Weekend Best Bets

Austin's top weekend event picks: Boylesque, international music, anarchy wrestling

It seems like April is getting its weather idioms a little mixed up, because it decided to come in like a lion this year. This weekend, Austin's event calendar is full of fun and entertainment to enjoy — and maybe some good weather to boot.

Burly Burly 2: Manimalesque

When was the last time you got to enjoy a date at a local burlesque show? Whenever that was, it likely wasn’t a “boylesque” show. And it likely wasn’t even a charity event. The professional and amateur men of Burly Burly will show off their wild sides in this revue, all in the name of benefiting Austin Pets Alive! and the cute little animals they support. You can join in the fun, too, just by dressing up as your favorite animal in an audience costume contest. It’s the best way to go #beastmode without even going to the gym!

WobeonFest 2013

One can never get enough live music in Austin, and WobeonFest is the best chance to experience music from a wide palette of countries and cultures all in one place. This Saturday and Sunday marks the inauguration of the new festival, which brings international artists to perform in our backyard. You can also enjoy plenty of food, drink and vendors, all while feeling good about a portion of tickets sales benefiting the United Way of Greater Austin.

KUTX Live at the Paramount with Kat Edmonson

Fans of one of Austin’s favorite radio stations should be jumping around in celebration at the launch of this new live music series. Live from the Stateside and Paramount Theatres, KUTX will connect fans more directly with some of the best local and visiting talents. Kat Edmonson is the perfect choice to launch this new series with her charming presence and unique voice.

Anarchy Championship Wrestling at Mohawk

WrestleMania weekend is upon us. For wrestling fans who are a little too embarrassed to admit their fandom in public, this weekend you can save 60 bucks on pay-per-view, and support local indie wrestling at the Mohawk instead.

Anarchy Championship Wrestling isn’t afraid to go head-to-head with the big league on Sunday night. Chaos and actual entertainment are things that wrestling fans can find at ACW as they watch some of the best local and national talents square off. I want to reach out to all wrestling nerds through this screen and let them know that, as always, Austin has an independent alternative to the mainstream.

Enjoy your first April weekend, Austin!

Kat Edmonson performs at KUTX Live.

Austin Photo Set: News_Dan_Kat Edmonson_april 2012_2

Photo by Charlotte Pinson

Kat Edmonson performs at KUTX Live.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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