Austin Event List

The following events are annual or regular events that I’ve enjoyed or that I’d still like to attend someday. Most are in Austin, but some are in surrounding cities, and a couple are a bit farther away, perhaps more appropriate for a day trip or weekend trip.

Monthly/Ongoing

First Thursday on South Congress – FREE – Shops keep their doors open late and street vendors converge to sell art, jewelry, and other crafts on this festive evening every month.
Master Pancake Theater at the Alamo Drafthouse – Watch a well-known movie as comedians provide hilarious commentary.
Austin Flea

January

Free Week – FREE – Free local shows around Austin to celebrate the new year

February

Austin Marathon and Half Marathon
Carnaval Brasiliero

March

South by Southwest (SXSW) – FREE for some shows – One of Austin’s most well-known music and film festivals. You can pay as much or as little as you want to enjoy this event, from attending free local concerts on 6th Street to buying a wristband to get into some of the most popular concerts and film screenings.
Zilker Park Kite Festival – FREE – Bring a kite and fly it in Zilker park, or just come and people watch. You’ll see some amazing kites and kite contests.
Capitol 10K – FREE to watch – Many of the runners dress up in crazy costumes for this 10K.
It’s My Park! – FREE – Day to volunteer to help maintain and restore parks around Austin

April

Weiner Dog Races in Buda, TX – FREE – Watch owners try to lure their wiener dogs to the finish line in these races, and especially watch the dogs who wander back to the starting line and ultimately have to be chased down before the next race can begin. Any wiener dog lover would love this event.
Eeyore’s Birthday Party – FREE – Local event to celebrate Eeyore’s birthday. You’ll see some really amazing costumes at this event, and people don’t limit themselves to Winnie the Pooh characters!
Art City Austin – Fantastic annual art festival with tons of amazing art from artists nationwide.
West Austin Studio Tour – FREE – The springtime counterpart of EAST, this event is a great opportunity to see artists’ studios throughout “West” Austin (a.k.a. central Austin) and to get a feel for the central Austin culture.

May

Pecan Street Festival – FREE – Arts and crafts festival where you can find everything from fine art to jewelry to homemade soaps.
Austin Food and Wine Festival
O. Henry Pun-Off – FREE – I haven’t been to this, but it sounds awesome!
Austin Weird Homes Tour – Check out some of the homes that are doing their part to keep Austin weird.

June

Concerts in the Park – FREE – The Austin Symphony puts on free concerts in the Hartman Concert Park throughout the summer.

July

4th of July Fireworks and Concert on Auditorium Shores – FREE – You can also see these fireworks very well from the Congress Ave. bridge if you’d rather stay closer to downtown instead of driving/parking in Zilker park.
Concerts in the Park – FREE – The Austin Symphony puts on free concerts in the Hartman Concert Park throughout the summer.

August

Bat Fest – FREE – Festival to celebrate watching the bats fly out from under the Congress Ave. bridge at sunset.
Austin Ice Cream Festival
Austin Hot Sauce Festival
Concerts in the Park – FREE – The Austin Symphony puts on free concerts in the Hartman Concert Park throughout the summer.

September

Pecan Street Festival – FREE – Arts and crafts festival where you can find everything from fine art to jewelry to homemade soaps.
Gettin’ Sauced Festival – Annual BBQ sauce festival
Sculptfest – Annual outdoor sculpture festival located in the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens

October

Austin City Limits Festival – Probably Austin’s most well-known music festival
Scare for a Cure – Local nonprofit that builds an annual full-contact, interactive haunted house to raise money for local charities

November

Austin Empty Bowl Project – Pay about $15 to pick out a handmade, handpainted bowl and have it filled with gourmet soup and bread from some of Austin’s best restaurants and bakeries. All proceeds go to the Capital Area Food Bank.
FunFunFun Fest – Another well-known music festival in Austin.
East Austin Studio Tour (EAST) – FREE – This event is a great opportunity to see artists’ studios throughout East Austin and to get a feel for the East Austin culture.

December

Mozart’s Holiday Light Show – FREE – Grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy roughly 20-minute show of holiday lights timed to music every hour on the hour starting at 6pm in the evenings.
Trail of Lights – An Austin tradition: walk through Zilker Park along a trail of elaborate holiday lights, have some hot chocolate and warm up by a festive fire pit, and spin yourself dizzy below the Christmas tree made of lights.
Christmas Lights on 37th Street – FREE – On the stretch of 37th just east of Guadalupe, the homeowners are renowned for the creative light displays that they put up every year. It’s most enjoyable to walk down this street, so I’d recommend parking a couple blocks away so you can avoid the traffic and enjoy the lights on foot.
Blue Genie Art Bazaar – Pay an entrance fee to shop local for your holiday gifts with an excellently curated selection of handmade products from around Austin. Vendors aren’t present, so it’s more like an annual pop-up local shop.