Weekend Event Guide

Here are the top 5 things to do in Austin this weekend

Celebrate the Live Music Capital of the World this weekend with legendary concerts and musical events happening across the city. See Fleetwood Mac live at the Frank Erwin Center or dance the night away in an exotic costume at Carnaval Brasileiro. For a full list of events, visit our calendar.

Friday, February 8

Panic! At The Disco in concert with Two Feet
American rock band Panic! At The Disco takes to the Frank Erwin Center stage in support of their latest album, Pray For The Wicked. The enigmatic group behind top hits “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” and “Death of a Bachelor” has wowed audiences for more than a decade. Panic! will be joined by rock group Two Feet for an opening act.

Saturday, February 9

Far East Fest
Celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Asia with authentic cuisine at H-Mart. The Far East Fest features eats from more than 30 restaurants specializing in Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, and Indian fare. During the all-you-can-eat event, attendees and judges will vote on their favorite creative dishes. In addition, guests can showcase their appetite for competition in a no-hands noodle eating contest. Other festival highlights include live performances, kid-friendly activities, and special VIP guests. For tickets, visit the Far East Fest website.

Austin Chamber Music Center presents The Black Composers Concert: The African Diaspora
The African diaspora is explored through sound. Curated by Austin Critics Table Award winner Artina McCain, this year’s Black Composers Concert feature talents including Chevalier de Saint-Georges, William Grant Still, and Tania Léon. Saturday and Sunday performances will be held at St. Andrew’s Upper School Dell Fine Arts Center and the George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center, respectively. Admission to both shows is free with RSVP.

42nd Annual Carnaval Brasileiro
One of the largest indoor Brazilian Mardi Gras celebrations on the globe returns for another year of colorful, festive fun. Carnaval Brasileiro features performances by New York’s Beleza Brasil and Austin Samba along with a parade, body painting, and cash bars pouring quality cocktails all evening long. Held at Emo's, attendees are encouraged to dress in their most colorful plumage and dance the night away to big-beat samba drums. For tickets, visit the Carnaval website.

Fleetwood Mac in concert
Grammy Award-winning band Fleetwood Mac stops at the Frank Erwin Center as part of their North American tour. Music legends Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and John McVie join newcomers Mike Campbell and Neil Finn for a can’t-miss night of iconic songs. Select tickets are still available.

Discover authentic Indian, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and Korean fare at the Far East Fest this Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Far East Fest

Discover authentic Indian, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and Korean fare at the Far East Fest this Saturday.

event-planner

Meet at the Moontower

John Waters, Aziz Ansari among added headliners for 2025 Moontower fest

Photo by Greg Gorman

John Waters is one of the longest-reigning comedy greats attending the festival.

Austin's main annual dose of comedy has been prescribed: Moontower Comedy Festival is returning April 9-19, and just the first wave of talent includes more than 100 performers across 10 venues. Now a second wave of talent has been announced for the festival's 13th year.

Attendees will see shows and stand-up showcases, live podcasts, sketch comedy, musical comedy, and more. There are also parties and other special events tying everything together.

New headliners in the second wave include:

Aziz Ansari, creator of the series Master of None and actor behind the whimsical, sometimes whiny Parks and Recreation character Tom Haverford.
Pete Holmes, star of HBO's Crashing and host of the You Made It Weird podcast, who is specifically bringing his Feelin' It Tour to Moontower.
Hank Azaria, the voice behind Simpsons characters like Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, and who will be playing with his EZ Street Band.
John Waters, known lovingly as the "Pope of Trash," having directed movies like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. He's bringing a new show for his Moontower debut.
Tiffany Haddish, author of The Last Black Unicorn, known for standup comedy, and a breakout role in Girls Trip.
Zarna Garg, known for addressing the Indian diaspora as a self-proclaimed "overbearing Indian auntie," who is bringing her Practical People Win tour.

A bit more insight on some of the headliners:

Adam Ray parodies (and dresses up as) the famous talk show host Dr. Phil on Dr. Phil Live. He also interviews celebrity guests and uses audience interaction to get the crowd going.
Handsome Pod Livefeatures Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin — all big-name comedians in their own rights — and answer questions from friends about really any topic imaginable.
Atsuko Okatsuka's HBO special The Intruder has been lauded by The New York Times as the Best Debut of 2022, the same year she was named one of Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch.
Joey “Coco” Diaz, bestselling author of Tremendous: The Life of a Comedy Savage, brings his storytelling skills to the stage.

Although there are tons of very famous performers on the lineup, there's also local talent: a press release lists Liza Splatt, Andrew Murphy, Ashley Sharma, Avery Moore, Brett VerVoort, Chris Tellez, Colton Dowling, Danny Goodwin, Doug Mellard, Dylan Carlino, Genivive Clinton, "and many more."

Badges (starting at $150) are available now at moontowercomedyfest.com. A promotion called the Bestie Badge offers $25 off of every badge to those who buy two or more. Badges can also be purchased at the Paramount Theatre box office or by calling (512) 474-1221. Like any festival lineup, this one is subject to change.