There's a lot to celebrate this weekend in Austin. Bat Fest returns, Spider House turns 20, and a legendary lineup plays Austin360. Here are the best weekend events — for a full list of happenings, visit our events calendar.
Def Leppard in concert with REO Speedwagon and Tesla Here's a lineup you won't forget. Legendary rock band Def Leppard comes to the Austin360 Amphitheater stage with R.E.O. Speedwagon and Tesla. This rock 'n' roll show takes place Friday night.
Sixth annual Quesoff The cheesiest event of the year returns to Mohawk on Saturday. Around 30 vendors of all shapes and sizes will go head to head in four categories in the annual queso cookoff. Go early — this event is one of the most popular in town.
12th annual Bat Fest Bat Fest returns for another year of nocturnal sightings and fun this Saturday. Celebrate some of the city’s most famous residents and their high-flying talents with live music, children’s activities, a bat costume contest, and more. Claim a spot on the Congress Avenue Bat Bridge and witness 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from below.
The Spider House 20th Anniversary Blowout Bash Austin’s famed cafe, concert venue, and quintessential hangout Spider House celebrates its 20th anniversary with a birthday party on Saturday. The Spider House 20th Anniversary Blowout Bash will feature live entertainment by Foot Patrol, Ringo Deathstarr, Octopus Project, and more. Aside from the jams, attendees will enjoy a giant water slide, a Tito’s vodka dunk tank, Lone Star cornhole, and more.
The Writer’s Stage and Screen: A Conversation with John Patrick Shanley Acclaimed screenwriter and playwright John Patrick Shanley comes to the Harry Ransom Center for an intimate evening of discussion and insight this Sunday. The award-winning writer of Moonstruck and Joe Versus the Volcano will chat about his work in both film and theater. End the weekend with this inspiring conversation.
Catch Def Leppard in concert this Friday at Austin360 Amphitheater.
Def Leppard/Facebook
Catch Def Leppard in concert this Friday at Austin360 Amphitheater.
Voxtrot played as a trio to a small crowd of lucky fans.
As much as entertainment gigs dry up in December, the iconic Austin band Voxtrot was busy. A few days before playing the Holiday Hootenanny — a mini festival at Radio East with other big names like Of Montreal and Danny Brown — the band appeared in Bastrop for an intimate acoustic set and a bit of storytelling after a multi-course dinner.
There were also videographers on-hand capturing the performance. A pair of lo-fi music videos released February 26 immortalize the night.
The dinner on December 10 was attended by locals who won tickets in a free raffle, but there will be more chances for Austinites to purchase tickets for future parties in 2025. Eric Weiner, the main organizer of the series, says he has "big plans for Austin" this upcoming year, but he keeps events under wraps until about a month out to maintain the mystery.
Weiner is the founder of the Wild Honey Pie, formerly a popular music blog that's turned into a creative agency. They're based in New York, and have hosted events in Seattle, the Catskills, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. But this wasn't the first event in Austin.
Most recently, the Wild Honey Pie hosted a dinner at Chef Mashama Bailey's now-closed Grey Market, featuring a concert by Zella Day. But first-ever dinner in Austin in 2019 was catered by local chef Sonya Cote at Eden East; the Voxtrot show was a chance to reunite at Cote's current digs, Store House Market and Eatery.
"Ever since, I've been just trying to find any excuse to work with Sonya again, and this kind of fell into our laps," said Weiner in a call with CultureMap ahead of the event.
The band showed up in smart suits.Photo by Brynn Osborn
He added that his relationship with Voxtrot — whose lo-fi, semi-retro song "The Start of Something" may be familiar to many Austinites — started simply because he was a fan. He estimates that the song has been on every romantic playlist he's made since college.
Remembering past parties with lead singer Ramesh Srivastava, Weiner says, "He's so artistic. His music means the absolute world to me. ... If we like working with an artist once, we're not going to stop there."
Voxtrot joined in on the food festivities.Photo by Brynn Osborn
Voxtrot famously broke up in 2010, which made their surprise return to the stage in 2022 all the more exciting. Srivastava doesn't shy away from talking about the period in between, and broached the subject with a couple of jokes during the Bastrop show. It's clear how an audience of dozens crowded around a few chairs changes the tone of the performance — not to mention that Voxtrot played as a trio that night, with drummer Matt Simon and bassist Jason Chronis.
In the lighthearted "stage" banter — which was necessary not just because of the size of the audience, but because the show was in a tent outside and the instruments needed almost constant tuning in the cold air — Srivastava also mused that at age 41, he might be approaching his days as a crooner.
The group dinner format meant fans could spend some time chatting with the band.Photo by Brynn Osborn
Among the vignettes he told to introduce songs was a Bastrop County connection: Srivastava grew up in Austin and remembers creating a mythology around Smithville's Norma Jean Boulevard, which he spotted through the window on car trips. Part of that fiction included who might live there, but he never guessed he'd be in a band with a bassist who fit the bill. He dedicated the following performance of "Long Haul" to the fateful street.
The Wild Honey Pie dinner series has gained popularity for its laid-back approach to an exclusive outing. Shared tables mean people get to chat during dinner — and as fans of whoever is playing at the end of the night, they already have something in common. Weiner met his wife through someone he befriended at one of the parties.
"The whole setup of the event is to make friends," he said. "So it's hard to go and not make new connections."
Eric Weiner and Sonya Cote.Photo by Brynn Osborn
An interesting menu also meant there was plenty to discuss, including "Crostini" Bastrop with pâté, parsley, pickled vegetables; a toasty Bon Fire Soup with pumpkin, coconut carrot "bacon," and crispy crickets; and a wild venison pie. (Vegans were welcome to the party, with a parallel menu.)
These bites were accompanied by creative drinks featuring Tito's Handmade Vodka: the Raised By Wolves, a black vodka daiquiri thanks to charcoal in the simple syrup; and The Start of Something, a refreshing pink lemonade-like cocktail with blueberry simple syrup and honey liqueur. Brand partners are a big part of keeping these events going, and in this case, Tito's was the reason people were able to attend for free.
This is quite a few steps above finding a snack somewhere before a concert.Photo by Brynn Osborn
If Austinites want updates on the next Wild Honey Pie Dinner Party in town, they can check the lineup at thewildhoneypie.com, or sign up for the newsletter on the same page. There are also announcements on Instagram, plus videos of acoustic performances at other parties.
According to Weiner, it sounds like the next event isn't too far away. "We love Austin too much to only come once a year," he said.
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This article was originally published December 30, 2024. It has been updated March 3, 2025, to include the newly finished music videos.