilities, especially for people earning lower incomes. – Austin Sanders

Back in the day, Austin was known for its one-course meals: rice and beans at Les Amis, carne guisada at Jorge’s, chopped beef sandwich at Sam’s BBQ. But you know what has seven times more courses than a one-course meal? A seven-course meal! So join the Sustainable Food Center’s Farm to Plate chow-down this weekend to sample some of our city’s new and improved cuisine, prepared by chefs from Olamaie, Nixta Taqueria, KG BBQ, and other top spots. It will be a four-hour affair, there will be booze, and the $425 admission fee will benefit SFC’s continuing quest to transform our local food system. – Brant Bingamon

More than a simple weekend fest, this smorgasbord of live ensembles lays out your April calendar with 10 days of free, family-friendly music at one beloved Austin patio: outside the Central Market on North Lamar. Presented by the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble since 2006, this event’s ethos is all in the no-stone-unturned names: Try Armadillo Swing Band, ACC Jazz Ensemble I, Girl Scout Harp Ensemble, Austin Banjo Club, Kat’s Porch Jam, the Skylarks, or Blowcomotion. Friday kicks off the 17th edition with a night of Austin blues under singer-songwriter Woot Talley’s band and the horn-fueled Rhythm Congress. – Rachel Rascoe

Dropping seven albums in four years just wasn’t enough for newly christened billionaire Taylor Swift. Her new album The Tortured Poets Department arrives late Thursday night, and to revel in the excess, Local Queer ATX and MARYJAE Social Club have partnered up to throw a listening party with weed. The 21+ event will include cannabis-infused drinks and pre-rolls. Dancing starts at 9pm, and the album drops at 11pm. Tickets are, fittingly, $13. – Maggie Q. Thompson

Indulge the desire for the finer things in life with an evening of fine food, fine wine, and even finer arts. And great news, art lovers – it’s all for a good cause. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden showcases the emotionally wrought work of sculptor Charles Umlauf but also hosts other artists with indoor and outdoor exhibit space. Help fund their educational programming while delighting in the secret-garden setting. It’s the perfect place to relish art and partake in some of Austin’s most delectable offerings. – Cat McCarrey

Ignite your child’s artistic passion this summer at enriching art camps led by professional artists. Weeklong programs offer a perfect balance of fun and expert instruction, with themes from mythical creatures to portfolio preparation for teenagers, so there’s something for every young artist. Join for a memorable journey of creativity and skill-building! Ages 5-17.

Choose from studio camps where artists can choose to embrace good or evil in their creativity or see how chaotically they can create some art, or excursion camps that give young Picassos a unique chance to explore the city's best locations and experiences and create on the go. A new Extreme Excursion camp takes older students past the city limits to explore more of Texas for the ultimate art adventure. Ages 4-18.

Youth Camps at ABP give youth the opportunity to immerse themselves in bouldering fun! Whether your child is an experienced climber or brand-new to bouldering, they will have a blast with ABP instructors leading the way. Kids will learn new aspects of climbing, connect with new friends, and gain confidence on the wall at camps that also include crafts, yoga, games, and much more! Ages 4-12.

Alejandra Almuelle has been responsible for some of the most compelling works of clay sculpture ever created in this city, many of them predicated on the human body and its potential as a record of experience. This latest exhibition of her artistry, a solo show at Women & Their Work, brings the human form front and center, clayborne with additions of graphite, beeswax, paper, resin, and gold and silver leaf. Adorned, embellished, emboldened, the flesh created from clay comes full circle, a cycle of memory and magic powered by beauty, the viewing of it an experience we recommend recording via your own wonder-hungry rods and cones. – Wayne Alan Brenner

Austin, where even the suburbs keep it weird and artsy. That’s definitely true of the Georgetown Art Center and their carefully curated local exhibits. Take a trip up north and enjoy the latest from multimedia artist Kelly Wagner Steinke. Her strikingly textural works find beauty in chaos, rejoicing in the boundaries of materials like wax, pigments, and birch panels. Oddly hypnotic and comforting, they’ll definitely spark some thought. Check it out and ponder the art’s meaning while walking through the “most beautiful town square in Texas.” – Cat McCarrey

The worst myth about William Shakespeare was that he was a unique genius who penned his greatest plays and sonnets in pristine isolation in his home in Stratford-upon-Avon. Lizzy Duffy Adams’ scathing comedy gets to the reality: that he was a jobbing playwright, a controversial upstart crow in Elizabethan London’s vibrant, tumultuous theatre scene. A long day with his contemporary, the radical Christopher Marlowe, becomes an examination of collaboration, influence, politics, desire, and the wild energy of life behind the stage. Austin Playhouse’s production runs Thursday-Sunday through April 28. – Richard Whittaker