Hot Headlines

McConaughey madness overtakes the most popular stories in Austin

Editor's note: An unlikely celebrity professor and wacky new bar lead this round of top stories. Read on for more of the week's most popular headlines.

1. Matthew McConaughey returns to UT to teach once-in-a-lifetime class. Alright, alright, alright! The University of Texas has announced a surprising new instructor for fall 2016. Meet Professor McConaughey.

2. This Clockwork Orange-themed lounge may be Austin's weirdest bar yet. This summer, highly anticipated bar Moloko joins the mix at 12th and Chicon streets. Inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange, the name refers to the fictitious cocktail of milk and designer drugs served to characters in the film.

3. Official guide to the best Fourth of July fireworks shows around Austin. The Fourth of July is all about fun, freedom, and (of course) fireworks. Here's your guide to the 10 biggest — and brightest — shows around Austin and Central Texas.

4. New Asian street food joint rolls into beloved Austin restaurant space. One local restaurateur is bringing a unique dining concept to Austin inspired by 10,000 miles of travel throughout Southeast Asia. Street opened this week in the former home of Musashino.

5. Brand-new Austin music fest reveals stacked lineup and unexpected location. The folks behind Sound on Sound Festival have released the lineup, location, and first round of passes for the inaugural celebration. Headlining acts Beach House, Explosions in the Sky, and Phantogram will take over Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade, Texas.

Street is a new concept from the Chinatown team.

Photo courtesy of Sunny Street

Street is a new concept from the Chinatown team.

merry xmas atx!

Austin makes merry as one of the best cities to celebrate Christmas

City of Austin Government - Facebook

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Austinites are right at home when it comes to experiencing the best Christmas in Texas this year. The very merry state capital has jumped into the No. 23 spot on WalletHub's annual list of the best cities for celebrating Christmas in 2024.

The yearly report ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Austin previously ranked as the No. 31 best U.S. city for celebrating Christmas in WalletHub's 2023 report.

Here's how Austin performed in the five main categories in the study:

No. 19 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 20 – Shopping rank
No. 36 – Costs rank
No. 42 – Generosity rank
No. 72 – Observance rank

Austin gets to cheer itself on as the highest-ranked Texas city in 2024 thanks to its heap of holiday happenings, including numerous delightful light displays throughout town. From local restaurants and bars putting their all into creating festive feasts to-go and delightful cocktail experiences, to locals supporting small businesses at holiday markets, there is plenty to get Austinites in the holiday spirit this year.

Smaller Central Texas towns like Smithville have also transformed into fun, festive escapes for city dwellers this time of year.

Austin households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Austin household is expected to spend about $1,905 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $1,877 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

In a separate report by home services provider Thumbtack, Austin was crowned the No. 1 most festive U.S. city for the third year in a row.

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include San Antonio (No. 30), Dallas (No. 31), and Houston (No. 41).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

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