Events Archives - Page 23 Of 31

Fun Fun Fun Fest Rocks Auditorium Shores with 4 Stages of Fun

Posted on October 10, 2014 by David Thomas

Rap legend Nas is headlining the Blue Stage on November 8th villunderlondon via Flickr CC

November 7-9, 2014 will showcase one of the coolest cross genre entertainment festivals in the United States.

Fun Fun Fun Fest skillfully blends hard rock, hip-hop, indie rock, comedy and action sports in a three day hulabaloo that leaves event goers desperately wishing they were within range of the taco cannon.

Fun Fun Fun Fest Captures the Austin Vibe

Fun Fun Fun Fest prides itself on being an independent festival, encapsulating the spirit and personality of Austin. It’s become known as a platform for bands to reunite and for others to take the next step in their career by performing in front a large, enthusiastic audience. In the past, FFF Fest was the place where Run DMC [Read more…]

82nd MedFest: Don’t Miss the Oldest Festival in Central Texas

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Brittany Highland

Visitors flood to MedFest to enjoy food, live entertainment and Mediterranean culture (Credit: Emily Poole)

There’s nothing like Austin’s MedFest. Since this Mediterranean celebration has nearly made it to its 82nd year, it’s fair to assume a lot of Austinites feel the same way.

This year’s festival is scheduled for September 26-27, 2014. As always, it will be hosted by St. Elias Orthodox Church on 11th Street between Red River and Trinity. A little bit of trivia for you: MedFest was originally founded in the 1930’s to raise funds to build St. Elias. The church’s cornerstone was laid in 1934, but MedFest was too much fun to end. Generations of devoted volunteers have allowed this event to become the oldest continuously running festival in Central Texas.

Want to know why MedFest has proved so popular? It’s all about old world tastes and sounds that hold a foreign feeling of excitement. Here’s what you’ll find at MedFest 2014… [Read more…]

Fantastic Fest 2014: Keanu Reeves Is Just One Reason to Go

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Robert Luke

FFX Poster by Geof Darrow

September is an exciting month in Austin. The weather starts to cool down, it’s about time to get ready for Halloween, and Fantastic Fest happens.

Running September 18-22, 2014, Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival programmed by the people at Alamo Drafthouse who specialize in science fiction and horror genre films. The event typically brings big movie stars and film premieres to our fair city, and this year looks like it’ll be no exception.

There are a lot of special things happening at this year’s Fantastic Fest. In its tenth year, it’s the first festival to take place at the newly reopened South Lamar Drafthouse. South Lamar and then Highball had hosted Fantastic Fest every year, except for last year when it was held at the most northern location in Lakeline. This year, Fantastic Fest is back where it belongs (even if it’ll still be surrounded by construction).

Having been born here, it’s amazing to watch Austin get bigger around me. I genuinely believe Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest are partly responsible for that. I’ve talked to multiple people who all say, “I moved to Austin because of Alamo Drafthouse.” Fantastic Fest also brings many celebrities, movie stars and famous directors to Austin, exposing them to the opportunities here. [Read more…]

Best Places to Watch Football in Austin: Safety Bunkers

Posted on September 12, 2014 by David Thomas

Redskins Fans at Black Sheep Lodge in Austin

Austin Redskins fans (Auskins) take over Black Sheep Lodge every game day

Football season again. It may be easy for Longhorns, Texans and Cowboys fans to find a place to watch the big game in Austin, but what about those who aren’t believers? Where can they find like-minded fans to whoop and holler with? Though I may be stoned for it, I have a few suggestions. [Read more…]

South Congress Opens House on First Thursday

Posted on August 29, 2014 by David Thomas

Vintage First Thursday (Credit: David Ingram via Flickr CC)

I’m always excited to find our city supporting local artists, like you’ll find at 23rd Street Artists Market. It’s even cooler when it’s a whole neighborhood affair.

First Thursday Is About Community

For several years now, businesses of all sizes have been congregating on South Congress Ave. for a monthly event called First Thursday. You can probably guess when this event takes place. Yes, the first Thursday of every month.

