weekend roundup

No need to head out of town this weekend, we've got music right here (andpuppies!)

Or you could be at the Long Center, pumping your fist and singing along to"Sweet Child of Mine" with the cast of Rock of Ages.
Scott Suchman
Of course, you could be in a yurt in Marfa, braving the elements.
Photo by Andrew Collins
Bright Light Social Hour plays an epic homecoming show at Stubb's on Saturday.
Photo by Santiago Calderon

It's music festival time in Austin, which means there are two big hippie outings for lovers of great music under the stars (and maybe the rain — eek!).

If you're spending the weekend at El Cosmico, you're hopefully already on the road or holed up in your rental yurt in Marfa. The same is true if you're heading to Utopia, Texas for UTOPiAfest, where the journey toward musical enlightenment has already begun.

For those of us staying in town this weekend, however, there is more than enough fun to go around for music lovers, art lovers, pet lovers and just lovers in general. And don't worry about the weather: rain or shine, we've got you covered.

Friday and Saturday, St. Elias Orthodox Church invites you to take part in the Mediterranean food, culture and fun from the cradle of civilization itself at the 2012 Med Fest. Understandably, this is one of the most beloved food festivals in Austin every year because of the incredible offerings from all over the region, including parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. Dancing, shopping and plenty of food and wine to please every palate.

Saturday and Sunday, the Pecan Street Festival revs into high gear, packing Sixth Street with artisans, musicians, food stuffs and curious onlookers. If you've never been before, it's a twice-yearly tradition that needs to be experienced for the sheer fact of remembering what Sixth Street used to be and what it can be when it's not covered in frat dude puke.

On Saturday morning, at Mueller Park, Best Friends Animal Society invites you to Strut Your Mutt, a giant celebration that culminates months of fundraising on the part of local animal nonprofits like Austin Pets Alive! The day will include plenty of activities for pooches and owners alike, so everyone is invited to come out and enjoy the hard work of the folks that love Austin's animals.

All weekend, Wardenclyffe hosts its latest exhibition, Think Unsexy Thoughts, which is being labeled a "post-erotic" art show. This label holds several different meanings for the artists involved, but it will surely get your brain aroused just as much as your eyes and your... rest of you. This multifunctional East Side art gallery has been growing into quite the communal collective meeting spot, and this is a great reason to come check it out for yourself.

If you gotta get your music fix, do it in town. Saturday night, Bright Light Social Hour returns to Austin for a homecoming show at Stubb's. The band is in the middle of a 40-gig tour right now, but will undoubtedly have an amazing show for hometown fans, the first fans that helped raise them to the national notoriety they're at today.

Or you can take in the majesty of the '70s with The Steve Miller Band at ACL Live on Sunday night. This iconic band has been recording new material after an 18-year hiatus and will be sharing songs Sunday night along with classic hits like "Fly Like an Eagle" and, of course, "The Joker." Prepare accordingly.

For the lovers of the '80s, you've got all weekend to enjoy the remastered rock anthems in the musical production Rock of Ages at The Long Center. The touring cast is signing their heart out of these songs that you already know and love (and they're such better singers than the cast of the Hollywood version that tanked at the box office).

On Saturday, you can also enjoy the vocals of Broadway veteran Brian Stokes Mitchell at the Deep in the Heart of ZACH event celebrating the opening of the brand new Topfer Theatre. The full evening will include performances by Mitchell and several performers from around Austin, amazing food from many of your favorite restaurants and a chance to see the campus that has been under construction along South Lamar.

So there you have it. Plenty of music and art (and puppies!) right here in town and much closer to your own bed. If you need to see the stars, you've always got Ryan Gosling spotting to do about town...

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Study This

Austin is the No. 7 most educated city in the country, says Forbes

Photo by Dan Dennis on Unsplash

UT Austin gets a lot of praise, but this study includes degrees from everywhere — as long as the recipient lives in Texas.

Austin and San Antonio don't get all the same opportunities as the even larger cities in Texas, but in a recent study they prove they're prepared. Both made the top 10 in Forbes Advisor's "Most Educated Cities In The U.S." list: San Antonio was No. 4, and Austin was No. 7.

Other Texas cities made the list of 100, but some fell surprisingly far behind. Dallas made No. 20, followed by Houston at No. 79 and Fort Worth at No. 93. In some even more surprising twists, the smaller city of Garland was the fourth in Texas at No. 26, and El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Laredo all beat Houston.

This study compared the 100 largest cities in the country as of the 2021 census, using metrics like high school dropout rate, percentage of adults age 25 and older with some college, but no degree, undergraduate college completion rate, and percentage of adults age 25 and older with an advanced degree. There were also some lower-weighted metrics about equity, studying racial and gender college completion gaps.

Although many education studies fall into praising the University of Texas, this one considers education as a whole — while still mentioning the university once.

In San Antonio, the bachelor’s completion rate for people 25 and up was 67.30 percent, and 29.56 percent of people in that age group have advanced degrees. The study doesn't have much to say about educational opportunities in the city, focusing instead of its tourist potential. But it did note that the city had one of the smallest racial gaps for higher ed, which was only -5.49 percent. Its gender gap was 0.97 percent, and its high school dropout rate was 4.53 percent.

San Antonio's Trinity University did great in a Niche study that came out in early September. It was the No. 18 best small college in America, and topped the list entirely in Texas. Among bigger fish, it was also the No. 20 best liberal arts college in the country (and again the best in Texas), and made No. 4 in general for best colleges in Texas.

In Austin, 59.89 of people 25 or older completed Bachelor's degrees, and 22.76 percent completed advanced degrees. The racial gap was much worse at -10.87 percent. Its gender gap was a bit less than San Antonio's, at 0.69 percent, and its high school dropout rate was more at 7.56 percent.

Of course, this is where the study mentions UT, which is based in Austin. It made WalletHub's 2024 ranking of the best colleges and universities in Texas and earned the No. 2 spot; clinched the No. 6 spot in Niche's ranking of the best public universities in the country; and earned No. 2 in a list of best undergraduate programs for entrepreneurs by the Princeton Review, among other accolades.

Just breaking into the top 20, Dallas' Bachelor's degree completion rate was 57.05 percent, with 21.37 percent attaining advanced degrees. The racial and gender gaps were −14.99 percent and 1.64 percent, respectively. Much further down the list, Houston's Bachelor's degree completion rate was only 32.99 percent, and only 10.97% achieved advanced degrees. High school dropouts were at 8.90 percent, and the racial and gender gaps were −4.99 and 2.10 percent respectively.

Here are all the Texas cities on the list of 100, in order from most to least educated:

4. San Antonio
7. Austin
20. Dallas
26. Garland
49. El Paso
59. Corpus Christi
76. Laredo
79. Houston
81. Arlington
83. Irving

More information on the study by Forbes advisor, including full city rankings and expanded methodology, is available at forbes.com.

education universities