AUSTIN MUSIC FESTIVALS

Austin is a 24-hour town that showcases music festivals year around.

FEBRUARY

Carnaval Brasileiro
Palmer Events Center
Flamboyant costumes, Brazilian samba music, and the uninhibited, spirited atmosphere make Austin's Carnaval one of the biggest such festivals outside of Brazil.

Black History Month Concert
Bates Recital Hall
The University of Texas Jazz Orchestra will perform in Bates Recital Hall as part of the annual Black History Month Concert. Featuring excerpts from Duke Ellington's opera Queenie Pie and Adolphus Hailstork's “Strong” with baritone Donnie Ray Albert and male chorus.

Rodeo Austin
Travis County Exposition Center
Austin goes cowboy as PCRA competitors hit the arena. Headline entertainers perform in concert nightly.  

SXSW
Austin Convention Center and more than 50 venues
Noted filmmakers, musicians and multimedia artists from around the world converge to showcase music, film and interactive media during this internationally-recognized event. 

APRIL

Austin Urban Music Festival
Auditorium Shores
More than 15,000 music revelers annually converge on Auditorium Shores to enjoy Austin's only music festival focused on R&B, neo-soul and hip hop music. The festival has consistently provided a venue for local performers as well as presented top national R&B acts that provide family-friendly entertainment.

Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival
Buda City Park
It's a Cajun festival in Texas. More than 5,000 pounds of crawfish are consumed at this annual event, which features zydeco, brass band, funk, blues and rock music.

Old Settlers Music Festival
Acoustic jazz & blues, bluegrass are performed at this Central Texas' signature music event. Arts & crafts, camping, food and libations complete this event.

Austin Reggae Festival
Founded in 1994, three nights of reggae will take place in downtown Austin.

Euphoria Fest
Euphoria Fest includes electronic music, art, workshops, camping and more. 

MAY 

All Month

Latino Music Month
Various Venues
The many Latino music genres are showcased during performances on the Plaza at Austin City Hall each Friday at noon. Other special events throughout the month are presented as well.

5/8/15 - 5/10/15
Levitation Fest
Carson Creek Ranch
Mark your calendars, Levitation Fest, formerly known as Austin Psych Fest, will return to Carson Creek Ranch the weekend of May 8 - 10, 2015! There will be on-site camping and three stages with music- the main stage and river stage with psychedelic light shows in the evening, and a tent stage featuring psychedelic light shows all day long.

5/10/15
Pachanga Latino Music Festival
Fiesta Gardens
Pachanga is a Latin-themed music, cultural arts and food festival dedicated to showcasing the vibrant blend of Latino- created music and art and the impact it has on American culture today. The Pachanga lineup includes rock, alternative, Tejano, mariachi, cumbia, salsa, electronic, funk, hip-hop and indie rock.

Austin Jazz Festival
The Backyard at Bee Cave
Austin proudly hangs its collective hat on being the Live Music Capital of the World® - with several music festivals to match. Jazz is a uniquely cultural phenomenon that unites people across the divides of race, age, nationality and socio- economic status.

JUNE 

6/4/15 – 6/7/15
X Games Austin
Circuit of the Americas
A festival that highlights the intersection of sports and lifestyle that exists in action sports, with more than 250 of the best action sports athletes competing for the most coveted medals in Skateboard, BMX Freestyle, Moto X and more. There are also live music performances at the Austin360 Amphitheatre.

6/11/15 – 6/14/15
Republic of Texas Biker Rally
Travis County Exposition Center and Sixth Street
The state's largest motorcycle gathering attracts thousands of bikers for rides, parades and music.

JULY

Bob Bullock Museum's "Music under The Star" (every Friday in July)
The Bob Bullock Museum is hosting it's free concert series performed by local musicians. Complimentary tacos and teas will be given out also. 

7/4/15
Fourth of July Fireworks and Symphony
Auditorium Shores
The Austin Symphony hosts an annual concert of patriotic music culminating in a spectacular fi rework display over Lady Bird Lake.

7/4/15

Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Festival
Hill Country Galleria
The Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Festival… a FREE celebration of Independence with fabulous art, live  entertainment and fireworks all in the area's most beautiful place for shopping and leisure.

AUGUST

 

8/22/15
Bat Fest
Congress Avenue Bridge
Celebrate this batty event as the world's largest urban bat colony (two million Mexican Free Tail Bats which take up seasonal residence beneath the Ann Richard's Congress Street Bridge) take to the skies for their nightly flight. Enjoy live music, children activities and costume contest.

SEPTEMBER 

9/26/15-9/27/15
TheOld Pecan Street Festival
Sixth Street Austin
The Pecan Street Festival is a FREE, bi-annual juried arts and crafts festival held on historic 6th Street in Austin, TX. The show proudly features over 275 artisan vendors from all over the world who display and sell homemade art and craft work.

OCTOBER 2015

10/2/15- 10/4/15; 10/9/15- 10/11/15
Austin City Limits Music Festival
Zilker Park
One of the country's largest celebrations of music, this six-day festival brings the magic of the famed public TV series Austin City Limits outside the studio and into Austin's most beloved park with more than 130 musical acts on eight stages over two weekends.

10/18/15
Oktoberfest
Live Music, food, a biergarten, kid's activities and more at the German Free School.

10/23/15 - 10/25/15
Formula 1 United States Grand Prix
Circuit of The Americas™
Drivers will be in Austin competing in the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in November. Built around a state-of-the-art 3.4-mile circuit track with capacity for 120,000 fans and an elevation change of 133 feet, the facility is designed for any and all classes of racing – from motor power to human power. There are also live music performances at the Austin360 Amphitheatre.

NOVEMBER

11/6/15-11/8/15
FunFunFunFest
Auditorium Shores
One of the most relaxed, creative, and pioneering festivals in music today, Fun Fun Fun Fest is custom booked for the most passionate, underground and progressive musicians, comedians and fans around the world.

11/7/15-11/8/15
Austin Celtic Festival
Fiesta Gardens
The largest gathering of Celts in Central Texas is returning for their 14th annual celebration. Four stages of Irish, Scottish and Breton music, dance, storytelling, workshops and more.

DECEMBER 

12/5/15

Holiday Sing-Along & Downtown Stroll
Downtown Austin
Ring in the season with KUT & KUTX's Annual Holiday Sing-Along, the lighting of the Christmas Tree, and the Downtown Stroll.