Austin Entertainment

Austin is one of the best music venues in the US, with an excellent selection of live music on offer every night of the week. There is also a significant theatre culture in the city, and a number of theatres here experiment with avant-garde works. The music and partying often extends into the streets during the city’s many festivals, when crowds throng to the city to enjoy outdoor music at locations across the city.

Nightlife

Austin's central clubbing area is around 6th Street downtown, though many now favour the nearby Warehouse district and Fourth Street. Opal Divines Freehouse, on West 6th Street, is open late every night, serving excellent pub food and offering an extensive beer menu. There is also a huge terrace area, from where you can watch the streets coming to life throughout the evening.

Maudie's on West 7th Street offers staple Tex-Mex dishes such as cheese enchiladas and other favourites. Another popular spot for cocktails and Mexican specialities is Trudy’s on West 30th Street. There’s a laid-back patio area that overlooks the city park and this venue is renowned for its frozen margaritas. For a more traditional neighbourhood bar, try Draught House on Medical Parkway. The pub offers over 70 types of draught beer including several self-brews. Other attractions include darts, pool tables and an outdoor patio area.

Theatre and music

Austin is an excellent city for theatre and music, especially if you like avant-garde material. The State and Paramount theatres offer a wide range of plays and acts, ranging from Broadway shows to acrobatic displays. Esther’s Follies in the 6th Street area stages comedy skits every evening from Thursday to Saturday, providing a great way to kick off an evening in the main entertainment district.

Austin is also locally known as the ‘live music capital of the world’, and lives up to its reputation for live music venues. Many venues are located in the 6th Street district, though venues are distributed evenly across the city. Cactus Café is an excellent venue for experiencing local artists, with many singer-songwriters performing their works nightly. Stubb’s BBQ combines great food with excellent live music, while Antone’s on West 5th is one of the best blues clubs in the country.

The Continental Club originally opened in 1957 and has been a leading venue for over four decades, with many renowned musicians playing here. A more recent addition to the city is the Saxon Pub on South Lamar. This is also an excellent live music venue, with bands playing throughout the week.

Festivals

Austin offers several excellent festivals throughout the year. Music is a prominent feature of many festivals, though there is also a significant theatre festival as well as a film festival in March.

• FronteraFest is Austin's theatre festival, an annual event that is held across the city during January and February. Theatre calendars are packed with events, and many smaller drama productions are held at less formal venues throughout Austin.
• South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival takes place annually in March. The festival occurs around the same time as the SXSW Music Festival and includes several film screenings throughout the city.
• South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival is held in March. The city celebrates its reputation as a music capital during the festival, with venues offering live music almost every night. 
• Zilker Park Kite Festival is the oldest kite festival in the US, and thousands of kites are launched into the skies on the first Sunday of March every year. Everyone is welcome to the event, and the thousands of dancing and swooping kites is an amazing sight.
• Eeyore's Birthday Party is an annual festival where the city celebrates its diversity on the last day of April. It’s a unique event that includes extensive street parties, and thousands of people from every persuasion, belief and walk of life flock to the streets to join the huge party.
• Old Pecan Street Festival is held in May and October. Vendors of arts and crafts display their products in the East Sixth Street area, streets are closed to traffic in the vicinity and several stages are set up for live music.
• AustinCity Limits Festival is an outdoor music festival held in September every year. There’s a vast range of music styles to be experienced, and the streets are vibrant with music and party-lovers.