There's a lot Austinites do in parks, from drum circles to watching plays. Austin Parks Foundation (APF) is amplifying that culture with the In the Park series, which hosts free events to get Austinites into a natural space together. A new calendar adds new events and even a new series from now through December.

Events fall into four categories: Fitness in the Park, Playdates in the Park, Movies in the Park and, Art in the Park. The latter series, led by Painting Pandas, is a new addition specifically for kids; They'll be encouraged to tap into their creativity while making nature-inspired crafts. There will be three events at different parks: Patterson Neighborhood Park on September 11, Earl J Pomerleau Pocket Park on October 26, and Wooten Neighborhood Park on November 16.

All the series are kid-friendly, but kids are not the exclusive target audience for all of the events.

For instance, Fitness in the Park is one of the more adult offerings, with sunrise yoga on Monday mornings followed by a cold plunge at Barton Springs. Yoga will be led by Austin-based travel group Habitat Retreats, which hopes that "Monday Movement" will help participants start the week with something to look forward to — hopefully waking up for a 7 am yoga class is something they look forward to, also.

Movies in the Park is a time-honored tradition after a decade of programming, with both a classic and a new showing scheduled this fall. Films are brought to a cozy outdoor location by Rocket Cinema.

On September 13, audiences can watch Barbie, which had its digital release almost exactly a year before, in September 2023. Then on December 5, APF is showing The Grinch, the 2018 version of the classic Christmas story. Audiences are invited to dress to theme, bring seating, and pack snacks. These don't take place at Zilker Park, but at Mueller Lake Park and Balcones District Park, respectively.

Finally, another one just for the kiddos: Playdates in the Park are for families with young children, covering a wide variety of activities like story readings, creative movement, music, and more. In partnership with Creative Action, these events will introduce participants to other organizations as each one leads activities in its own speciality.

The two-hour playdates start at 10 am at different parks around Austin. From a press release, here are the different options:

• Mary Moore Searight Metro Park | Wednesday, September 4
  • Texas Book Festival will be leading story-time (author TBD)
• Dove Springs District Park | Saturday, September 21 (bilingual)
  • Painting Pandas will lead an art activity
• Walnut Creek Metro Park | Wednesday, October 16
  • BookSpring will lead storytime and a book distribution
  • Painting Pandas will lead an art activity
• Ponciana Neighborhood Park | Wednesday, November 6 (bilingual)
  • Painting Pandas will lead an art activity
• Metz Neighborhood Park | Saturday, November 23 (bilingual)
  • BookSpring will lead storytime, a book distribution and book making activity

Although it sounds similar to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Austin Parks Foundation is its own organization that's best known for events like It's My Park Day. Its mission is to "fill the funding and resource gap for our parks."

More information about the various series is available at austinparks.org.