It is a neighborhood affair. The businesses up and down South Congress stay open late, many until about 10 PM. The bars in the area are known to offer drink specials for the monthly gathering, and parking areas and lot spaces are opened for artists to set up tents and sell their wares. [Read more…]

Trail of Lights to Charge Entrance Fee in 2014

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Brittany Highland

The light displays are always brilliant (Credit: John Reese via Flickr CC)

The Trail of Lights Foundation announced on Friday that they’ll be charging an entrance fee in 2014. Before you have a conniption, take a breath and consider the important facts: [Read more…]

WobeonFest Brings World Beats to Austin Streets

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Guest Blogger

Hoba Hoba Spirit and their “wild partying music” (Credit: Wobeonfest.com)

Guest article by Megan Renart

We are a city teeming with festivals. Just about every other weekend, they are spilling off the pages of Austin’s event calendars. Mostly they are centered around two of the human population’s greatest loves: music and food.

We may get into a fight over this, but I’d like to go out on a limb here and say that the world music genre doesn’t get a whole lot of attention. Sure, it’s visible. It’s out there. There are many diverse bands playing all over this fair city. But we have not really had a festival devoted solely to the sounds of the world until recently, when longtime Austin resident and musician/music aficionado Jakes Srinivasan decided to do something about it by founding WobeonFest, a one day festival happening September 20, 2014, featuring world music. [Read more…]

Out of Bounds Comedy Festival Will Blow Your Mind

Posted on August 15, 2014 by David Thomas

Improv group Ball and Chain puts a twist on being married (Credit: Out of Bounds Comedy Festival)

Austin may be known as the Live Music Capitol of the World. But Out of Bounds Comedy Festival is helping it become the Comedy Capitol of the World.

Austin’s Biggest Comedy Fest

If you think Moontower and SXSW Comedy are the only big comedy events in Austin, think again. Out of Bounds Comedy Festival runs twice as long, involves the trifecta of comedy, and isn’t concentrated downtown.

The festival, now in its 13th year, begins on August 26, 2014 and wraps up on Labor Day. Originally an improv festival, Out of Bounds has grown to incorporate stand-up and sketch comedy acts. Since its founding in 2002 by Jeremy Lamb, the festival has grown to almost 200 acts and 9 venues stretching the length of the city. [Read more…]

White Linen Night Charms for Food and Wine Alliance

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Brittany Highland

White Linen Night on August 2, 2014

This guest article is by Lisa Taylor.

As a longtime Austinite, it’s always fun for me to introduce people to the city I love so much. When presented with that opportunity recently, I knew I had to find a unique venue to start the Austin journey with my friend in question. Never one to pass up the chance to get dressed up, sample wine and listen to live music, I dove into my day planner and came up with the perfect local event.

On an unusually cool, breezy Saturday evening in downtown Austin, the 2nd Street District put on White Linen Night, benefiting the Austin Food and Wine Alliance.

Situated between 2nd and 3rd streets right off Lavaca, the white tents were set up, vendors were present and the band, The Waller Creek Vipers, piped music toward the crowd. Attendees looked crisp and polished in their all white ensembles. Because of the cooler temperatures, everyone was in good spirits. [Read more…]

Austin Poetry Slam: Not Grandma’s Spoken Word

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Guest Blogger

Austin Poetry Slam takes place every Tuesday at Spider House Ballroom

This guest blog article is by Jenny Forgey.

Slam poetry is all about community, or so I was told when I met my long time friend, Peter Nevland, at the slam tailgating he and his wife set up on the grassy triangle across the street from Spider House Ballroom & Cafe on the first Tuesday of every month.

Peter has been a part of the slam scene since the year 2000. He slams locally, but also tours around the country slinging words for eager audiences.

“I’ve travelled all over doing slam stuff,” he told me, “and I’ve never seen a scene like the one in Austin.” His wife, Vicki, added, “It’s not just the size of the crowd [that makes Austin unique], but the quality of the poets.”

It didn’t take long for me to see what they meant. [Read more…]